Top 13 Most Popular Programming Languages Today

JavaScript is known as one of the most popular programming languages in the world today. According to Stack Overflow Developer Survey 1, JavaScript was the most commonly used programming language in 2022. Not only that, it has maintained this status for eight consecutive years. JavaScript originally named Mocha, was developed by Netscape programmer Brendan Eich in just 10 days. JS was first released in 1995 and was then renamed JavaScript when Java was the most talked-about language.

Although JavaScript is often confused with Java, the two programming languages couldn't be more different. Along with HTML and CSS, JavaScript is a popular choice for front-end development. JavaScript is used to make static web pages dynamic and interactive like many large websites including Twitter, Facebook, Gmail, and Youtube. Along with user interface, JavaScript can also handle server-side through Node.js.

With simple and flexible syntax, JavaScript is one of the most beginner-friendly programming languages to learn. Understanding syntax and basic concepts like variables, arrays, etc. from online courses will lead you to the path of becoming a successful full-stack web developer (front-end and back-end).

Java is an object-oriented, class-based programming language that is widely used. It is considered the easiest programming language to learn and provides a working knowledge of how classes and objects operate. It is widely used in various fields, from web development to gaming, and even scientific and financial applications. If you've used any electronic device, chances are you've used something built on Java.

One of the most famous mobile operating systems, Android, has used apps created with this language. There's a lot of competition here; Java doesn't provide an easy way for someone to become major players without significant experience and knowledge. Your best bet is to start with a course covering the basics before attempting to self-learn the more advanced aspects of this coding language.

Python stands out as one of the most promising, versatile, and popular programming languages today. It can be used to create games, PC, standalone, and mobile applications, but it's predominantly popular for machine learning and deep learning applications. With a plethora of libraries including Tensorflow, NumPy, Matplotlib, and Pandas, Python is the programming language of choice for data scientists. Currently, it offers 137k libraries for data visualization, image and data processing, and more. From web development to software development and game creation, Python can do it all!

Among all the popular and best programming languages, Python remains steadfast. Python has changed the face of coding by ditching semicolons from the code. Python code is simple, clean, and readable. Many Python developers have remarked that it's very close to English-like syntax. What's interesting is developers' perspective on learning Python. According to Stack Overflow Developer Survey, Python is the top language developers don't use but want to learn! For developers, Python brings forth exciting opportunities. The demand for Python developers is on the rise in 2022 with an average salary of $79,000.

PHP is a general-purpose scripting language that runs on the server side, meaning it executes code on the web server—making it inaccessible to users to view the actual code (unlike HTML). PHP is widely used in web development. In fact, entire webpages can be encapsulated within PHP, making it nearly impossible for anyone to reuse your code. It can also be used to execute scripts for simple text processing tasks.

PHP on its own has somewhat limited job prospects. When combined with other popular programming languages, HTML in particular, it opens up a plethora of employment opportunities. There are jobs suitable for those with basic knowledge as well as advanced users. It's considered to be both future-proof and outdated, depending on who you ask. However, the use of PHP may decline over the years as modern web development methods emphasize JavaScript. Currently, over 85% of websites using this programming language include Facebook, Wikipedia, Zoom, WordPress, etc.

Ruby is a general-purpose programming language that combines features from Perl, Smalltalk, Eiffel, and others. Ruby on Rails is a model-view-controller (MVC) framework. Ruby abstracts and simplifies common repetitive tasks, making building websites and applications easier. It is primarily used in web development and is increasingly gaining stability. With efficiency and simplicity, it has established itself as a key tool in the market.

The job market for Ruby on Rails may not be as extensive as other top programming languages like HTML and Java, but it is a relatively new technology compared to languages like HTML and Java. Ruby on Rails is on track to becoming an industry standard, and the job market will continue to reflect that. It is a fairly easy programming language to learn, and being an open-source language, it has countless detailed tutorials on how to use it. Some online courses will give you a head start on this coding language. However, like all other skills, practice makes perfect, and this holds true here as well.

CSS serves as a style specification used to build designs for a markup language. CSS is predominantly employed in constructing websites. Everything from what appears on your web browser to directing links correctly demands an understanding of HTML. CSS is engineered to allow for the separation of content and presentation, including layout, color, and typography. This separation of the CSS programming language can enhance content accessibility while providing more flexibility and control over defining presentation attributes.

Due to the constant demand in the market for not only new websites but also website maintenance and updates, the job pool for CSS is vast and offers something for programmers at any skill level. It's one of those skills that can prove future-proof as the need to 'bring businesses online' will only increase in the coming decade. The best way to learn CSS is through practice. Follow along with some courses or web design tutorials and build a few basic websites, and you'll soon find yourself making significant progress.

C ++ is an extension of the C language and is one of the most widely used and popular programming languages with various applications. It is a high-level language with imperative, object-oriented, and generic programming features. While it is primarily used in developing desktop applications, it also serves as the inspiration for several other widely used programming languages in today's age. Interestingly, advanced games and gaming tools that millions of players demand utilize C++.

In fact, Apple's preferred Objective-C language (used for app development before the release of SWIFT) is another extension of C. While it may not be as prevalent as before, it still has a strong job market, albeit leaning towards more experienced programmers. However, it remains an excellent skill to have, especially as mastery of the language ensures a high payout. C++ is a classic example of 'easy to learn, hard to master.' Hence, Java is still preferred as the coding language for beginners looking to gain experience in object-oriented programming languages before transitioning to C++.

Go is an open-source programming language designed by Google in 2007. It's often referred to as Golang due to its domain name (golang.org). Go's syntax is similar to C but it also features memory safety, garbage collection, structural typing, and CSP-style concurrency. According to the latest Stack Overflow Developers survey, Go is one of the top five most popular programming languages. Currently, many big companies including Google, Uber, and Dropbox are using Go. If you choose to learn Go, you're in for a treat, as Go developers, along with Perl and Scala developers, have some of the highest salaries.

The development of Go is propelled by a general dislike for C++. Developers aimed to create a language that offers the best of all worlds. For example, it has the static typing and runtime efficiency of C, the readability and usability of JavaScript and Python. It also supports concurrency and can be used in distributed systems, cloud computing, etc. Go is one of Google's longer-lived services, and because it's widely used internally, it's a solid language choice.

C# is a simple object-oriented programming language with a rich library. C# has very fast program execution and compilation speed. Microsoft's in-house programming language may not impress like Python or JavaScript, but between .NET for cross-platform development and Unity for game development, there's very little it can't do. With Microsoft's efforts in recent years to truly become a developer-centric company and opening up Visual Studio to run on Mac, there are truly few limitations to this programming language.

C# is one of the most popular programming languages for developing games like Xbox, virtual reality games, 3D immersive games, as well as web development and enterprise software development. It offers a safer environment than both C and C++. Some of its most popular frameworks are .NET, Xamarin, etc. With the depth of the language and the ecosystem support, there are also numerous resources and communities dedicated to .NET and C#, from podcasts like Microsoft MVP Jamie Taylor's The .NET Core Show and .NET Rocks! display, to blogs like Chris Alcock's The Morning Brew and Alvin Ashcraft's Morning Dew. So, this programming language would be a great choice if you aim to become a game developer in the future.

TypeScript is an open-source programming language developed and maintained by Microsoft. It's a superset of JavaScript that adds static typing features to the language. It works well on both web and mobile platforms. Although the syntax of JavaScript and TypeScript is not the same, all JS code is also TypeScript code. Above all, TypeScript also highlights any unwanted behavior in your JS code and reduces the risk of errors. TypeScript programming language can be used for JavaScript applications developed for both server-side and client-side, which can also be done by node.js.

If you've used JavaScript on Visual Studio Code, you might have interacted with TypeScript without realizing it. Every JS developer uses Intellisense using TypeScript to understand JS code. Unlike JS, TypeScript code has to be compiled into JavaScript code. Therefore, like JavaScript, TypeScript can also be used for both front-end and back-end development. Currently, TypeScript is becoming increasingly popular and ranks among the top ten most popular technologies. It's also the second most popular programming language developers have been adopting, surpassing Python since last year.

One of the longest-standing programming languages still widely used today is the C programming language. C was created in the early 1970s. In 1978, the legendary and still widely read handbook of this language, 'The C Programming Language,' was first published. C is the foundation of other programming languages such as C#, Java, and JavaScript. C++ is an advanced version of C. Many developers nowadays often overlook self-learning the C programming language, while others believe that learning C first provides a valuable foundation for C++ programming language development.

The C programming language is a general-purpose computer programming language that is widely used. It is a structured and easy-to-learn language. It was invented to write the UNIX operating system, and UNIX is entirely written in C. Not only the operating system but also popular compiler programs like compilers, interpreters, text editors, network drivers, etc., are written in C. If you aspire to become a great software engineer in the future, especially in the field of software development, you cannot afford to skip C.

Swift is a structured object-oriented programming language. Swift was developed by Apple in 2014 for Linux, iOS, and Mac applications. It is an open-source programming language, relatively new, mainly used for mobile app development. It was developed to replace Objective-C with a syntax similar to Python and Ruby. It features improved readability, speed, and dynamic libraries that help reduce app size as well as improve performance. Swift was created specifically for app development.

For beginners, Swift is very easy to learn with clear and simple syntax. There is less code, and it is very close to natural English. Swift lives up to its name for speed and performance. It is 2.6 times faster than Objective-C and 8.4 times faster than Python. In iOS development, Swift is a popular choice. Even though we have React Native and Flutter (Dart), Swift remains the most widely used programming language for iOS development. However, because it is still a relatively young language, Swift is facing challenges in cross-platform support. Swift has a significant impact on Mac OS, Watch OS, and other Apple apps. Cocoa, CloudKit, etc., are some of its popular frameworks.

Shell is the most widely used computer scripting language across many IT departments. It simplifies the work of IT staff and other developers by allowing them to write commands to automate common tasks such as installing and uninstalling applications as well as backing up files. The Shell programming language is primarily used to provide a direct guide to the system and to communicate more effectively.

However, many people know that Shell is not considered a programming language, but some may find it strange to see Shell on the list of most popular programming languages, but those who enjoy working with Linux systems understand it better than ever. This helps eliminate the need to go through a graphical interface to run a set of commands with the ease of a command prompt. Instead, a shell script instructs the operating system to automatically run a list of pre-designed commands. For example, a shell script may have the operating system convert every '.bmp' file to '.jpg' whenever it runs.