Top 10 Programming Languages to Learn and Why

Are you searching for the best programming languages to learn? If yes, then you’ve come to the right place.

Programming is a vast field with tons of languages available today. But which ones should you learn? Find out more below.

JavaScript

JavaScript is the most popular programming language with 1.8 billion websites (98% of total websites) using it in mobile apps, games, and more. Although it is a powerful general-purpose programming language, its main purpose is mostly for adding interactivity and functionality to websites and web apps.

JavaScript runs inside a browser so it’s possible to create interactive and functional elements on a webpage, like drop-down menus and pop-up boxes. If you want to learn how to create animations and games, JavaScript will be a great choice.

Why Learn JavaScript?

Here are example applications that use JavaScript:

Web Applications – YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, Yahoo, Amazon, eBay, and 98% of websites online
Online Game Development – HexGL, Gods Will Be Watching, Tic-Tac-Toe, Tetris, and more
User Interface – React, Angular, and Vue
Animations – Velocity, ThreeJS, and AnimeJS
Web Mapping Applications – Leaflet, ArcGIS API, and Cesium

Python

Python is a powerful general-purpose programming language. It is readable and concise, which makes it a great choice for beginners. Programmers use it in a wide range of applications, like web development, data science, automation, and software creation.

Due to its readability, developers also use it in enterprise software development. Although Python is built with readability in mind, it has fewer syntactic constructions compared to other languages like Java, C++, and C#.

Data Manipulation – NumPy, Pandas, and OpenCV
Data Visualization – Matplotlib, Seaborn, and Plotly
Machine Learning – TensorFlow, SciPy, PyTorch, Keras, and Scikit-Learn

Java

Developers use Java for building websites, desktop applications, Android apps, and embedded software. It is one of the most popular programming languages and has been around for a long time.

Millions of programmers worldwide use Java because it is a powerful programming language to develop software for a wide range of uses. It is one of the most stable and secure programming languages available today.

Who uses Java?

eCommerce Frameworks – Hybris, Shopizer, and Elastic Path
Content Management System – HippoCMS, Magnolia, and Alfresco
Financial Platforms – Fintech (Financial Technology)

SQL

SQL (Structured Query Language) is a language for querying and managing databases. Software developers and database administrators create, read, update and delete data from a database using SQL queries.

SQL powers relational database systems such as MySQL, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server. It is one of the most popular programming languages and is used in almost every industry. If you want to become a database engineer, SQL is a must-learn language.

Why Learn SQL?

Here are example applications that use SQL:

Relational Databases – MySQL, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server
Cloud Database Systems – Azure SQL Databases, IBM DB2

C#

C# is a general-purpose programming language used broadly for a wide range of applications. It is one of the popular programming languages among developers for game development and robotics.

Although C++ is built with readability in mind, developers use this language to create apps and software for desktop applications, websites, and web services.

Why Learn C++?

Here are example applications that use SQL:

Desktop Applications – Adobe Photoshop, Windows OS, Microsoft Excel, Word, and Office
Game Development – World of Warcraft, Witcher 3, Counter-Strike, and more
Robotics – Robot Operating System (ROS)

Rust

Rust is a relatively new programming language for creating fast and secure software. As a modern programming language, it’s built for safety, speed, and concurrency. Mozilla originally developed it for a variety of applications, like creating websites, desktop apps, and software.

Rust is a statically typed language, meaning that you must declare variables before you can use them. This helps to prevent bugs caused by incorrect type conversions. Although it’s relatively new, it is expected to become a popular programming language in the future.

Why Learn Rust? Web browsers and operating systems

PHP

PHP is a server-side scripting language used to create dynamic websites and web apps. It’s one of the most popular programming languages and is a great language to start with if you are interested in web development

Millions of web developers use PHP and it’s one of the easiest programming languages to learn. Overall, web developers use this language because it is one of the most stable languages available for web development.

Why Learn PHP? Web development and HTML integration

Go (Golang)

Go (Golang) is a compiler-based language that is designed to be simple, easy to read, and fast. Although it’s a relatively new programming language, it is a great language to learn if you want to become a software engineer.

As an open-source language, Go is a general-purpose programming language that developers use to create server-side applications and software. Google engineers created Go and it’s one of the fastest-growing programming languages in the world today.

Web Applications – Google, Twitch, Dropbox, Dailymotion, and Uber

Kotlin

Kotlin is a new and modern programming language for creating Android apps. JetBrains developed Kotlin as an open-source programming language back in 2011.

Kotlin is a statically typed programming language that runs on the JVM (Java Virtual Machine). Although it’s not expected for Kotlin to fully replace Java, it is easy to learn, safe, and interoperable with Java.

Swift

Swift is a new programming language created by Apple Inc at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in 2014. It is a powerful and intuitive programming language for macOS, iOS, and watchOS.

Swift makes it easy to write software that is incredibly fast and safe by design. As a general-purpose programming language, Swift is a great language to learn if you want to become an iOS or macOS app developer. It is easy to understand and a great skill to add to your resume.