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The demand for web applications is growing along with the number of programming languages. Now in order to succeed it is necessary to constantly keep abreast of new trends, which is why sometimes the head goes round. At the same time, the most fundamental issues, such as the choice of a web development language, must be approached with all responsibility, because any little thing can affect the final result.
Web developers choose from a wide variety of languages: from JavaScript to Python. The popularity of some has soared only in recent years: for example, Python developers are a fast-growing niche, while others are in sharp decline. The main thing in this matter is to understand that language is primarily a tool and the final result directly depends on its choice.
In this article, we will introduce to you the best web development languages and their frameworks according to the community of developers and our experts. Choosing these web development languages for your web project in 2020, you certainly will succeed. Let's get started!
.1 Ruby
Ruby is a dynamic, reflective, interpretable, high-level web development language for fast and convenient object-oriented programming. To begin with, the Ruby web development language is not for newbies. The entry threshold is high, so web developers usually come to Ruby after several years of work with some other programming language. Typically, a beginner Ruby on Rails programmer is an experienced web developer with a profound background knowledge, experience in developing projects using other languages, an understanding of the principles of programming and a good understanding of web development in general.
The main advantage of the Ruby language and its main Ruby on Rails framework is development speed. As practice shows, the speed of developing projects on RoR increases by 30-40 percent compared to any other web development language or framework.
Noticeable frameworks
Ruby on Rails is a complete, multi-level framework for building web applications using databases, which is based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture. Its distinctive feature is the increase in development speed, which is provided by an extensive set of ready-to-use standard RoR tools, a colossal set of ready-made solutions in the community, as well as ease of development on this framework.
.2 Javascript
It is safe to say that the past decade would be appropriate to call the "decade of JavaScript." Over the years, the popularity of JavaScript has grown by at least 4% and there is no reason to believe that this trend will slow down. Therefore, betting on JavaScript, you definitely won’t lose. JavaScript is the language at the heart of any large tech company. Among such companies are Netflix, Facebook, Google and many others. It was the JavaScript community that created a lot of interesting and modern projects and the popularity of this language is not going to decline. You can verify this by looking at the table from Github below.
Worth to note that JavaScript, to some extent, is used on almost every existing website. And there are almost 2 billions of them already!
Noticeable frameworks
ReactJS is not actually a framework, but a JavaScript library. Its source code was opened by Facebook in 2013. This framework is great for creating huge web applications where data can change on a regular basis.
Vue.js is a JavaScript framework launched in 2013 that is perfect for creating customizable user interfaces and complex single-page applications.
.3 Java
Java is definitely the most famous programming language. It was released in 1995 and remains popular to this day, although, as mentioned above, Python developers may soon overtake Java programmers in quantity. This general-purpose language is widely used to develop mobile applications and games, especially for Android.
Java is one of the top paid web development languages. Java is used by 9 million developers and 7 billion devices worldwide. It is an important platform for writing commercial software applications. As of November 2019, Java ranks first in the TIOBE community of programmers, accounting for 16.25% in the list of the top 50 programming languages.
Noticeable frameworks
Spring - the main feature of this framework is the ability to develop an application as a set of loose-coupled components. The less application components are aware of each other, the easier it is to develop new and maintain existing functionality. A classic example is transaction management. Spring allows you to manage transactions completely independently of the basic logic of interacting with the database.
.4 PHP
Although PHP is losing the battle to Python and Javascript, it is still highly regarded in the market. Today, about 70% of websites use PHP. Thanks to PHP, you can create very dynamic and interactive websites that are very attractive to the end user.
Among the main advantages of PHP are often distinguished:
- low entry threshold;
- large ecosystem;
- huge community;
- upscale debugging.
PHP is one of the most controversial trends, because due to the low entry threshold it is easy to stumble upon an amateur, instead of a qualified specialist. Nevertheless, for many years it has been at the top of the list and in 2020 will be one of the most sought-after on the market.
Noticeable frameworks
Laravel is a framework for web applications with expressive and elegant syntax. It simplifies the solution of basic sore tasks, such as authentication, routing, sessions and caching. Laravel is an attempt to combine all the best that is in other PHP frameworks. The main advantages of Laravel include a large ecosystem with instant deployment of its platform and an official site that provides many manuals and information for familiarization.
.5 Typescript
As the popularity of Javascript and its use by large companies grows, the process of simplifying the writing of code and its maintenance becomes more difficult. For this reason, Microsoft developed Typescript, which extends the capabilities of JS. In addition, applications written in Typescript can be compiled in Javascript. As Github and PYPL statistics show, this language is gaining momentum and its community is expanding. The documentation is very well written, so it is not so difficult to learn. Despite the shortcomings, it is highly likely that its ratings will increase significantly in 2020.
Among the main advantages of Typescript are:
- a full description of each component of the code, which eliminates the likelihood of a malfunction of one element when changing another;
- requires less tests due to its special architecture;
- advanced toolkit;
- the ability to configure so that the erroneous code fails to commit.
Noticeable frameworks
Nest.js is one of the Node.js framework types used to develop professional and scalable server applications. Since it was developed using TypeScript, it combines the elements of object-oriented development, functional development, and functional reactive programming. The developers note its convenience and ease in creating testable and scalable high-quality applications.
Honorable mentions
It is worth mentioning a few web development languages that are also loved by developers due to the fact that they are great for specific tasks.
Rust
The system programming language, which runs surprisingly fast, prevents almost all crashes and also eliminates the uncertainties of data sharing. Great for backend development.
Elixir
A dynamic, functional programming language designed to develop software that require the simultaneous execution of many processes. Elixir is powered by an Erlang virtual machine, which provides real-time reliability, distribution, and execution.
Go
The Go development language, sometimes called Golang, is gaining popularity. It is most suitable for modern computer technology, especially for the cloud services. The increasing use of Go is partly due to the fact that it is a lightweight open source language suitable for today's microservice architecture.
Now you know which languages will be relevant in 2020, and you will probably meet them everywhere in the coming months. Given your own and team preferences when choosing a language, keep in mind that each of them offers advantages in achieving different goals. However, no matter which language you like more, it is better to consult with experts and read our material How to Make a Successful Web App in 2020!
