Best Programming Languages for Web Development

What programming languages do web developers use?

Web developers use various programming languages depending on what they are building:

• Some programming languages are used for the front end, or client side. In front-end web development, all interfaces and visual effects that the user sees—from buttons to graphics—are coded. Languages like HTML and CSS are front-end languages.
• Other programming languages, such as Python and Java, are primarily intended for back-end web development. These so-called "server-side languages" facilitate communication between the front end and the databases and servers that support it.
• A full-stack developer can write code for both the front end and back end, which requires a broader language experience. Most developers start by learning front-end languages like JavaScript. 

1. JavaScript

For the eighth consecutive year, JavaScript has topped the list of the most popular programming languages in the Stack Overflow Developer Survey. Alongside CSS and HTML, JavaScript is one of the three fundamental web programming languages.

JavaScript is a scripting language. It runs directly from the source code; it does not need to be translated into machine code before execution.

JavaScript is also a full-stack language, although it is most often used on the front end. JavaScript creates interactive elements of web pages, such as:

• Clickable buttons
• Images that can be zoomed in and out
• Audio and video on the page.

JavaScript powers the front ends of some of the world's most famous sites: LinkedIn, Amazon, Facebook, and others.

Programmers also use JavaScript to build server-side applications using the Node.js runtime environment. Node.js allows developers to write JavaScript programs for operating systems such as Linux, macOS, and Windows.

JavaScript is pleasant to use and relatively quick to learn thanks to a large user community and extensive documentation. Once you master the basics of JavaScript, you can start using libraries and frameworks that extend its capabilities.

React.js and React Native

React.js and React Native are open-source resources for front-end development. 

With React.js, you create, organize, and render reusable components. This makes application development simpler and more convenient. React.js also uses a virtual Document Object Model (DOM), meaning you can make changes without writing them directly to the main interface. 

React Native is a larger framework for developing native mobile applications, though some developers use it to build desktop applications. It uses React.js as its core library but adds much more functionality, primarily by integrating other languages like Java and C++.

React is one of the most popular frameworks for modern web development.

AngularJS

AngularJS is a structural open-source framework for building dynamic applications. It uses HTML as a template language but extends the available syntax so you can create and scale Rich Internet Applications (RIAs). RIAs give web applications greater interactivity and visual appeal by integrating elements from graphical desktop applications.

AngularJS builds single-page applications (SPAs). An SPA loads a single document and updates its content using JavaScript. This speeds up the loading process and improves application performance.

AngularJS enhances the SPA building process by providing:

• Testability of modules
• Reusable code components
• Data binding for a more responsive experience
• JavaScript controllers for HTML views
• Greater functionality with shorter code

As a cross-platform framework, AngularJS works in all major web browsers and allows you to create mobile applications for Android and iOS.

Vue

Vue is a lightweight, basic JavaScript framework for building SPAs and user interfaces (UI). You can use Vue to enhance existing front-end code or write a single-page application from scratch.

Vue is especially useful for:

\n\t
• Creating web page prototypes
\n\t
• Developing a user interface project
\n\t
• Extending existing applications.
\n

Developers call Vue "incrementally adoptable," meaning you can start with the basics right away and add new features as you go. The framework stands out:

\n\t
• Ideal for developers who don't want to complicate things too early.
\n\t
• Lightweight and fast rendering. 
\n\t
• Supported by official libraries that add more complex features when needed.
\n

TypeScript

TypeScript uses all standard JavaScript features and adds a typing function to make code safer, easier to maintain, and deploy. Unlike JavaScript, TypeScript is a strongly typed language – essentially, a programmer can assign names and restrict them to specific purposes in the code. 

TypeScript makes it easier to identify common errors in code and warns you about runtime errors. You can use all available JavaScript languages and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), while seeing more detailed information about your code and reducing errors.

TypeScript is more difficult to learn than JavaScript, but once you master it, you can save significant time troubleshooting. 

2. Python

Python is a general-purpose language that is intuitive to learn and capable of building high-tech programs. 

Best known as the primary programming language for machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data science, Python is also one of the best languages for web development. Used primarily for back-end development, Python is an excellent language for beginners. Its syntax is simple and highly readable, even if it's your first coding language. 

Python is also an object-oriented programming language; it splits your code into self-contained units that you can carry between projects to avoid redundant coding "from scratch."

Most importantly, Python boasts an extensive and constantly growing collection of modules, libraries, and frameworks – collections of ready-made code that allow you to quickly scale application and software development.

Django

Django was designed to meet the fast-changing needs of a newsroom, and it shows. This open-source framework accelerates the creation of functional, scalable web applications, so you can build a working application in just a few hours.

With Django, you get almost all the structural components you might need "out of the box," allowing you to build the details of your application without spending time on already created parts. You also get built-in solutions for common web development tasks, including user authentication and site rendering. 

Flask

Like Django, Flask is a Python-based framework designed to simplify web application programming. It's a micro-framework, so the main focus is on simplicity. It's easier to learn and get started with than Django, but you can still use it to build large applications.

3. Ruby

Like Python, Ruby is an object-oriented programming language created for ease of use. It's popular among web developers because:

\n\t
• It splits code into simple building blocks called classes.
\n\t
• It uses "garbage collection" to manage and clean up memory.
\n\t
• It encapsulates instructions into blocks, making them easier to access.
\n

Ruby is the foundation for the popular web application framework Ruby on Rails. Like Ruby itself, Ruby on Rails is intuitive for non-programmers. It has a huge user community and plenty of learning materials, as well as specialized libraries that speed up the coding process.

Because RoR is so quick to learn, it allows developers to rapidly build and launch minimum viable products (MVPs). This makes it a popular framework for e-commerce brands like Shopify and Spree.

Jekyll

Jekyll is a simple static website generator based on Ruby. If you are interested in hosting static web pages for simple content, like a blog, Jekyll provides an easy way to combine Markdown, Liquid, HTML, and CSS to deploy your site.

4. Swift

Swift is an open-source language for developing applications on Apple platforms. Built for modern app developers, it offers power and speed as well as safety. It includes:

• Simplified syntax for easier maintenance.
• Crash protection features that reduce runtime failures.
• High performance even with the simplest code.
• Interactive debugging.

Swift is a full-stack language that replaced Apple's old Objective-C code, but it is compatible enough that Objective-C developers can continue using it. It is also a great language for beginner coders, thanks to playgrounds and tutorials that let anyone experiment with coding.

5. HTML

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is the most popular markup language in the world, and it is essential for front-end web developers to learn. Compared to languages like JavaScript and Python, HTML is relatively simple. 

HTML is a declarative markup language. It defines web page elements using tags — it does not handle logic, manipulate data, take input, or produce output like a scripting language does. It is used exclusively for structuring pages and creating templates. Most beginner front-end developers start by learning HTML — the format in which web pages are stored on servers.

HTML uses sections called "element blocks" to mark parts of a website. Inside these blocks, HTML adds tags that define how different elements should appear. For example:

• <img> displays an image.
• <h2> denotes a heading.
• <p> denotes a paragraph.

Without HTML, it is impossible to create a functioning website. In fact, if you right-click on any web page (not a link) and select View Page Source, you can see the HTML of that site. 

6. CSS

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) work hand in hand with HTML. CSS is a style language, a specific type of declarative language that describes how HTML code should appear on screen.

CSS can:

• Place an element in a specific position on the page.
• Add shadows and borders.
• Set the color and style of a link.
• Change the size, font, or color of text.
• Change the background color of a page.
• Animate page elements and sprites.
• And much, much more...

CSS is a bit more complex than HTML, but still accessible for beginners and especially important for web design. Once you master the basics, you can expand your knowledge with extension languages like SASS and its SCSS syntax.

SASS

SASS stands for Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets. It is a CSS preprocessor scripting language — a tool that simplifies creating and maintaining CSS code while adding more advanced features.

SASS is gaining popularity and has an extensive library of resources. The available resources, along with a large and supportive user community, make it an excellent preprocessor for beginners. 

SCSS 

SCSS is the most common syntax used in SASS. It is easier to read than other available syntaxes and easier to convert to CSS.

7. PHP

PHP, short for Hypertext Preprocessor, is a server-side scripting language. This language is used to create scripts on web servers that generate individual responses to each user request – as opposed to a website that looks the same for everyone. 

Learning PHP allows you to create web pages with personalized user interfaces. One well-known example is WordPress, which uses PHP to structure and display thousands of different sites to visitors. It is thanks to PHP that your WordPress site looks different from your colleague's site, and why you and other WordPress users have different dashboards.