BEST PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES

Did you know that there are dozens of web coding languages out there? So, if you want to become a web developer, it can be quite hard to pick the proper one. Fortunately, at the end of this guide, you will be able to make an educated decision.

1. JavaScript continues to be the most popular programming language in the world. This is hardly a surprise, because it is quite easy to learn, and yet very powerful. The coding language is interpreted, which means that it is executed directly, without needing to be compiled, and this helps improve speed. And since JavaScript is client-sided, most of the load is transferred to the client computer, so the applications run faster because there are much fewer server-side requests.

It doesn't mean that this programming language doesn't have its issues, though. The biggest problem by far is client-side security, because the code can be easily viewed by any person who utilizes a standard web browser.

2. HTML5, the newest version of HTML, is almost as popular as JavaScript. It is beginner-friendly, and there are lots of great tutorials on the web. And since this web programming language is open source, it is constantly patched and improved.

On the negative side, HTML5 includes some bloated code. And if it isn't used in conjunction with CSS, the resulting web pages will look like everyone else's. Still, it's the backbone of web design and development, so aspiring web programmers should definitely check it out.

3. Python is the new kid on the block! Actually, it was released about two decades ago, but it only took off a few years ago. I'd say that its popularity has exploded because it is really easy to use. Kids can learn enough Python to create simple programs in a single day! The code is easy to understand and can be extended without effort by making use of a vast library.

Python is an OOP programming language, and the resulting applications can be deployed on a huge variety of platforms. You can use Python to create applications that run on Raspberry Pi, for example.

Python can be quite slow, though; this is probably its most important drawback. So, it's not a good idea to use it for high-speed multimedia applications such as 3D games, video editing tools, and other programs that require a big frame rate.

4. Java may sound similar to JavaScript, but they are two very different programming envorinments. This programming language embraces object-oriented programming, allowing developers to group variables and functions (also known as "methods") in classes, which can then be reused anytime they are needed.

The syntax is simple, and the learning curve is quite mild. The resulting projects are platform-independent, because they are compiled to bytecode, and then they can be run on any operating system which supports Java Virtual Machines (JVMs). It supports automatic memory management, a huge blessing for developers of any level. The garbage collection mechanism ensures that memory allocation and deallocation are always done behind the scenes.

Any coding language has its cons, though. Java can use a lot of memory, especially if we compare it with compiled programming languages, such as C++. While the garbage collection feature may be useful for most people, it will decrease application performance anytime it runs, because all the other threads need to be stopped during the process.

5. Let's end this article by discussing about C#, an OOP, general-purpose programming language. Since it is built into Microsoft's Visual Studio IDE, it integrates perfectly with the Windows OS. Its syntax is quite similar with the one used by Java.

Since C# isn't interpreted, the resulting code is stored on the server as binary files, and this improves security. It's true that these files can be decompiled, but there are several code obfuscators out there, and they will make any hacker's job much harder.

As you can probably guess, C# will only run on Windows-based servers. So, if you prefer to use Linux, it won't be possible to use C# for your web-powered projects.