Top 10 Programming Languages

Top 10 Programming Languages according to the TIOBE Index for July 2020

• C

C is a general-purpose, procedural computer programming language supporting structured programming, lexical variable scope, and recursion, with a static type system. By design, C provides constructs that map efficiently to typical machine instructions.

• Java

Java is many developers’ first exposure to the principles of Object-Oriented design. As one of the easiest coding languages to learn, it’s commonly used to teach college students the basics of design patterns and software engineering.

Another general-purpose programming language, Java is one of the most popular for enterprise development, perhaps due to its straightforward nature, stability, and large community of developers.

As an example, one important project that makes use of Java is the Android Software Developer Kit (SDK), which allows developers to create applications that function on devices that use the Android Operating System. Additionally, we can point to Netflix as another example of Java’s power, as the language was used to build the foundation of Netflix’s streaming service.

For someone just starting out with programming, it might feel a little overwhelming to learn Java because, compared to Python, Java is a bit more involved, while still requiring you to set up your own development environment. Still, once you get started working in Java, you shouldn’t run into too many surprises.

• Python

Python is perhaps the most user-friendly programming language of any on this list. It’s often said that Python’s syntax is clear, intuitive, and almost English-like, which, like Java, makes it a popular choice for beginners.

Also like Java, Python has a variety of applications that make it a versatile, powerful option when choosing the best programming language for your use case. If you’re interested in back-end web development, for example, then the open-source Django framework, written in Python, is popular, easy to learn, and feature-rich. Django has been used in the development of some popular sites like Mozilla, Instagram, and Spotify.

Python also has packages such as NumPy and SciPy that are commonly used in the fields of scientific computing, mathematics, and engineering. Other Python libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, and OpenCV are used to build programs in data science, machine learning, image processing, and computer vision. Python's science and data applications make it a great choice for the academically inclined.

• C++

C++ changed very little in popularity from early 2017 to now. An extension of the old-school “C” programming language, C++ is usually used for system/application software, game development, drivers, client-server applications and embedded firmware. Many programmers find C++ complex and more difficult to learn and use than languages like Python or JavaScript, but it remains in use in many legacy systems at large enterprises.

• C#

Like C++, C# (pronounced C Sharp) is a general-purpose, object-oriented language built on the foundations of C. It was originally designed by Microsoft as part of its .NET framework for building Windows applications.

C# uses a syntax that’s similar to other C-derived languages such as C++, so it’s easy to pick up if you’re coming from another language in the C family. C# is not only the go-to for Microsoft app development, but it’s also the language mobile developers use to build cross-platform apps on the Xamarin platform.

Additionally, anyone who is interested in VR development should consider learning C#. C# is the recommended language for building 3D and 2D video games using the popular Unity game engine, which produces one-third of the top games on the market.

• Visual Basic

Visual Basic is a third-generation event-driven programming language from Microsoft known for its Component Object Model programming model first released in 1991 and declared legacy during 2008. Microsoft intended Visual Basic to be relatively easy to learn and use.

• JavaScript

It’s impossible to be a software developer these days without using JavaScript in some way. According to Stack Overflow's 2019 Developer Survey, JavaScript is the most popular language among developers for the seventh year in a row. Nearly 70 percent of survey respondents reported that they had used JavaScript in the past year.

Along with HTML and CSS, JavaScript is essential to front-end web development. A majority of the web’s most popular sites, from Facebook and Twitter to Gmail and YouTube, rely on JavaScript to create interactive web pages and dynamically display content to users.

Although JavaScript is primarily a front-end language run on the browser, it can also be used on the server-side through Node.js to build scalable network applications. Node.js is compatible with Linux, SunOS, Mac OS X and Windows.

Because JavaScript has a forgiving, flexible syntax and works across all major browsers, it is one of the friendliest programming languages for beginners.

• R

R is a programming language focused on data analysis and data visualization. With that in mind, it might not be the best language to start with if you’re looking to acquire skills and knowledge that are more generally applicable to the problems you’ll be solving as a programmer. 

R, like Python, is a coding language that is commonly used to perform statistical analysis of data, while still being popular to build web applications or write scripts to accomplish various tasks. Especially if you’re just starting out with programming, becoming familiar with a general-purpose language like Python instead of R may result in more tangible benefits in the long run. 

Still, if you’re considering becoming a data scientist or simply love working with statistics, you’ll certainly want to at least take a look at R at some point. Jobs in the bioinformatics sector especially will commonly require knowledge of the R programming language, so if you’re interested in the field, you should consider learning R.

• PHP

PHP stands for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor and is another general-purpose programming language. However, its actual use is largely to provide the back end server functionality essential to many important websites today.

PHP’s popularity might be attributed to how it makes it easy for developers to retrieve and store data in databases while also processing and replying to users’ requests. It’s also considered one of the easiest programming languages due to how seamlessly its responses can be presented to a user’s browser through HTML.

Some notable projects and services that use PHP include Facebook, Tumblr, and WordPress. With these in mind, it’s easy to see how important and influential PHP has remained even with many newer programming languages trying to dislodge it from its place in back end web development.

As creating your first PHP program is as easy as embedding PHP code into an HTML page and uploading the file to a server that can process it, it’s very easy to get started learning PHP.

• Swift

If you’re interested in Apple products and mobile app development, Swift is a good place to start. First announced by Apple in 2014, Swift is a relatively new programming language used to develop iOS and macOS applications.

Swift has been optimized for performance and built from the ground up to match the realities of modern iOS development. Not only does iOS run on every iPhone and iPad, but it’s also the basis for other operating systems such as watchOS (for Apple Watches) and tvOS (for Apple TVs). In addition, Apple isn't going anywhere as a tech industry leader, and iOS apps continue to be the most profitable in the mobile app marketplace.