Pretty much sure, almost everyone knows that in today’s digitally advanced world how technology is changing at a rapid pace. It has become quite normal to watch alternative technologies surpassing each other frequently with regular updates & advancements. Amidst all this, there comes a domain that gets affected a lot with such a volatile nature of the tech world – and that is Programming Language!
Yes, Programming Language is the most important prerequisite for almost every discipline whether it be Web Development, Machine Learning, Data Science, or any other. And, every year, we see how the ranking of these Programming Languages fluctuates in accordance with their demand & popularity among the developers. Meanwhile, you’re required to be updated with all these latest trends and indices of Programming Language to stay relevant in the tech market. In particular, beginners are strongly required to consider several crucial aspects such as demand & popularity, job opportunities, applications, etc. before opting out for a particular programming language.
But wait… as there are hundreds of Programming Languages available across the world; don’t you think picking out the relevant one after considering all these aspects is quite a daunting task?
No worries, we’ve somehow made it easier for you as based on several standard reports and analysis, we’ve compiled a list of top 10 Programming Languages that are going to rule in 2021 – let’s take a look at these programming languages:
1. JavaScript
Many languages came and disappear but JavaScript is one of those few renowned languages that is enjoying a high run and demand in the programming world. In the TIOBE ranking report, JavaScript has been ranked under the top 10 programming languages for several years consistently. In fact, the Stack Overflow survey depicts that JavaScript is the most popular language among developers. At Octoverse also, JavaScript is enjoying the top position among all programming languages. Meanwhile, some of the renowned companies in the tech world that are using JavaScript are Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Uber, etc.
Though the language is primarily known for adding responsive elements on web pages it has a wide range of applications such as in web development, game development, mobile application development, and many more. Moreover, the language is being used for both – Front End Development and Back End Development. Also, its compatibility with some prominent frameworks like React, Vue, Node, etc. makes it more preferable among the developers. As there are millions of websites already existing over the web that are heavily relying on JavaScript and on top of that, looking at the demand & dominance of the language, it won’t be wrong to say that JavaScript will rule in 2021 as well!
2. Python
As per the RedMonk Ranking report for the year 2020, Python outranks JAVA to become the second most popular programming language. The language has experienced tremendous growth of around 18-19% in the last 5 years. At the PYPL index, Python is ranking at the #1 position for December 2020 index. The language ranks among the most popular programming languages in several other renowned platforms also such as Stack Overflow, Github, etc. Also, the compatibility of Python with trending technologies like AI & ML makes it more preferable among the developers.
Python has been the favorite language of almost every individual who is just starting with the programming domain for the last many years. The primary reason behind this is a quite simple syntax that makes it easy to read, learn, and use. The language is extensively used for web development, software development, etc., and with several trending technologies such as Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, etc. The language offers some enriching features such as rich library support, automatic garbage collection, easier integration with other languages, GUI Programming support, and many more. Several popular Python frameworks that make things more efficient & convenient are Django, Flask, Pyramid, etc.
3. C / C++
They are much like old wine as their demand is increasing significantly with time!
Both C and C++ are occupying a considerable portion of the tech world and currently ranking at the top positions on various indexes. At the TIOBE index of 2020, C and C++ are ranking under the top 5 programming languages at first and fourth position respectively. At the PYPL index, C/C++ has seen an upward trend of around 0.1 % and is ranking at the #5 position. There are numerous big tech companies that hire C/C++ developers with some decent salary packages such as Adobe, Oracle, Microsoft, Nvidia, etc. And to learn C/C++ in 2021 is not only beneficial from the career perspectives but it also somehow makes it easier for you to learn other programming languages afterward.
If we particularly talk about C language, the general-purpose procedural programming language is majorly used in the development of low-level systems like operating systems, kernel development, and others. And many other programming languages inherit the properties of this particular language. On the other hand, C++ is an object-oriented programming language (primarily developed as an extension of C). The language is widely used in Game Development, GUI & Desktop applications, and Competitive Programming along with several other fields.
4. JAVA
Many times it seems out that JAVA is losing its charm but when we look at the actual stats – every year JAVA ends up with a really good ranking that proves the particular language is still doing well and in-demand in the tech world. There are around 8 million JAVA developers across the world – maybe this number can help you to assess the demand & popularity of this particular language. Also, the language is enjoying a top-second position among all the programming languages in the ranking of TIOBE and PYPL. As per the RedMonk reports, JAVA is ranking at 3rd position below JavaScript and Python only.
The object-oriented programming language comes up with a much-celebrated principle of Write Once Run Anywhere that allows the Java code to be executed on other platforms, that supports JAVA, without doing recompilation. The language is widely used in Android development along with Web Applications, Desktop Applications, Scientific Applications, etc. Also, top-notch companies like Adobe, Amazon, Flipkart, and many others are using JAVA and offering ravishing career opportunities to Java developers. Its significant demand in the tech world, huge community support, popular frameworks such as Spring & Hibernate and several enriching features like multithreading, automatic memory allocation & garbage collection, platform independency, etc. ensures that JAVA will provide you with a lot of worthwhile career opportunities in the upcoming years as well.
5. R Language
R has seen an exponential rise in its ranking on various reputed indexes for programming languages. Particularly on TIOBE ranking, it has jumped to 9th position from 16th position within a span of less than 1 year. Various big tech companies like Facebook, Google, Uber, etc are using the R language for their businesses, and considering the rapidly increasing demand for data science and machine learning trends, learning the R programming language is surely worthwhile for your future career endeavors.
R is another emerging name in the Programming world! It is an open-source programming language that is widely used in the area of Data Science, Statistical Analysis, and Machine Learning and provides you with a huge set of libraries and frameworks. The language is very much suitable for GNU/Linux and Microsoft Windows. Also, it can be easily integrated with several data processing technologies like Hadoop & Spark. Some of the other prominent features of this particular language such as cross-platform compatibility, highly extensible, strong graphical capabilities, distributed computing, etc. make it a more preferred language among the developers.
6. Kotlin
In the present day scenario, whenever there is a talk of android app development – the name of ‘Kotlin’ undoubtedly comes first! Though, a huge inclination of developers towards Kotlin is noticed after Google declared it as its preferred language for Android application development. The Stack Overflow survey states that Kotlin ranks 4th among the most loved programming languages. Also, the number of Kotlin users in the Github community is increasing significantly.
In brief, Kotlin is a statically typed general-purpose programming language that supports object-oriented as well as functional programming features. The best thing about the language is that it is completely interoperable with Java and supports all Java libraries. Also, the language is quite easier to learn, and alongside Android development, it can be used for web development and desktop application development as well. Javalin, KTor, and Vertex are some of the popular frameworks for Kotlin, and companies like Pinterest, Uber, Netflix, etc. are giving various job opportunities for the Kotlin developers. As known to everyone that the market of Android is not heading for retirement anytime soon hence you can opt to learn Kotlin in 2021 for some worthwhile career opportunities in the future.
7. C#
For the last many years, C# is holding a good position in the list of top programming languages of almost every index. The language is ranked at 4th and 5th position at TIOBE and PYPL index respectively. On GitHub Language Rankings, it holds a place at the #5 position consistently for the last two years. Also, alongside India, there are enormous career opportunities for C# developers in other countries.
The general-purpose programming language is developed by Microsoft primarily for its .Net framework. The language is extensively used for game development along with the development of Windows applications, server-side applications, etc. Moreover, C# comes up with a rich set of libraries that makes it a faster and efficient programming language. Some of the remarkable features of the language that are often appreciated by the developers are – structured language, faster compilation, updatable & scalable, component-oriented, complete integration with .NET library, and many more.
The language is being used in Unity game engine software consistently by the developers and companies like Intellectsoft, Capgemini, etc. are also using C# for the businesses – it signifies that job opportunities for C# developers in the market are also satisfactory. So, if you’re looking forward to learning C# in 2021, you can go for it without giving a second thought!
8. PHP
Like many others, if you’re also considering that PHP is not worth it to learn in 2021 then you must know that the language is still doing very well in the tech world and is being preferred by the developers. As per the TIOBE Index for December 2020, the language secured a place under the top 10 programming languages at the #8 ranking. Infact, at RedMonk Ranking reports, the language is ranking at 4th position surpassing other prominent languages like C++, Kotlin, etc. Even, various renowned websites like Facebook, Wikipedia, WordPress, etc. are heavily relying on PHP and are providing numerous career opportunities for PHP developers regularly.
The open-source server-side scripting language is used for the website development and comes up with some prominent features like cross-platform compatibility, object-oriented programming features, easy integration with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc, huge community support, and many more. The language is strongly recommended to beginners as it is quite easier to learn. Some of the popular PHP frameworks that you can take into consideration are Laravel, Symfony, CodeIgniter, etc. So, if you’re particularly looking forward to getting into the web development domain, PHP would be a great choice for you!
9. Go
Though Go is not that much-hyped programming language, in the last few years it has witnessed a considerable increase in its demand & popularity among the developers. According to the Stack Overflow reports, Go falls under the list of top 5 most loved language by developers for the year 2020. Companies like Uber, Google, etc. are working with the Go language and you can choose to learn Go as it seems that the language is going to bigger & bigger in the coming years.
Go is a statically typed programming language, developed by Google, and having a syntax similar to C. It provides you with numerous enriching features such as garbage collection, dynamic-typing, type safety, high performance & efficiency, and many more. The language supports multithreading and can be used in the Distributed system, Cloud Computing, etc. The best thing about the language is that it resolves several major issues like slow compilation & execution, unavailability of the rich standard library, etc.
10. Scala
Several tech giants like Netflix, LinkedIn, eBay, Twitter, etc. are using Scala for their respective platforms & products. Beginners are strongly recommended to opt for Scala because of its easy to learn nature. As many other companies are looking forward to incorporating Scala into their businesses and considering its significantly growing demand among the developers, it can become one of the most sought after programming languages in 2021.
The language was primarily designed to resolve the issues that developers face with another language, Java. Over time, it has cemented a strong position among the developers. Scala is a general-purpose programming language that supports both – object-oriented and functional programming paradigms. It provides you with some distinguishing features such as lazy computation, string interpolation, type inference, great scalability, and many others. Also, the Scala code can be converted to byte codes and can be executed on Java Virtual Machine. The language is being widely used in the area of Web Development, Data Science, and Machine Learning.
