In this article, we’ll explore the best programming languages for web development. Web development is a vast field with a lot of opportunity. It’s constantly evolving, and offers a lot of potential for career growth. In order to be a web developer, you need to have a good understanding of at least one programming language.
However, the type of programming language a developer will use often depends on the types of development and specific aspects of the project, and it also depends on the developer’s preference. Let’s look at some of the factors you need to consider when deciding what languages to learn for web development.
- What Are Programming Languages?
- Different Types of Programming Languages
- Different Needs Require Different Languages
- 8 of the Best Programming Languages for 2023
- Which Programming Languages Are Best for Beginners to Use?
- Conclusion
What Are Programming Languages?
Programming languages are sets of rules that provide a structure for computer programming. They’re used to create specific instructions that can be executed by a machine, usually a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs to solve specific problems, or to express algorithms.
Some programming languages are designed for specific tasks, while others are more general-purpose. For example, SQL is a domain-specific language used for querying databases, while Python is a general-purpose language that can be used for a wide range of tasks.
Different Types of Programming Languages
For the sake of context, let’s say that programming languages can be classified into many different types, based on their purpose, level of abstraction, and syntax. However, much of that — such as low level programming and procedural programming — isn’t of much interest to us when it comes to modern web programming, so we’ll focus just on certain specific groups.
The main types of programming languages are as follows.
General-purpose languages
General-purpose languages are designed to be used for a wide range of tasks. Examples of general-purpose programming languages include C++, Java, Python, and more and more these days even JavaScript.
Domain-specific languages
Domain-specific languages are designed to be used for specific tasks. For example, SQL is a domain-specific language used for querying databases, while HTML is a domain-specific language used for creating web pages.
Markup languages
Markup languages are used to create documents that contain structured data. Markup languages are not executable on their own, but they can be used to create documents that can be executed by other programs. Examples of markup languages include HTML, XML, and JSON (note quite, but let’s go with that categorization).
Compiled and interpreted languages
Additionally, programming languages can be classified as either compiled or interpreted.
Compiled languages are converted into machine code that can be directly executed by a computer. Examples of compiled languages include C++ and Java.
Interpreted languages aren’t converted into machine code, but they are executed by an interpreter. Examples of interpreted languages include JavaScript and Python.
Scripting Languages
As an additional and useful category, scripting languages are designed to automate tasks. They’re often used