Top 10 Best Programming Languages for Developers in 2022

Programming languages that would dominate the year 2022

Programming languages are computer languages that are used by programmers (developers) to communicate with computers. It is a set of instructions written in any specific language (C, C++, Java, Python) to perform a specific task. A programming language is mainly used to develop desktop applications, websites and mobile applications. Here are the top languages that will be most popular in 2022.

JavaScript

JavaScript is pretty much the industry leader at this point. Built originally as a scripting language for Netscape Navigator (one of the best browsers back in the day) in 1994, JavaScript's ascent to greatness has been swift. It wasn't until 2008 that modern-day JavaScript was devised by Google when they built the V8 engine for Google Chrome. Originally built as a competitor to Java by Netscape, JavaScript now commands a space of its own in the development sphere. JavaScript is widely favored as the "language of the Internet" because of its popularity. JavaScript enjoys the highest support amongst developer communities – as high as 67.7%. In general, JavaScript is suitable for any kind of development activities like mobile app development, web development, desktop app development and so on.

JavaScript has a wide variety of libraries and frameworks which can be utilized during development. There's Angular, Vue, and React for frontend development, while Node.js is a very flexible language for working on the backend. Jest and Mocha are two flexible tools that help set up unit tests to check if the functionality is working as intended or not. Of course, if you're not very comfortable with either of these, you can just go for vanilla HTML, CSS and JavaScript for the frontend – it's that simple! Because of the enormous support from developers around the world, JavaScript has the largest number of support packages that any language can boast about. Despite that, people continue to build more and more packages to add to the ease of using the language.

Java

Built in 1991 by James Gosling, Mike Sheridan, and Patrick Naughton as the language 'Oak', Java was the first language to have a big global impact. While the new programming language used the same format as C/C++, it incorporated certain new ideas to make it more appealing to more people. Java runs on the principle of "Write Once, Run Anywhere" – implying that systems with varying hardware and OS configurations can run Java programs with ease.

Java also has a wide variety of libraries and frameworks which utilize Java under the hood. Java is used for app development through Spring and Hibernate. JUnit helps us set up unit tests for our Java projects. Most importantly, Java is being used in the development of native Android applications (the Android SDK is itself powered by the Java Development Kit or the JDK). Java is probably the language that most people were introduced to as part of an introductory computer programming course in college or in school. Java is the language used for teaching object-oriented programming to the masses.

Java is also highly respected in the field of analytics and research. The only problem with Java is that there are very few support packages and projects for the language at present. There's very little community involvement – something that most mainstream languages have. Despite that, Java is a language that is very easy to pick up and learn – partly explaining the appeal for the language. However, it does take some time for one to attain some form of mastery over the language.

Python

Python was built by Guido van Rossum in the late 1980s in the Netherlands. Initially built as a competitor for Java in the industry, Python slowly shot forward in popularity. Currently, Python has built huge popularity among both the researcher as well as the developer community. Python sits at the top of the language ranking for the IEEE Spectrum, having a score of a perfect 100. Moreover, Python also commands respect and has a support percentage of 44.1%.

Python is suitable for pretty much anything. You have Django and Flask which can be utilized for web development, while scientific tools like Jupyter and Spyder are used for analysis and research purposes. If you're into automation, Selenium is out there to help you! The flexibility of the language allows Python to be used pretty much anywhere. These, by far, are the more popular products of Python. Python's huge support base (second only to that of JavaScript) produces tons of packages, frameworks and even full-fledged open-source software using the language.

Python probably has the largest support for data science and machine learning in general. While there are other languages like R and MATLAB which do offer competition, Python's the strict ruler of the data science space. A majority of the frameworks and libraries used in machine learning are made in Python only, making it probably the best language to pick up if one wants to learn about machine learning (or data science in general).

C++

Perhaps one of the most shocking answers that one can expect in this article is C++. Despite being the language that most people use to learn the concepts of data structures and algorithms, the language itself finds little usage in the practical world. First created by Bjarne Stroustrup as an extension of the C programming language in 1982, C++ went on to make a name for itself in the years to come.

C++ finds use in analytics, research as well as in-game development. The popular game development engine – the Unreal Engine – uses C++ as the scripting language for all of the functionality one can define while building a game. C++ also finds extensive use in software development. Being mid-way between the object-oriented approach and the method-oriented approach allows C++ to be flexible in the nature of software that can be produced using it. Being located 4th in the TIOBE index signifies that C++ continues to have an appeal to this day. C++ is also extensively used in system software development, being easier to understand than other languages. The main reason for using C++ in a sensitive area like the OS is that C++ programs have a very low compilation time.

C++ probably has the largest learning community among all of the languages. Most students would start their algorithms courses building trees, linked lists, stacks, queues, and numerous other data structures in C++. Naturally, it is quite easy to pick up and learn as well as easy to master if one pays attention to details.

TypeScript

TypeScript is the superset of JavaScript and has almost the same applications as JavaScript. TypeScript can be used in web development, mobile app development, desktop app development, and so on. TypeScript is the second most popular language as mentioned by StackOverflow's list of most loved languages, being loved by 67.1% of developers (being second only to Rust).

TypeScript is mainly a language meant for development, so it does not have much appeal to the scientific community. However, because of the new features of TypeScript, one can expect that it might inspire a slightly greater degree of interest for research. The language has a much lower skill ceiling than JavaScript – and many "difficult-to-understand" behaviors of JavaScript have been simplified in TypeScript. In other words, you have a slightly less chance of knocking your head into a wall.

Golang

New languages are sharply rising on the horizon, with new contenders coming up to challenge the throne owned by JavaScript and Python. Being made by Google (both have "Go" in their names!) mainly to advance the cause of functional programming, Golang has built up a mass following within a short time. Golang has already made it the fifth-best language to learn by StackOverflow, being adored by 62.3% of developers.

Golang is used in multiple areas, both for developing robust software as well as the backends used for web and mobile applications. Currently, Golang even supports some rudimentary amount of web development. While it's still not in a phase to replace JavaScript as the language of the web, it is fast becoming a language that supports the next phase of the web.

Golang is slightly more difficult to learn than the other languages on this list. Moreover, Golang is an open-source language that frequently changes with every major update, so staying updated is a necessity.

Dart

Dart is one of the fastest-growing languages in the industrial sphere. Google's contribution in the sphere of languages has significantly increased to compete with the increase in popularity of Microsoft's TypeScript. Dart has been highly adored by programmers around the world for its simplicity.

Dart is used in multi-platform application development. Like JavaScript, Dart is used for building software that can be run by anyone and everyone with an electronic device. The most famous use of Dart currently is in the framework of Flutter, a language used for mobile app development. Recent Google trends have shown that Flutter, despite being a newer framework, is more popular than React Native, a mobile app development framework already established in the industry.

Dart is simpler to learn than JavaScript and manages to simplify even difficult-to-understand cases really well. With TypeScript and Dart both in the market, programmers are spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a language they really want to pick up.