5 Most Popular Programming Languages for Developers in 2023

Becoming a software developer means investing a great deal of time and effort into learning a programming language — or several of them. The safest bet is to learn a language that is in good demand, meaning it will get you a job easily. Here are the programming languages that have been popular for the last few years and aren’t going anywhere in the future.

JavaScript

HTML & CSS

SQL

Python

C/C++

A programming language is — yes — a language that allows humans to communicate instructions to machines. 

Computers, in fact, are not smart. They are very fast, i.e. they can perform millions of operations in a second. But they can only do so if told exactly what to do in the tiniest detail. 

You can think about it in terms of a cooking recipe. If told “Cook rice,” a human would know what to do. But a computer would need very specific instructions: “Take a pack of white rice from the top shelf in the cupboard in the kitchen. Measure 500 g of that rice. Put the rice you measured in the rice cooker,” etc. And those instructions have to be told in a language that a computer understands. 

There are many programming languages because they fit different purposes. Like you talk differently when asking for something from a friend and when requesting a formal document. But some languages are more common than others. 

What it’s used for: web development, app development

Examples of products: almost any website and apps like Google Maps and Trello

Why learn: 98% of websites use JavaScript

JavaScript was found to be the most popular programming language in the world, ​​according to both Github’s Octoverse Report and Stack Overflow’s Developer Survey 2023.

This language is primarily used in web development. What’s more, it’s almost impossible to create a website with good functionality without using it.

JavaScript changes some parts of a web page in response to user actions. The “script” part of the name quite literally means a script: “if this happens, do that.” For example, if a user clicks this button, turn it red.

However, JavaScript has limited use outside the web. It can be used for programming browser extensions and mobile and desktop apps, but most of the jobs involve web development.

JavaScript is easy to learn, and IT novices often choose it as their first programming language. Which is a good call, as you’ll be able to get hands-on experience almost instantly. 

If you’re puzzled by how JavaScript is different from Java, you’d not be the first.

These are two different languages that serve different purposes. In fact, JavaScript is not even a part of the Java platform.

JavaScript makes web pages interactive. It is not a stand-alone language, meaning that you cannot create a working website using only JavaScript: the JavaScript code resides inside HTML documents. It’s easier to learn compared to Java.

Java is used for programming serious server and desktop software and mobile apps, e.g. checkout terminals and Android apps. It’s a stand-alone language meaning that you can create an app using Java alone. It’s more difficult to learn compared to JavaScript.

What it’s used for: web development

Examples of products: any website in the world

Why learn: very beginner-friendly

HTML stands for “hypertext markup language.” “Hypertext” here means any text on the internet, as this language is used for creating web pages.

HTML controls what elements there are on a web page. Simply put, it describes a page: first,  we have a company logo, then there's a menu, then there’s a banner, then there’s text etc.

CSS stands for “cascading style sheets.” It controls how the page looks: how the elements are laid out, what colors and fonts the page uses. It’s called “cascading” because it allows you to change the appearance of all elements of the same type from one place rather than edit the font on each page. This information cascades from one place to all the pages.

Together with JavaScript, HTML and CSS are the major programming languages for web development. They have no competitors and are most likely to remain in good demand for the foreseeable future. What’s more, HTML was voted to be the easiest programming language to learn in a WPEngine’s developer survey.

What it’s used for: data science, back end development, quality assurance

Examples of products: Amazon, Netflix, Airbnb

Why learn: databases are everywhere and tech giants rely on them more than others

SQL stands for “structured query language.” It’s used to manipulate databases: create and update them and retrieve information from them. 

A database is basically a spreadsheet. Imagine you have a spreadsheet that has information about all the stores in your area: their phone, address, and working hours. You need to find all the stores that are open on Sundays. There can be hundreds of stores in a city, so searching the database manually is a pain. But a structured query in SQL can give you the result in seconds.

SQL is not a stand-alone language, meaning that you won’t be able to build a product using SQL on its own. If you want to create programs from scratch to release, you’ll need to add Python, JavaScript or C++ to your mental catalog.

However, SQL is ubiquitous — it is needed wherever databases are used. And that is practically everywhere: almost any website, app, or piece of software has a database. Plus, SQL is relatively easy to learn due to its clear structure.

What it’s used for: web development, app development, game development, data science, back end development

Examples of products: Dropbox, Netflix, Spotify

Why learn: one of the most appraised programming languages

Python is the most popular programming language in the world, according to the TIOBE Programming Community Index. Other ratings also tend to have it in the top 3, so it’s definitely one of the most-used languages at the moment. 

Python is a very versatile language that can be used for almost any task: from creating a video game to machine learning. It also has a very clear structure, which makes Python one of the most beloved languages for IT novices.

Another great plus of Python is that it comes with an expansive library. Meaning that for any task you might have, there’s probably a ready solution. You’ll just have to customize it to your needs. 

Python is the second most in-demand language for hiring managers after JavaScript. If you don’t want to limit yourself to web development, learning Python is a good call.

What they’re used for: operating systems, drivers, software

Examples of products: Microsoft Windows, Google search, World of WarCraft

Why learn: to have a solid programming basis

C and C++ (pronounced “C plus plus”) are the two versions of the same language. C was first, and later C++ was released as an expansion. 

Both C and C++ are powerful languages that can realize almost any of the developer’s ideas, from a social media app to Mars rover software. The programs written in them also work very quickly. C++ is the dominant language for game development. 

However, these are the two of the more complicated languages on the list. Coding in them is like riding a race car: it’s fast, it’s fun, but you need lots of special skills to do it right.

If you have more time and effort to invest in your studies, learning C or C++ is a good idea. These languages give you a good basis to enter the world of hardcore programming.