Day by day we notice how the tech industry and IT are evolving in a chain reaction of rapid scientific development and digital transformation. Obviously, different technology trends may be applied to various industries and domains. And, speaking about technologies, according to the latest analysis provided by Eureka Bespoke IT Solutions, the current technologies, which will retain the interest of companies in 2020-2021 are:
· Web and Mobile App Development
· Enterprise Software Development
· Cloud Computing
· Big Data / Data Analytics
· IoT Development
· Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Certainly all of the above requires specific knowledge and skills, that should be applied for realizing them practically. And here comes an eternal question – what is the best programming language to learn and apply for their implementation? Which digital «weapon» should be chosen in this battle for the customer’s attention and appreciation?
Yes, this question constantly «causes pain» among programmers (both – Junior and Senior) and even entire European, international companies, start-ups, or projects. The main idea, however, is always the same: a programming language should be mainly associated with the purpose and developing environment, depending on your goals, desired results, and even industries, you are applying them for.
Thus, below is proposed a list of several languages that could be really useful for software development in 2020-2021. Each language has specific perspectives, benefits, frameworks, and advances in their application; each of them is already well-known, even though some gained popularity just a few years ago.
It all starts with…
1. Python
Our number one continues to evolve and keep the place on the top of demanded languages as it was during the past few years. Python is considered to be one of the best programming languages every developer should learn now, because of several reasons:
· easy-to-learn and open-source
· clean, well-structured code
· capability in building decent web, desktop applications
Frameworks. Python is known for Django and Flask, popular libraries for web development and also TensorFlow, Keras, and SciPy – for data science applications.
Suitable for technology trends: machine learning, data science, and network servers
Suitable for the following domain: HealthTech / MedTech (frameworks Python allow secure exchange of information with other solutions, which is fundamental for unchaining digital healthcare data)
Companies that are using: healthcare startups like AiCure, Roam Analytics, Drchrono, Fathom Health, Qventus
Though Python’s reputation began to grow recently, it’s already gained a high ranking and really makes sense to apply in projects in 2020-2021.
2. Kotlin
From the time Android announced it as its first language, Kotlin continues to surprise developers with features, that combine object-oriented and functional programming. In addition, it is designed to be completely interoperable with Java, which makes Android development faster and enjoyable.
Other advantages are:
· easy-to-learn and open-source
· less code writing
· perfect match for Android development, as well as web, desktop, and server-side
Frameworks. Kotlin Android Extensions, mockito-kotlin (for use with the Mockito for unit tests), and RxKotlin (for use with the asynchronous programming library RxJava).
Suitable for technology trends: machine learning on Android, Mobile Development
Suitable for the following domain: EdTech, Management tools
Companies that are using: management apps like Basecamp, Trello; educational platforms like Coursera, Duolingo; other companies like Square, Capital One
Hence to all above, Kotlin has a strong future in the Android app development ecosystem and becomes a must-learn for all Android app developers.
3. Java
No doubts, a programming language which is celebrating its 25th birthday and still remains one of the most popular programming languages is already a strong argument for being selected as a technology for the next 1-2 years.
The other points are:
· established coding practices
· easily manageable, with automatic memory management and garbage collection
· capacity in building web-applications, backend services, data-intensive applications
Frameworks. Definitely Spring Framework, used for the development of enterprise applications, both web, and mobile. The others are Apache Struts, Grails, Hibernate.
Suitable for technology trends: Machine Learning, Automatic Programming, Artificial Intelligence
Suitable for the following domain: e-commerce (great choice for creating an online store, that will work on all browsers and is critical for online businesses in the real world).
Companies that are using: Uber, Airbnb, Pinterest, Netflix, Instagram
Yes, despite its industrial age, Java is still considered to be incredibly stable and contemporary.
4, 5, 6. JavaScript, Typescript & NodeJS.
JS, a popular language among developers who need to work on server-side and client-side programming. TypeScript, as an object-oriented superset extends JavaScript’s capabilities and makes it easy for developers to write and maintain code. Together they cover everything necessary from back-end and front-end side.
The benefits:
· better efficiency and overall developer productivity
· ability to create dynamic secure and fast web pages that are secure and fast
· speed and performance
Frameworks. Angular.js, Vue.js, Ember.js for front-end; Express.js, Meteor.js, Sails.js – for backend etc.
Suitable for technology trends: Enterprise Software Development, Web Development, IoT, robotics
Suitable for the following domain: Customized Software for Enterprises (powerful tool that provides valuable improvements to websites, apps of any kind of enterprises)
Companies that are using: PayPal, eBay, Walmart Groupon, Facebook, Wix
These three play a significant role in the technology stack and are capable to build interactive games, chat programs, collaboration tools, etc. An ultimate hit in the IT domain, admired by European and international big companies, as well as startups.
7. GO
Fairly a new system-level programming language that contains the best aspects of functional programming and object-oriented styles.
The popularity is explained due to:
· enforced coding style
· speed advantage (which has made Go a critical component of cloud infrastructure)
· execution in large distributed software systems
Suitable for technology trends: Neural Networks, Cloud Computing, Big Data, Data Analytics
Suitable for following domain: Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies (most of the stable blockchain are built using Golang these days, thanks to accessible libraries and packages)
Companies that are using: Google, Twitch, Dailymotion, SendGrid, Dropbox
Known as the fastest-growing language on Github, promising to reach in the next few years level of languages such as C++ and even Java.
8, 9 10. C / C++ / C#
The beauty of this trio is that each of them considered to be closer to the machine comparing to others from the list. Also, good-to-know, that the finance tech world is still dominated by C, C++. Same thing can be mentioned about gaming industry, which is also very huge and is gaining more and more respect and fans every year.
The benefits:
· better efficiency and overall developer productivity
· ability to create dynamic secure and fast web pages
· speed and performance
Frameworks. Most of the frameworks are developed for C++ and often are open source. For example – POCO C++, Asio C++.
Suitable for technology trends: machine learning, IoT, Data Analytics, Big Data
Suitable for following domain: FinTech (a top choice for quantitative analytics and finance)
Companies that are using: banking and direct payment companies like MasterCard, Klarna, Wells Fargo; other companies like Microsoft, GitHub
Still, a solid choice especially if its speed that you need.
Conclusion
Insatiable thirst and desire to learn new languages is a widespread phenomenon among developers. However, knowing which languages are gaining popularity can ensure a better growth for companies, its specialists, and is considered to be a priority on any level.
In the modern world, when each day brings new complicated challenges, either continuous fight with the Covid-19 pandemic, or financial crises, choosing the correct digital technologies becomes crucial. Digitalization becomes our battlefield.
Choose wisely, this time, not «all is fair on war».