If you want to start writing your own programs, you are first and foremost faced with the selection of a programming language. There are now a large number of these with different requirements. Below we present a selection of common programming languages. So, if you are a beginner interested in the differences between programming languages, you are just in the right place.
Bring Javascript to the server with Node.js
Most people know JavaScript from the development of websites, but mostly only for the frontend. Normally, JS is executed in the visitor’s browser to the page. But there is also a runtime environment with which JS can be executed anywhere, i.e., also on a server or as a scripting language, just like PHP. This is called Node.js or Node for short. Therefore, Node is suitable for web backends and CLI scripts and has become increasingly popular in recent years. There are many applications built with Node.js nowadays.
Giant in web development: PHP
Mainly developed for creating dynamic web pages, PHP is one of the most widely used programming languages on the web. Support for PHP is available in the standard repertoire of every web host. The most popular content management systems, such as WordPress or TYPO3, are also implemented with PHP. For this, the language is less suitable for other types of applications, such as desktop applications. PHP is actively being further developed, offering many optimizations and innovations. A big disadvantage is that changes in the language often break compatibility with existing code, so updating PHP is not always easy.
The all-rounder Python
Python is a universal programming language. It supports both functional and object-oriented programming. Due to its versatility and many available modules, it is used in many areas. The PyQT and PyGobject libraries can be used, for example, for developing desktop applications. Flask and Django have two frameworks for creating web applications. One can implement mathematical calculations and graphs with NumPy and Matplotlib. And machine learning can also be used in Python thanks to TensorFlow. This wide range of application possibilities is due to the main goal of Python: to provide the simplest and clear programming syntax, making it very easy to get started with the language. Compared to compiled languages, Python is unfortunately not very high-performance, which often means that highly performance-dependent parts of the programs are implemented with other languages. If you have specific Python development needs, you should find a partner which offers Python development services.
Foundation stone of IT: C
Developed in 1972, C is a veteran in the IT world. It is a very hardware-related and powerful language with which many basic applications are implemented. For example, the Linux kernel or the Apache web server is written in C. Due to the proximity to the hardware, the language is very high-performance but also difficult to use and vulnerable. In particular, dynamic memory management, i.e., the manual allocation and sharing of memory areas, regularly causes problems. For example, if the code forgets to free up memory, there is a so-called memory leak, through which the program uses more and more memory over time until none is available.
Secure low-level programming with Rust
Rust is a programming language initially sponsored by Mozilla but is now independent and comparatively young. It is based on C but wants to avoid its disadvantages. Thus, it promises both high performance and, at the same time, storage security through a so-called Borrow Checker. This checks, among other things, whether a variable is initialized before it is used or that a value is not disclosed while it is still used elsewhere. Due to Rust’s syntax, one can perform these checks at the time of compilation, which does not affect performance during runtime and detects errors before the program is even running. This system not only ensures memory security but also thread security.
Simply concurrent, thanks to Go
Go is a language based on C that has been developed mainly by Google employees since 2009. It is intended to combine the performance of C with the readability and usability of Python or Javascript. Another big goal is the effective use of multi-core systems and the implementation of scalable network services, which is why a great focus is placed on concurrency. This is achieved through so-called goroutines that implement the principle of communicating sequential processes. To simplify memory management, a garbage collector is used, which commands allocated objects over the lifetime. Although this increases resource consumption somewhat, it avoids memory management errors that often happen with C.
Runs everywhere: Java
Java is probably the entry-level language par excellence. It is often partly taught in computer science lessons at school and is definitely part of a computer science degree. A great advantage is broad compatibility: Java can be run on all operating systems in a uniform environment. Java is also very widespread. Some of the well-known video games – for example, Minecraft – are written in Java. Especially at the beginning, the strict type system and syntax of Java are helpful. Java is also present in web development, but rather in a niche in the enterprise sector.
Suppose you want a web solution of any type but have no idea what you should begin with. In that case, we recommend entrusting your task to experienced professionals who will choose the most suitable language and perform all the work for you. It will save you time and effort.