What is the best programming language to learn for beginners? This question is quite popular among aspiring developers who are trying to find a suitable learning resource.
There are several criteria you should consider when choosing a programming language, depending on your goals and how much time you have to devote to education. Using this guide, you will be able to choose a programming language that is a perfect fit for beginners.
- Front-end web development: JavaScript
- Back-end web development: JavaScript, Java, Python, PHP, Ruby
- Mobile development: Swift, Java, C#
- Game development: C++, C#
- Desktop applications: Java, C++, Python
- Systems programming: C, Rust
Go
One of the core languages favored by Google, Go is the little language that could. As a low-level language, Go is ideal for engineers who want to enter the field of systems programming. It encompasses much of the same functionality of C and C++ without the difficult syntax and steep learning curve. It’s the perfect language for building web servers, data pipelines, and even machine-learning packages.
As a compiled language, Go runs “close to the metal,” allowing for a blazing-fast runtime. It’s an open-source language, and ambitious developers can see their personal contributions adopted and enjoyed by programmers worldwide.
Python
Python is perhaps the most user-friendly programming language of any on this list. It’s often said that Python’s syntax is clear, intuitive, and almost English-like, which, like Java, makes it a popular choice for beginners.
Also like Java, Python has a variety of applications that make it a versatile, powerful option when choosing the best programming language for your use case. If you’re interested in back-end web development, for example, then the open-source Django framework, written in Python, is popular, easy to learn, and feature-rich. Django has been used in the development of some popular sites like Mozilla, Instagram, and Spotify.
Python also has packages such as NumPy and SciPy that are commonly used in the fields of scientific computing, mathematics, and engineering. Other Python libraries such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, and OpenCV are used to build programs in data science, machine learning, image processing, and computer vision. Python’s science and data applications make it a great choice for the academically inclined.
Elm
One of the youngest languages on our list, what began as a Harvard student’s thesis has now grown to become a point of passion for front-end developers around the world.
Elm compiles to JavaScript, making it ideal for building fast-executing UIs with zero errors at runtime. Elm is a functional programming language, allowing developers to create client-side interfaces without the declarative trappings of HTML and CSS.
Furthermore, the Elm web architecture was the intellectual inspiration for Redux, the state-management library taught here at Fullstack.
Ruby
Ruby is another scripting language that’s commonly used for web development. In particular, it’s used as the basis for the popular Ruby on Rails web application framework.
Beginners often gravitate toward Ruby because it has a reputation for having one of the friendliest and most helpful user communities. The Ruby community even has an unofficial saying, “Matz is nice and so we are nice,” encouraging members to model their kind and considerate behavior on Ruby’s chief inventor Yukihiro Matsumoto.
In addition to the active community and its straightforward syntax, Ruby is also a good language to pick up thanks to its association with great tech businesses. Twitter, Airbnb, Bloomberg, Shopify, and countless other startups have all built their websites using Ruby on Rails at some point.
C#
Like C++, C# (pronounced C Sharp) is a general-purpose, object-oriented language built on the foundations of C. It was originally designed by Microsoft as part of its .NET framework for building Windows applications.
C# uses a syntax that’s similar to other C-derived languages such as C++, so it’s easy to pick up if you’re coming from another language in the C family. C# is not only the go-to for Microsoft app development, but it’s also the language mobile developers use to build cross-platform apps on the Xamarin platform.
Additionally, anyone who is interested in VR development should consider learning C#. C# is the recommended language for building 3D and 2D video games using the popular Unity game engine, which produces one-third of the top games on the market.
Rust
Rust is a bit of an upstart among the other languages on this list, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a valuable language to learn. Stack Overflow’s 2020 Developer Survey found that Rust was the most loved programming language among developers for the fifth year in a row, with 86.1 percent of Rust developers saying that they want to continue working with it.
Developed by the Mozilla Corporation, Rust, like C and C++, is intended primarily for low-level systems programming. What Rust adds to the mix, however, is an emphasis on speed and security. Rust emphasizes writing “safe code” by preventing programs from accessing parts of memory that they shouldn’t, which can cause unexpected behavior and system crashes.
The advantages of Rust mean that other big tech companies, such as Dropbox and Coursera, are already starting to use it internally. While it may be a bit more difficult to master than other beginner languages, Rust programming skills are likely to pay off handsomely, as the language’s popularity will only continue to rise in the near future.
JavaScript
It’s impossible to be a software developer these days without using JavaScript in some way. According to Stack Overflow’s 2020 Developer Survey, JavaScript is the most popular language among developers for the eighth year in a row. Nearly 70 percent of survey respondents reported that they had used JavaScript in the past year.
Along with HTML and CSS, JavaScript is essential to front-end web development. A majority of the web’s most popular sites, from Facebook and Twitter to Gmail and YouTube, rely on JavaScript to create interactive web pages and dynamically display content to users.
Although JavaScript is primarily a front-end language run on the browser, it can also be used on the server-side through Node.js to build scalable network applications. Node.js is compatible with Linux, SunOS, Mac OS X, and Windows.
Because JavaScript has a forgiving, flexible syntax and works across all major browsers, it is one of the friendliest programming languages for beginners.
In the video below, learn why we chose to focus our curriculum on Javascript back in 2012 and why our founders continue to stick with the programming language for 2021 and beyond.
C#
C# is a general-purpose programming language created in 2000 by Microsoft with the specific intent of working with their .NET framework. Given the popularity of C++ and Java, it was designed to take the best of both programming languages and combine it into a new, easy-to-read, object-oriented programming language that had great cross-platform capabilities. However, it also strove to keep businesses in mind so that it could be easily used for software development.
As for games, C# also found a home in the industry due to its relative efficiency and scalability. In particular, it became the default programming language for the popular Unity engine, with all modern Unity libraries being built around the language. Given Unity is used for a large percentage of the game industry, this has given it a tight hold in this regard.
Pros
- Comparatively, C# is a very beginner-friendly language with fairly easy to read code.
- Automatic memory management means you don’t have to do a deep dive into those aspects and can focus more on just developing your game.
- As a language developed by Microsoft, it is a top choice for games on Windows PCs. However, it is capable of working on most modern systems.
- C# is a type-safe language, meaning your games will have more security and won’t exhibit tons of unexpected behaviors.
- It is relatively efficient and scalable, meaning it’s well-suited when used to create game projects.
Cons
- With some exceptions, outside of game engines, C# isn’t widely used for games. Thus, an engine is almost required in this case for community support.
- While more efficient than JavaScript, it isn’t as efficient as C++ or Java, meaning game performance can suffer if the game is sufficiently complex.
- As the language was designed to work specifically with Microsoft’s .NET framework, it isn’t as flexible as other programming languages on the list.
- In the business world, while in high-demand for general business applications, it isn’t as demanded for game developers as C++ is.
C++
About
The C++ programming language was originally called “C with classes.” It was created to take modern principles, like object-oriented computer programming, and combine it with the low-level features seen by languages such as C. In so doing, it would allow users to more easily create their programs with readability, while not losing advanced features such as memory management.
Given its general-purpose nature, C++ has, all around, become one of the most widely used programming languages, having applications for software and – as is the topic of this article – games. In fact, many modern engines, such as Unreal Engine, are built on the language, so learning to code C++ is considered key by many professional developers. Of the programming languages, then, this can be considered one of the most commonly used in general.
Pros
- Being so close to C, C++ is amazingly efficient and is one of the fastest programming languages to choose if you have lots of complex tasks to run in your games.
- C++ has perhaps the largest community and tutorial support given its universal usage almost everywhere.
- Its ability to do things like memory management is very handy if you want tighter control on game performance.
- It has a large amount of scalability and can be used for both small and large game projects.
- It is platform-independent, meaning you can port projects around very easily regardless of OS.
Cons
While there are plenty of game engines to use, finding lighter-weight frameworks for C++ game development can be a challenge. You also can’t easily develop games with JUST C++.
Of the languages on this list, C++ is probably the most difficult to learn and is the least beginner-friendly.
Though C++ gives you more control over memory management and the like, this comes at the cost of lacking automatic garbage collection – which means more work on the developer’s end.
As an older language, some modern features seen in other languages are not present or standardized with C++.
Since C++ allows developers to do more, this also allows less security – meaning you could get tons of unexpected behavior in your games without intention.
Conclusion
There are many programming languages available, and each one of them can be used to build a website. The best programming language for beginners will depend on the person learning it.