The Best Web Application Development Languages in 2023

When you are a newbie in software development, the most challenging step is choosing what language to learn. There are tons of different languages supporting multiple programming styles and having their own complexities. Every year the list is getting bigger with new languages being added, and some become outdated and overshadowed by more popular web languages.

Whether you are a newcomer in the field or want to brush up on your skills, it’s always useful to know what web programming languages are currently in high demand. Therefore, we prepared a list of top web development languages that are going to dominate in 2023.

What are the Best Languages for Web Application Development in 2023?

JavaScript

JavaScript has been one of the most popular web development languages for a while. For 10 years in a row, JavaScript has been maintaining its stronghold as the most widely used programming language. According to Stackoverflow Developer Survey Results 2022, 65.36% of professional developers program in JavaScript. 

The question that has probably come to your mind is: what makes JavaScript so widely adopted? And there are a wide range of reasons for this. First of all, JavaScript is a powerful and flexible language that is being continuously implemented by different web browsers. It can be used in back-end and front-end web development on both: client and server-side which allows it to run everywhere from browsers to powerful servers.

Secondly, JavaScript has a wide variety of framework libraries that enable developers to create complex applications with low overhead. Furthermore, Javascript package managers because of their intuitive nature let developers share their codes easily and fast between their teams which makes the communication process smoother and faster. 

Last but not least, after the release of Node.js in 2009, developers got the ability to code in a uni language manner, having their front and back end in one language.

Python

Python has taken second place among the most popular web development languages according to RedMonk rankings. RedMonks programming popularity ratings are based on StackOverflow (discussion) and Github (code) data. It’s the first time since 2012 that Java is not one of the top two most popular web app development languages. 

The TIOBE index, as of February 2023, shows that Python has taken first place,among the most popular programming languages while Java has moved to fourth place in the list for the first time in almost 20 years. This can be explained by the machine-learning boom among the number of developers learning Python, as to its simplicity and ability to support multiple programming paradigms. 

Owning a wide range of software libraries that can be dropped into a code and scaled to large applications, Python gives multiple opportunities for development from web and desktop apps to arranging system operations. 

The language is frequently recommended for newbies in software development because of its English-like syntax. The learning and code-writing process requires much less effort compared to other web app languages.

Java

Almost every year Java is predicted to disappear from the list of best languages for web development but every year it doesn’t happen. 10314 companies reported that they are using Java, and such popular names as Google, Instagram, Netflix, and Amazon are among them. 

For sure Java will continue remaining top for enterprise applications development because of its advanced security features that are a major requirement for every organization. What is more, Java offers an easy, flexible and reusable code that is rendered into an understandable UI for applications. With millions of libraries available, Java is one of the most suitable languages for enterprise app development. 

One more advantage of Java is a high degree of platform independence gratefully to the Java Virtual Machine feature. Many popular programming languages such as Kotlin, Scala, Groovy use JVM as their runtime. Java is updated every 6 months regardless of disasters and pandemics, which undoubtedly strengthens its image of a stable and trusted language. 

Though having no competitors in matters of stability and trust, “immortal Java” continues taking its stable place among top web application development languages.

C#

C# was developed by Microsoft as a more secure and faster variant of C and C++. Since two decades after its creation have passed, C# is still one of the most favored web application programming languages. According to PYPL (Popularity of Programming Language Index), C# takes fourth place in the list of the languages that tutorials are most frequently searched on Google. The language is used for a wide variety of tasks from developing server apps to mobile games.

It’s an object-oriented and straightforward language that is designed for CLI and includes executable code and runtime settings. Type safety feature prevents a developer from making mistakes at compile and run time and the automatic garbage collection feature automatically removes and erases all the garbage. 

C# runs on CRL which guarantees its easy integration with components that are written in different languages. The rich class of libraries available speeds up the development process and makes a variety of functions easy to be implemented. Because of the availability of a large amount of documentation and constant investments from Microsoft, C# continues to be a popular language to take up and a strong player in the market.

PHP

According to W3techs PHP is used by 77.6% of all websites. Among these 77.6% are such giants as Wikipedia, Facebook, and Tumblr. PHP is an open-source language with a large set of built-in tools and additional modules, therefore it’s widely used for building dynamic and static websites. Being a language with a long history, PHP takes advantage of a big number of users who have produced frameworks, libraries, and automation tools that make the development process faster and easier.

PHP doesn’t have a steep learning curve and is quite easy for newbies to learn. It’s used to develop high-quality web applications in a limited time that are easy to maintain and debug in the future. Though facing good competition from the aforementioned languages, there is still a big demand for developers with PHP knowledge.

Go

Go is a relatively new programming language that has gained a lot of popularity in recent years. Actually, it’s one of the fastest-growing programming languages today, which means a lot of opportunities for developers who are starting their careers or improving tech skills.

Go was created by Google employees to solve Google-sized problems which have made it very popular among other companies solving scaling challenges.

Go is a fast, statically typed compiled language that feels like a dynamically typed, interpreted language. It is simple to learn, an interoperable, and widely supported language.

Though it doesn’t have a large feature set, especially when compared to languages such as C++, Go is able to satisfy the most common programming needs.

TypeScript

Typescript has been rising in popularity during the last few years. Looking at the chart below, we can see that from nowhere, TypeScript takes the 6th position in GitHub pull requests as of the 4th quarter of 2022. Apart from support from Microsoft and Google, there are also other reasons that make TypeScript so popular. 

TypeScript builds on JavaScript to give better tooling at any scale. Simply put, TypeScript technically is JavaScript with static typing, any time you want to have it. According to the research, 15% of JavaScript bugs can be detected by TypeScript. In comparison to JavaScript code, code in Typescript is easier to refactor which enables developers to eliminate errors and rewrite the code easier. Transferring the code writing in C#Java, or PHP to TypeScript is also much easier than in JavaScript.

Ruby

Ruby is one of the leaders among the most paid development languages as sometimes it might be difficult to find experienced specialists using this language in some markets. It’s definitely not a mainstream language but one of the most efficient. 

Companies such as GitHub, Airbnb, Hulu, and others use Ruby. As of 2023, the Ruby on Rails ecosystem has one of the most popular communities on GitHub - over 4,6k contributors. In comparison, the most popular Python framework, Django, has 2,3k.

The language is famous for its flexibility, security, and relatively short development period. 

A Final Word

According to our analysis, these are the most in-demand programming languages in 2023. 

For sure, this list can be extended as there is no universal solution for every programmer or business. 

Before choosing the programming language, we highly recommend carefully researching your target market and audience, deciding on the features your application should include, and then choosing the type of application you want to develop. We will be happy to provide you with a free consultation on choosing the best web application development language and stack for your project.

Which one do you consider to be the best programming language for web apps? We’ll appreciate sharing your opinion in the comments below.