What programming languages to learn for web development
HTML/CSS:
People often begin by learning HTML and CSS. Why? These two languages are essential for creating static web pages. HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) structures all the text, links, and other content you see on a website. CSS is the language that makes a web page look the way it does—color, layout, and other the visuals we call style. Why not just start with HTML and CSS? You may not be interested in creating content for the Web. As I said earlier, you can do a lot with code, and the Web is just part of it. However, if you are interested making websites, definitely start with HTML and CSS.JavaScript
JavaScript is the first full programming language for many people. Why? It is the logical next step after learning HTML and CSS. JavaScript provides the behavior portion of a website. For example, when you see a form field indicate an error, that’s probably JavaScript at work. JavaScript has become increasingly popular, and it now lives outside web browsers as well. Learning JavaScript will put you in a good place as it becomes a more general-purpose language. JavaScript seems to be everywhere lately.Java
Despite its name, Java is not related to JavaScript in any meaningful way. JavaScript was named when Java was becoming popular. Some marketing minds decided to confuse us all in an attempt to make the LiveScript language more popular by changing its name to JavaScript. Just remember that Java is not JavaScript. Java can be used for anything from web applications to desktop and mobile apps. Java has a strong presence among large enterprise applications—think bank, hospital, and university software. It also powers Android apps, so it’s a good choice for those inclined toward mobile development.Objective-Ct
Like Java, Objective-C can be used to write desktop software and mobile apps. However, Objective-C is essentially Apple territory. Until the recent release of the Swift programming language, Objective-C was the language for developing native iPhone and iPad apps. Many major apps are still written in Objective-C, and programmers for these apps are in high-demand. If you want to work on iPhone and iPad apps, it’s a good idea to learn Objective-C.Swift
Apple released Swift in June, 2014 as a modern language for developing Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch, and Apple TV applications. If you want to enter the world of iOS, Swift is the language with which Apple intends to move forward. Yes, many apps are already written in Objective-C, but Swift is here to stay. If the Apple ecosystem lures you in, you’ll need some understanding of both Objective-C and Swift.PHP
PHP is one of the most popular web languages. It runs massive sites such as Facebook and Etsy. WordPress and Drupal are both written in PHP, and those two platforms power a huge number of the sites online today. Because of its popularity, learning PHP will serve you well if you intend to code for the Web.Python
Python is a general-purpose language used for everything from server automation to data science. Python is a great language for beginners, because it is easy to read and understand. You can also do so many things with Python that it’s easy to stick with the language for quite a while before needing something else. Python finds itself at home both creating Web apps like Instagram and helping researchers make sense of their data.Ruby
Ruby is often associated with the Rails framework that helped popularize it. Used widely among web startups and big companies alike, Ruby and Rails jobs are pretty easy to come by. Ruby and Rails make it easy to transform an idea into a working application, and they have been used to bring us Twitter, GitHub, and Treehouse.
