Which language is best for web development in 2022

by Dmytro Sandomirskyi,
1 February, 2022

Read time:~10 min

Whether you are a business, a student, or a developer, choosing the most appropriate language for any given project or learning a language in demand is crucial. There are so many languages to choose from, but some stand out immediately, given that the largest websites in the world use them.

Some languages are suited to building the frontend, some the backend, and others are inherently more secure than others.

We will talk about the top programming language for web development in 2022, listing the good, the bad, who uses these languages, with a summary for each to understand it better.

Most popular and used programming languages for web development in 2022

At the very top of the popular pile, according to Statista’s 2021 survey, we have JavaScript (popular among 65{9e1092f14ba6fb5e5828e71a37989679682a8e79c29e42c680b9bf7679171e6e} of developers), followed by HTML/CSS (56.07{9e1092f14ba6fb5e5828e71a37989679682a8e79c29e42c680b9bf7679171e6e}), and Python (48.24{9e1092f14ba6fb5e5828e71a37989679682a8e79c29e42c680b9bf7679171e6e}). SQL and Java take fourth and fifth place consecutively to complete the top five with 47.08{9e1092f14ba6fb5e5828e71a37989679682a8e79c29e42c680b9bf7679171e6e} and 35.35{9e1092f14ba6fb5e5828e71a37989679682a8e79c29e42c680b9bf7679171e6e}, respectively.
The rest of the top ten most preferred programming languages include:

JavaScript

Notable users (Microsoft, Netflix, PayPal, YouTube, Pinterest, Wikipedia)
JavaScript is rising in popularity and establishing itself as one of the most preferred programming languages for full-stack developers. The lightweight language is perfect for improving and adding content to websites, including things like functions, buttons, or graphics.

The language is designed to run on top of a browser’s built-in engine, enabling easy <script> tags within an HTML document for introducing functionality using these basic commands.

JavaScript enables computers to allow users to make changes to any section of the website and build new pages from the ground up. Internet users, in general, have JavaScript enabled, which gives the language a wide browser base, which attracts designers.

Check your version because older versions may break due to browser updates or experience execution issues caused by 3rd party programs. Stay up to date to avoid compatibility problems.

Pros of using JavaScript for your web project

It speeds up development;
JavaScript compiles faster;
The codes are shorter;
The functionality is enhanced;
Interoperability is high;
Developers can make XMLHttpRequest() Object;
The interface is highly interactive.

Cons of using JavaScript for your web project

Debugging could use improvements;
The code is always visible and has to run on platforms dedicated to eliminating glitches completely.

HTML/CSS

Notable users (Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services, Shopify, Magento, MongoDB, EggPlant)
HTML refers to code deployed to give a web page and its content structure for things like images, tables, lists, or bullet points. On the other hand, CSS refers to a language that describes how the HTML documents look on paper, a screen, or any display media.

HTML is used by developers to create a solid foundation for development since most websites are built on top of it, further allowing proficient developers to style the code to optimize it for specific uses/goals.

CSS enables the design to distinguish a website’s style from its content. With that, it becomes easier to have different developers working on different parts of the website with style modifications without breaking everything else.
Like sugar and sugared buns, these two go well together.

Pros of using HTML/CSS for your web project

You don’t have to pay for it;
It loads quickly;
It does not take a heavy toll on systems;
It is compatible with many browsers;
The language is relatively simple for learners to pick up.

Cons of using HTML/CSS for your web project

The code can get lengthy;
By itself, HTML/CSS is not capable of producing a flexible web app or website.

Python

Notable users (Facebook, YouTube, Google, Mozilla, Netflix, Microsoft, and other notable projects partially leverage Python)

In an age where machine learning and artificial intelligence are taking center stage, Python has emerged as the best language for creating applications based on ML/AI. This language allows a developer to have more freedom due to its versatility: that is why it is deployed across a wide variety of industries and uses.
For all its few faults, Python is one of the most well-defined languages, allowing even newbie developers to write relatively bug-free code.

Data science is more important than ever, which has led to improvements to Python, which have allowed the language to stay relevant. Last year, it won the TIOBE language of the year award and is giving JavaScript a run for its money in institutions that teach programming languages.

Pros of using Python for your web project

It is free to use;
Its portable nature makes it convenient to use;
There is support for many libraries;
Developers say it enhances productivity;
The code is highly readable.

Cons of using Python for your web project

You are likely to get run-time errors;
Python is a memory monster, requiring more breathing room.

C#

Notable users: (Delivery Hero, Microsoft, Accenture, Hepsiburada, Intuit, Alibaba Travels, Stack Overflow, and more)
One of the oldest languages ever launched was C, in the 70s. It changed the programming world and saw off-shoots based on it, including Objective-C, Java, and C#. C# maintains the object-oriented, general-purpose design that has seen C last so long.

Developers deploy C# to build high-performance apps. On .NET, developers access tools and libraries that make it easier to code, compile and deploy C# code.
C# was developed by Microsoft within the .NET framework, a platform with one of the biggest user-base in history. It does not matter what a developer wants to write (apps, games, video), C# makes it easier.

Proficient developers can use it to craft new ways of making content and design solutions with ease and on time because of its general-purpose nature.

Pros of using C# for your web project

C# is a secure language;
It is easy to learn and use;
Because it is also easy to read, finding errors is not difficult;
Users enjoy interoperability;
Cross-platform developers will find it great for compatibility;
Because of its connection to Microsoft, C# is well-regarded among developer circles.

Cons of using C# for your web project

C# is deeply tied to and dependent on .NET;
The x-platform GUI could use improvement
The ties to the .NET framework require running C# applications on Windows-based servers.

C++

Notable users: (Amazon, Google, Evernote, LinkedIn, NASA, Facebook, Opera, and more)
C++ is a popular language with a close relation to C. Using it; developers can create high-performance web projects that can be ported and run on different operating systems and platforms, including mobile. Apple’s iOS operating system was developed using C++, indicating it is suitable for app development uses.

The popular game engine Unity uses the same languages, which is why learners will have a much easier time doing something with their skills if they specialize in this language. C++ is perfect for procedural, object-oriented, and generic/low-level systems and features.

Pros of using C++ for your web project

Platform independence (portability) allows programs to run on different operating systems;
Using C++, developers can treat data as an object, allowing code reusability and making programs stabler;
C++ is a multi-paradigm language where statements can be used to change a program’s state instead of one idea to serve many purposes;The language is useful in offering total control over memory management;
There is a large user base, offering support for new learners and free/paid learning material for anyone who needs it;
It is compatible with C, allowing every program written in C++ to run with a .cpp extension.

Cons of using C++ for your web project

Object-oriented languages are inherently plagued by security issues, making them less safe than others;
There is no support for built-in code threads;
The pointers in C++ for memory allocation are time-consuming and hard to keep track of.

PHP

Notable users: (Wikipedia, WordPress, MailChimp, Slack, Tumblr, Facebook, Etsy, and more)
In full, PHP stands for Hypertext Processor and is always the first to be considered whenever a server scripting language for web development is called for. Since its development in 1995, the language has been used in many PHP web frameworks, most of which are free and equipped with robust security provisions.

PHP benefits from having modules and libraries that support flexible software development, which explains why content management websites and systems are usually written in PHP.

So, if you are looking for a language to develop dynamic websites, PHP is a great place to start.

Pros of using PHP for your web project

PHP is open-source;
It is highly scalable;
It can be embedded into HTML with ease;
It is widely used and popular for building web applications;
There is a huge community of programmers supporting the language;
It is compatible with multiple platforms.

Cons of using PHP for your web project

Basic knowledge of HTML is a prerequisite;
It may run slower than other languages;
There is not much meaningful optimization or desktop apps;
Customization makes errors more likely to occur and harder to locate.

Go

Notable users: (Uber, Slack, Pinterest, Twitch, Robinhood, Shopify, Google, LaunchDarkly, and more)
Go is a modern language that has managed to command a high adoption rate. How? Designed at Google, Go combines the powerful ideas that make other programming languages like Haskell and C++ popular with features of modern scripting languages like JavaScript, Ruby, and Python.

With Go, developers can create apps capable of handling millions of connections simultaneously without requiring additional hardware or servers.

As a system-level language with an impressive pedigree, Go is typically leveraged to create services and efficient backend systems on which other things are built.

Pros of using Go for your web project

Go executes faster by bypassing the interpreter and compiling directly to machine code;
The developer community is substantial and growing;
Go is scalable;
Learning Go is easy;
The language provides comprehensive tooling.

Cons of using Go for your web project

The language is new, compared to others, and does not have a lot of information or as many libraries;
Go had defective dependency management;
It may seem simple but has internal inconsistencies that challenge that.

Ruby

Notable users: (GitHub, Airbnb, Crunchbase, Dribbble.com, Bloomberg, Fiverr, Ask.fm, Yellow Pages, Cookpad, Apps for Good, and more)

Ruby on Rails (RoR), or as it is more popularly known, Ruby, is a web framework used extensively for web development. Strictly speaking, Ruby is a package library built using the operating system command line.

It is a combination of programming languages like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, which can be leveraged to develop web apps that run on web servers. Because it runs on servers, Ruby on Rails is considered a backend (server-side) development framework, used mostly as an API and software library.

Pros of using Ruby for your web project

It aggregates useful tools and libraries;
It is time-efficient;
The RoR community is huge and offers an easy entry point for new developers;
There is a strong tradition of following best practices;
It is cost-effective while maintaining safety and security;
RoR is a full-stack framework;
Maintenance is not very demanding.

Cons of using Ruby for your web project

The slow runtime speed can make scaling RoR apps harder;
Errors made during development can be very costly later;
There is not a lot of flexibility.

Conclusions

The best programming language for your web development project would be the one most suited to it. As a business, you may ask, how flexible is the project, what do you want to achieve with your backend/frontend, how much would you like to scale up, and how secure is the language?

As a learner, you might be wondering how easy it is to learn, how marketable the skills are, and what you can use the knowledge for.

Once you answer these questions and others pertinent to your project or goals, you will be able to pick out a language that suits you best.

When in doubt, consult an expert. If your language search is business-oriented, you want development experts to tell you exactly how to achieve what you want and what it will take to get there. As someone looking to learn, your goals are probably career-oriented, which is impacted by the prospects the skills open up, as well as what industries you can enter.