Top 10 Programming Languages for Custom Software Development

As innovations and business needs and scope are rapidly increasing, so is the usage of multiple programming languages to support these innovative, revolutionary products. We list down the top 10 programming languages for custom software development for you in this blog, along with their features and use cases.   

But let’s start with the basics first.   

What Is Software?  

Software is a set of computer programs, data, and instructions. Software instructs the hardware of a computer, what well-defined tasks/operations to perform, and how. 

Businesses use the software to transform workflows, streamline operations, bring process uniformity across organizations, and achieve greater visibility, among other benefits. 

Now, there are two types of software namely generic or off-the-shelf software and custom software. While the former caters to generalized public needs, the latter targets the specific needs of a set of users or organizations.   

Custom software is a preferred type for businesses seeking a specific set of functions and features for their software for the targeted audience. Organizations either carry out custom software development in-house or outsource it to leverage the experience and expertise of a third-party vendor. 

It gives a business freedom to customize its software according to its exact business needs, nothing more or less.   

There are some programming languages that facilitate the working of this software. These programming languages for software development enable developers to communicate with computers. But how?  

Computers are machines that operate in machine code or the binary language of 0s and 1s. Programming languages for software development allow users to translate human-operated commands into a format that computers can understand and execute.  

Therefore, through a software programming language, developers build and modify products like software systems, scripts, and mobile applications, as and when required. According to a 2018 CodingDojo study, the top 25 U.S. companies use multiple languages to construct their back-end frameworks.  

But what features make a software programming language worth learning and utilizing? What makes them get added to the list of top 10 programming languages? Let’s find out.  

Features Of A Good Programming Language   

1. Clarity and ease of expression

The programming language for software development must offer unambiguous and simple concepts that are easily understandable and facilitate quick learning and application. However, sometimes the capability of a language is compromised in order to achieve simplicity.

2. Compile time

The software programming language should be a strictly timed language that identifies and shows errors as they occur, rather than communicating them at later stages where it becomes a hassle for the programmer to rectify them.  

3. Optimum capability

A good programming language is one that offers a robust and diverse set of features to perform a wide variety of tasks.   

A particular area should require a programming language to provide the necessary means, such as operators, structures, and syntax, to achieve the desired results.   

4. High level of Abstraction

This feature allows programmers to write the code better; entirely focusing on the project requirements without having to worry about the basics of the code.   

Abstraction is the language’s ability to define and make use of complex structures or operations while not paying attention to some of the non-crucial details.  

5. Efficiency

Efficient translation and execution are characteristics of the best languages for software development, ensuring that they do not consume excessive memory and time.

6. Principle of Locality/Reference

This principle states that a computer program is capable of continually accessing the same areas of memory over a short period of time.   

Therefore, a programming language can benefit from the principle of locality by enabling loops and subroutines usage. This would optimize the overall performance of the software.    

7. Security

A good software programming language should be secure in order to safeguard the code and project details.  

Now that we have looked at the desired features of a programming language, let’s now discover the top 10 programming languages for custom software development and their characteristics.   

Top 10 Programming Languages For Custom Software Development  

As technology and industries evolve, the importance of programming languages is also increasing. Businesses are leveraging the wide range of available and top 10 programming languages to target specific programming operations/tasks and achieve the desired results.   

These are the top 10 programming languages that are popular and commonly used to develop custom software:   

1. PHP  

Rasmus Lerdorf, a software developer, designed and introduced PHP language in 1995 and since then this programming language for software development has come a long way.   

One of the best languages for software development and worthy of being in the top 10 programming languages list, Hypertext Pre-processor, or PHP is the 5th popularly used programming language across the globe. In fact, 77.5% of all the websites running online use PHP for server-side programming  

Developers primarily use this server-side coding language to develop web pages, websites, and tools like CMS (Content Management Systems) and e-Commerce platforms, owing to its extensive qualities.

It has features of a lot of other languages; it is most like JavaScript sans the execution on the browser, has syntax like C, and possesses some extension skills like Python.   

Most of the websites present in the online space have PHP as the coding language. In fact, Facebook, WordPress, Shopify, and Wikipedia, are built on PHP infrastructures.  

Pros:  

• Open source; free of cost and easily collaborative  
• Scalable  
• Easy to use  
• Platform independent and adaptable to multiple technologies  
• Robust library and community support  
• Compatibility with other languages  

Cons:   

• Unstructured and inconsistent evolution of PHP versions; might be hard to keep up with the releases  
• Lacks versatility; not a lot compatible with emerging technologies  
• Limited debugging tools in comparison to other available languages  
• Security is a concern because of the open-source nature  

2. C/C++

C language is a middle-programming language and is primarily used to develop low-level systems such as operating systems, kernel development, etc. Released in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie, it is widely used in commercial and engineering fields. This coding language provides support to procedural programming. It is a sturdy but rigid language.   

The language consists of 32 total keywords and can be executed comparably on multiple hardware and operating systems.   

C++, on the other hand, is an object-oriented coding language and an extension or upgrade of C language. Released by Bjarne Stroustrup in the mid-80s, it is mostly used to develop games, GUI Desktop, etc.   

This programming language provides support to multiple programming styles. A developer can make minor changes to as many functions as required to make C++ code compatible with other coding languages.    

Pros:  

• Platform independent  
• Scalable  
• Multi-paradigm style  
• Enormous network support   

Cons:   

• Complex language to learn  
• Significant system memory is taken up by pointers  
• Security issues rooted in features like pointers, friend functions, and global variables  
• Lack of support for built-in code threads  

3. C#

Born out of the C language, C# (pronounced as “C sharp”), was developed by Microsoft in the 2000s and has made it to the list of top 10 programming languages list due to its diverse usage. This language is mostly used to design software such as Windows and mobile applications, video games, and enterprise systems.  

The language definition consists of 86 total keywords and supports object-oriented coding. Moreover, it enables users to work with a high level of abstraction.    

This general-purpose language automates with flexibility and completely integrated with Microsoft’s .NET framework. It facilitates efficient cross-platform development of custom software.   

Pros:   

• Based on the object-oriented programming (OOP) principles  
• Quick compilation   
• Complete integration with the.NET framework  
• Multiple paradigms  
• Scalable plus updatable   
• Large community  

Cons:   

• Over-dependence on .NET framework; not that flexible if .NET framework is not the main tech stack  
• Hard learning curve  

4. Java

Java has a very long-running usage and name in the programming language world. It was developed in 1995 by Sun Microsystem’s James Gosling and has been the de-facto, portable language for developing enterprise-grade applications for over 20 years now.  

This object-oriented programming language is scalable and used to code Android applications as well as corporate software required to run on massive networks.  

Pros:  

• Comes with automatic garbage collection   
• Backward compatibility  
• Platform independence via JVM; follows the feature of WORA (Write Once Run Anywhere)  
• Supports portability feature  
• High performance; supports multi-threading  
• Massive community support  

Cons:   

• Slow due to various backend functions  
• Consumes more memory compared to native programming languages like C and C++  
• Has verbose and complex syntaxes  
• Paid commercial license for Java 11 and above  

Also Read: Java vs Kotlin

5. JavaScript and HTML

One of the most popular and commonly used programming languages JavaScript, which was developed in 1995, is used to add functionalities to websites hosted through HTML. It is the brainchild of Brendan Eich, one of the creators of Firefox.   

JavaScript has around 12.4 million users across the globe. In fact, 98.4% of all websites use JavaScript as a client-side programming language.

It is mostly used to build interactive web browsers and pages, embedded hardware controls, games, and software systems. Dynamically changing buttons and fields on a website are possible through JavaScript, identified by the .js file extension.  

Uber and PayPal, were built using JavaScript’s front-end frameworks.  

Pros:   

• Speed; client-side script, speeds up the execution of the program  
• Easy to understand and learn  
• Popular; used as a tool by Google, Amazon, PayPal, etc.  
• Effective interoperability  
• Rich interfaces; enhanced user interactivity on the webpage  
• Versatile; facilitates front-end as well as back-end development  

Cons:   

• Lacks client-side security; JavaScript code is viewable to the user, making it more prone to online threats and malicious intentions  
• No old browser support; codes are run on different browsers before getting published and the older browsers do not support some new additional functions  
• Lack of debugging facilities  
• Single inheritance constraints   

6. Python

Created in 1990 by Guido van Rossum, Python is a modular coding language that has extensive applications in domains like web development, AI, ML, data science, etc. It is compatible with all key platforms like Mac, Windows, etc.   

With 8.2 million users across the globe, Python can be used to work large data sets, scrap data, create workflows in collaboration with other software, or even design web apps.    

Code written using Python can be executed immediately and enable programmers to develop software prototypes without taking much time.   

Pros:   

• Open source; free to use  
• Easy to learn, write and read   
• Gentle learning curve  
• Versatile; supports both procedural and object-oriented programming  
• Easy portability; write once, run anywhere  
• Huge standard library; built-in plus third-party library available  
• Large user base and community support  

Cons:   

• Slow; interpreted and dynamically typed language and thus the run-time compiler has a lot on its plate  
• Lacks multithreading support; instead uses multiprocessing  
• Runtime errors are hard to avoid  
• Uses a lot of memory  

7. Swift

Released in 2014, Swift is a relatively newer language that was developed and introduced by Apple. It has since the official language for iOS development, replacing Objective-C language. It is the preferred language for various young generation developers, freelancers, and programmers.  

Over the years, numerous updates of Swift have come out that have helped it gain rapid popularity among Apple’s iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS platforms. Its user-friendliness, speed, high performance, and safety have made many programmers choose it.   

This programming language is used to develop apps for virtually all the Apple devices, such as iPhones, iPads, Macs, watches, and other devices.  

Pros:   

• Multi-paradigm   
• General-purpose  
• Offers full interoperability with Objective-C  
• Automatic memory management with Automatic Reference Counting (ARC)  
• Full stack potential and cross-device support; developing apps using Swift for both backend and frontend allows for extensive code sharing and reuse  
• Large community and support  

Cons:   

• Limited talent pool due to recent introduction  
• Relies heavily on third-party tools  
• Lack of support for earlier iOS versions  
• Though cross-platform still works best for native iOS development  

8. Kotlin

Used by big names like Netflix, Pinterest, and Amazon Web Services, Kotlin is an open-source programming language that gained popularity in a short span. Released in 2011 and designed by JetBrains, the language comes with a variety of powerful features like lambda functions support, null safety, etc.   

It is the official software development language for Android applications and is known for its simplicity, robust syntax, and faster compilation.   

Pros:   

• Open-source  
• Less maintenance and support expenses   
• High-quality IDE support  
• Cost-effective  
• Clean and powerful syntax  

Cons:   

• Relatively smaller community and thus limited resources and developed solutions  
• Slower compilation than Java  

9. Ruby

Commonly used in internet application development, Ruby is a server-side scripting, object-oriented language which was publicly released in 1995. It has a syntax akin to C++ and is used by programmers to create Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts.  

Ruby supports procedural and functional programming and is a high-level language. It can be embedded into HTML with ease and is often used for web designing.   

Twitter, Hulu, and GitHub make use of this language to build their websites.  

Pros:   

• Straightforward syntax  
• Large community and support  
• Free of cost   
• User-friendly  

Cons:  

• Slow performance  
• Lack of flexibility in terms of changing the core codebase  

10. R

It is the preferred choice for projects that require extensive data analysis, graphical data modeling, and spatial and time-series analysis.  

R provides functions and extensions that allow developers to exploit a variety of techniques and capabilities.   

Pros:   

• Open-source  
• Platform-independent  
• Multiple packages; 10,000 packages stored in the CRAN repository  
• Great for statistics  
• Compatible with ML  

Cons:  

• Complex language  
• Lacks basic security measures  
• Relatively slower language  
• Memory intensive  
• Inconsistent documentation/package quality  

All these programming languages for software development come with powerful features, functions, and backing, and one should choose them as per project requirements, considering their respective use cases.   

How can Big Oh tech help you?  

BigOhTech is adept with the use of Java, JavaScript, Kotlin, HTML, C/C++, C#, PHP, etc. With more than 75 agile and skilled developers, we are a leading name in the software development domain. We assist businesses with achieving their business goals effectively.   

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Also Read: Benefits Of DevOps