Many new coders are probably wondering which coding language is the best one to learn. This is an important question that does not have one right answer. The ‘best’ language to learn depends on what your goals are and what types of projects you want to use coding for. Below you’ll find a breakdown of the best coding language to learn for a few specific cases – find the one that applies to you!
Best Coding Language to Learn for Web Development
One of the most popular reasons people learn to code is for web development. HTML and CSS are core languages to learn for building the basics of a website. They’re both relatively straightforward since they are so specifically designed for this purpose.
- HTML: HTML is the language that lays out the structure of a website and defines all of the different elements on the page. For example, an HTML <img> tag defines an element as an image on a page, while title tags like <h1> , <h2> , and <h3> indicate titles and subtitles that help organize text on a page into hierarchies.
- CSS: CSS is used in tandem with HTML to add stylistic elements like making text bold or setting the alignment of an image (left, right, or center).
Best Coding Language to Learn for Data Science
Data scientists write nearly as much code as web developers, but they use it for gathering, manipulating, and analyzing data rather than building websites. There are a number of coding languages that are particularly well-suited for data science.
- SQL: The best coding language to master first for data science is SQL. SQL is used to write queries to communicate with large databases. Data scientists use SQL to pull data, build tables, and find out information about databases.
- R: Alongside SQL, R is an excellent coding language for data science. R is excellent for statistical analysis and mathematical calculations. It is also known to be particularly easy to write for new coders.
- Python: Python is a general purpose programming language, meaning that it is well-suited to a number of purposes. However, there are a number of auxiliary Python libraries that are built to make Python great for data science projects. These include NumPy and Matplotlib. With these libraries, Python is one of the best coding languages to use for data science.
Best Coding Language to Learn for Game Development
The most common approach taken by game developers when building a game is to use a game engine supplemented by custom scripts. Each gaming engine uses a different language for custom scripting. The two most common are Unity Game Engine and Unreal Engine.
- C#: Game devs who use Unity write code in the language C#. Unity provides a lot of functionality without any coding at all, but devs who want to create a more unique game, can write custom scripts using C#.
- C++: C++ is to Unreal Engine as C# is to Unity. When devs want to embellish their game with custom scripting in Unreal Engine, they’ll use C++.
Best Coding Language to Learn for Blockchain Applications
One of the biggest new trends in tech is building blockchain applications. This type of application is acclaimed for being secure and decentralized. In recent years, new coding languages have emerged that are particularly well suited for building blockchain projects.
- Solidity: Solidity is one of the most popular and stable languages for blockchain development. It is used particularly for creating smart contracts on blockchains and was developed for use on the Ethereum blockchain.
- Vyper: Vyper is an exciting new programming language for blockchain based upon the language Python. Vyper is very similar to Solidity but is built to be even more secure and also stays true to Python standards so it is easy to pick up for those with Python experience.
Now it’s up to you to pick a language and start learning! You can learn more about several of these languages, along with other key tech skills from our Subjects overview page.