What are the best Server Side Languages in 2023

Discussing the best server side languages in 2023.

I see a lot of front end developers who want to go into back end development and don’t have any idea what to do and which language will be best for the future or will be good for them to get a better job.

Hello fellow developers Anu this side from ADMEC Multimedia Institute and in today’s blog we’ll take a very closer look at what are the best server side languages in 2023 but first let’s take look at.

What Server Side Language does?

Server Side or Backend development languages handle the behind the scenes works of a website that are not visible by the user or any developer at the front end of the site. By using the backend language we link the database to the front-end part.

Why do we require a Server Side Language?

The main goal of using a backend language is to make a website or an application dynamic so that one doesn’t have to write unnecessary code for doing the same thing over and over by using loops and functions.

Types of Programming Languages

Typically there are two types of programming languages

• Object Oriented Programming
• Procedural Programming

Let’s understand their differences.

Procedural Programming	Object Oriented Programming
We find functions working here as small parts of code blocks.	We find objects working here as small parts of code blocks.
Goes with top-down approach.	Goes with bottom-up approach.
It comes with zero access specifiers	It comes with access specifiers such as private, public and protected.
Less secure data hiding is not possible.	By using encapsulation data hiding is possible.
Overloading is not possible	Overloading possible
Ex: C, Basic, Pascal	Ex: C++, Java, Python, C#

There are 7 best server side languages

1. Java
2. PHP
3. .NET (C#,VB)
4. Ruby
5. Python
6. Kotlin
7. NodeJS

Let’s know about them now.

1. Java

I’m sure you have heard this name already. It is indeed a very popular programming language in the world and the reason for that is its versatility. See the problem with other programming languages is when the same code is compiled on different machines it doesn’t work but Java has a JVM(Java Virtual Machine) which acts as a separate layer that enables Java to be compiled on different machines with the same result.

It has been a developer’s choice for over 20 years now and it has a pretty market. Java is an Object Oriented Programming Language.

The applications made with Java are highly secure but can be a bit slower when compared to others.

Java has a large community meaning any question or error that one encounters can be simply googled and you can most probably get the answer.

Coming to Java History

Java first came in the year of1991. It was developed by Green Team, a group of developers. However, Sun Microsystem released Java 1.O in 1996. Java was created to overcome the issues C and C++ had.

Quick checker: Who is the father of Java language?
The answer is James Gosling.

This language got its name because of the uniqueness of the term itself, by the way it means coffee.

Features of Java

• Platform Independent: Java Programs can run on platform as it uses JVM. The compiler converts the Java code into bytecode and then bytecode is executed by the JVM thus making it platform independent. It is also important to note that each operating has a different JVM but the result remains the same.
• Object Oriented Programming Language: The code is divided into different objects and each of this object is represented by the Class.
• Simple: Java is more simple as it does not have the complicated features that C++ had like pointers, operator overloading.
• Secure: Java is considered as one most secure programming language.
• Garbage Collector: Before Java developers had to manually clear the memory but Java made it easy by making this process automatic.

Applications of Java

Few common applications you can develop in Java are:

• Mobile Application Development
• Website Development
• Software Development
• Cloud Based Application
• Embedded Systems
• Networking
• Web and Application Servers
• Big Data Technologies

Hello World In Java

class HelloWorld {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello, World!"); 
    }
}

Companies Using Java

There are lots of big names associated with Java like

• Uber
• Pinterest
• LinkedIn
• Groupon
• eBay
• Evernote
• Airbnb
• Hubspot

Average Earning

Average Salary stats of Java Developer are as follows

Interested in learning Java? Check Java course at ADMEC.

2. PHP

PHP is one of the most popular backend languages in the world empowering more than 70% of the total websites in the world. Well that says all about its potential it has lots of applications. Perhaps the best thing about it is you can solve one given problem in multiple ways and these ways can be moulded into something else depending upon the context in which they are used. I mean it’s a bit tricky.

For the beginners it’s the best language to start with. Like many other languages on this list this language also has a very large community meaning your can’t go unheard. It’s also the most used backend language for the CMS like Drupal, WordPress, Magento, etc. Its setup process is fairly easy when compared to others.

Developers also call it loosely typed language. Why? Well because it doesn’t require to have any data type to work. It is also an interpreted language as it does not need a compiler to work.

Looking into PHP History

PHP or HyperText Preprocessor came into existence in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf. At first it was known as Personal Homepage Tools but later renamed as the one we know. Though PHP is currently mainly used for website development but it was originally made to collect the form data from static websites.

Features of PHP

• Simplicity: The best perk of PHP is its very easy to understand whether you are an expert in other languages or you are just starting. Its very easily optimized and has a lot pre pre-built functions to use.
• Flexible: Php works very well with other languages like JavaScript if I say so and it works on all operating systems like Mac, Unix, Windows, Linux, etc.
• Object Oriented: With update 7 PHP became an object oriented language probably the best update it has ever got.
• Fast: No doubt, PHP as compared to its competitors is much faster.
• Open Source: It’s free, you can download it and you are good to go. It also supports a variety of databases.

Applications of PHP

List of applications you can create using PHP

• Web Pages and Web Applications
• Content Management Systems like WordPress
• eCommerce Applications
• Command Line Scripting

Hello World in PHP

<?php
echo "Hello World!";
?>

Companies Using PHP

PHP has a lot of big industry names behind it like

• Facebook
• Wikipedia
• Tumblr
• Slack
• MailChimp
• WordPress
• Magento

Average Earning

Average Salary stats of PHP Developer are as follows

Interested in learning PHP? Check out our PHP courses and give it a try.

3. .NET

ASP.NET is an actual rival to Sun Microsystem’s Java. Like PHP .NET uses a model view controller pattern which allows this framework to handle the backend of the websites.

The web application framework consists of Visual Basic, C#, F#, etc.

History of .NET

The development of .NET framework actually started in the late 1990s, its first beta version released in 2001. However it’s made open source in 2016. It works on all operating systems.

C#

C# actually holds the power of C++ without its errors it’s easy to use and is quite popular among the developer as its high level language and its syntax is very easy to understand.

Features of C#

• Simple
• Modern
• Object Oriented
• Type Safe
• Rich Library
• Fast Speed

Hello World of C#

namespace HelloWorld
{
    class Hello {         
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            System.Console.WriteLine("Hello World!");
        }
    }
}

VB

Visual Basic uses a very fancy GUI(Graphical User Interface) to modify the code which requires a lot of memory to install and to run its development tools. The code written here is very basic.

Features of VB

• Easy To Learn 
• Component Oriented
• Object Oriented
• Modern
• Great GUI

Hello World of VB

Imports System
 
Module Module1
    Sub Main()
        Console.WriteLine("Hello World!")
        Console.WriteLine("Press Enter Key to Exit.")
        Console.ReadLine()
    End Sub 
End Module

Application of .NET

• Desktop Applications
• Mobile Applications
• Games
• Databases

Companies Using .NET

There are lots of big names associated with it

• Microsoft
• Starbucks
• Stack Overflow

Average Earning

Average Salary stats of .NET Developer are as follows

4. Ruby

Ruby is pure object oriented programming. Literally everything in ruby is object except for blocks but there are replacements for that too procs and lambda. It is very similar to Python and is highly effective in prototyping. Ruby is also open source.

Downside of using Ruby is that it doesn’t need a compiler to run the programs. It also has a very unique coding which requires practice to get used to it but once you get familiar with it is easy.

The code is harder to debug and it doesn’t have that informational resources compared to other languages.

But there are some good reasons to use this language like it’s very simple and elegant and quite easy to understand as it’s very similar to the language we speak.

History of Ruby

Ruby was developed around the 1990s by Yukihiro Matsumoto with an idea of a language to be easily understandable by humans first and a language which is fun to use. Ruby has since gained a lot of popularity and has a framework called Ruby on Rails by David Heinemeier Hansson taking Ruby to greater heights.

Features of Ruby

• Case Sensitive
• Flexibility
• Visual Appearances
• Garbage Collectors
• Naming Conventions

Hello World in Ruby

puts "Hello World!"

Applications of Ruby

• Automate repetitive task
• Build web applications
• Mobile applications
• Games
• Creating Prototypes

Companies Using Ruby

There are a good number of companies using Ruby like

• Codecademy
• KickStarter
• RapGenius
• Scribd
• AngelList

Average Earning

Average Salary stats of Ruby Developer are as follows

5. Python

Python is the fastest growing language in the world. If you are planning to learn server side languages in 2023 then Python is the one to try for sure.

Python has the most use cases among all the languages listed here. It has a good career scope in the field of web development, data science and artificial intelligence. However at a glance you might think that Python is quite simple but its only simple at the surface level as you learn more and more about Python obviously in a particular field it gets a lot complicated and tough.

It also needs an interpreter like Ruby as said before Python is very similar to Python but the major difference is only with popularity.

History of Python Language

Guido van Rossum got an idea to invent this language and launched it in the 1990s. Later on Python Software Foundation took the charge to work on its updation.

Features of Python

• Easy to Code
• Free and Open Source
• Portable
• Interpreted
• High Level Language
• Object Oriented
• Lots of resources

Hello World in Python

print("Hello World.")

Applications of Python

• Simple Web Development
• Prototyping
• Quick Shell Scripting
• GUI applications
• Language Developer

Companies Using Python

There are lots of big names associated with it

• Uber
• Mozilla
• Spotify
• YouTube
• Yahoo Maps
• Microsoft

Average Earning

Average Salary stats of Python Developer are as follows:

Interested in learning Python for web development? Check our Python Master course. Those who want to learn it for data science and analytics can go for Python data analytics course.

6. Kotlin

Kotlin is often referred to as a better version of Java and its source code is interoperable with it.

Do you know that Google sponsored Kotlin and now it is the official language to be used for Android Development? This shows how worthy is this language to learn.

Kotlin is a statically typed language meaning all its variables are known at the compilation of the code. As said, it’s interoperable with Java so it also runs on JVM. 

It was first introduced to the world JetBrains in 2011 it is fairly new with respect to how old its competitors are.

Features of Kotlin

• Safe
• Functional and Object Oriented Language
• Smart Cast
• Fastest Compilation Time
• Tool Friendly
• Data Classes
• Statically Typed

Hello world in Kotlin

fun main(args : Array<String>) {
    println("Hello, World!")
}

Applications of Kotlin

• Server- Side
• Client- Side
• Mobile Applications
• Data Science
• JavaFX

Companies Using Kotlin

There are various companies that opted kotlin instead of Java like

• Evernote
• Corda
• Uber
• Pinterest
• Square
• Gradle
• Postmates

Average Earning

Average Salary stats of Kotlin Developer are as follows

7. JavaScript (NodeJS)

Let’s clear the room first there are a lot of doubts and misconceptions regarding JavaScript. Java and JavaScripts are two different languages and they have absolutely no relation to each other whatsoever. The only thing common in between them is the term Java itself.

Now there is another confusion: developers or newbies often think that NodeJS is a programming language and some smarter ones think that it’s a framework. Well what can i say except for the fact that they both are wrong, NodeJS is a runtime environment for executing JS code used for building APIs for Web Apps or Sites.

History of NodeJS

This is also like the newest entry in this category; it was written by Ryan Dahl in 2009. At first it only supported Linux and Mac and later with development and updates also included windows sponsored by Joyent.

Features of NodeJS

• JavaScript everywhere
• Extremely Fast
• No Buffering
• Single Threaded
• Asynchronous and Event Driven

Hello world in NodeJS

const http = require('http');

const hostname = '127.0.0.1';
const port = 3000;

const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  res.statusCode = 200;
  res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain');
  res.end('Hello World');
});

server.listen(port, hostname, () => {
  console.log(`Server running at http://${hostname}:${port}/`);
});

Applications of NodeJS

• Real Time Collaboration Tools
• Complex Single Page
• Real Time Charts
• Streaming Services
• Microservices Architecture 
• JSON Api Based Applications

Companies Using NodeJS

There are lots of Big Companies using NodeJS like

• PayPal
• Uber
• Netflix
• Walmart

Average Earning

Average Salary stats of NodeJS Developer are as follows

Interested in learning NodeJS? Check NodeJS master course and join it at ADMEC Multimedia.

So, here we reached at the end of the blog. Hope you understood the discussed points and now you are fully aware with the best server side languages in 2023.