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Top 7 most used backend languages today

Web development is a highly dynamic and competitive field that requires staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies. One of the most important decisions you must make as a web developer is which backend language to use for your project.

The backend language is responsible for the logic, processing, and storage of data on the server, and it communicates with the frontend language.

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There are many backend languages available, each with its own characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. Some are more suitable for certain types of projects than others, and some are easier to learn and use than others.

That's why, in this article, you have a list of 7 backend languages that we consider the best for a web project in 2023, along with their code examples and key virtues. This way, you can choose the one that best fits your needs and preferences.

1. Python: The most versatile and popular language

Python is one of the most popular and versatile languages globally, used for various applications, from data science, artificial intelligence, automation to web development.

Python has a simple and elegant syntax that makes code reading and writing easy. Additionally, it has a large developer community and a wide variety of libraries and frameworks that extend its functionalities.

One of the most used frameworks for web development with Python is Django, which provides a complete and robust environment with tools for authentication, security, administration, ORM, testing, and more.

Another highly popular framework is Flask, which is lighter and more flexible, allowing the quick creation of web applications with just a few lines of code.

Example of backend code using Python with the Flask framework:

python
# Import the Flask framework
from flask import Flask, request, render_template


# Create an instance of the application
app = Flask(__name__)


# Define a route for the main page
@app.route("/")
def index():
    # Render an HTML template
    return render_template("index.html")


# Define a route for the form
@app.route("/form", methods=["GET", "POST"])
def form():
    # If the method is GET, display the form
    if request.method == "GET":
        return render_template("form.html")
    # If the method is POST, process the form data
    else:
        # Get the form data
        name = request.form.get("name")
        email = request.form.get("email")
        message = request.form.get("message")
        # Do something with the data, for example, save it to a database
        # ...
        # Display a thank you message
        return render_template("thankyou.html", name=name)

Use Cases of Python:

Key Virtues of Python:

2. JavaScript: The Most Used Language in Frontend and Backend

JavaScript is the most widely used language in web development, both in frontend and backend. JavaScript is the only language that can be executed in the browser, enabling the creation of dynamic and interactive user interfaces.

Additionally, thanks to the Node.js platform, JavaScript can also run on the server and access resources such as files, databases, networks, etc.

Node.js is a JavaScript runtime environment based on the Google Chrome V8 engine, allowing the creation of scalable and high-performance web applications using the event-driven model and asynchronous programming paradigm.

Node.js also comes with a package manager called npm, offering thousands of modules and dependencies that can be easily installed and used.

Example code with Node.js:

js
// Import the http module
const http = require("http");


// Create a server
const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
  // If the path is /
  if (req.url === "/") {
    // Send a response with the status code 200 (OK) and content type HTML
    res.writeHead(200, { "Content-Type": "text/html" });
    // Send the content of the main page
    res.end("<h1>Welcome to my website</h1>");
  }
  // If the path is /about
  else if (req.url === "/about") {
    // Send a response with the status code 200 (OK) and content type HTML
    res.writeHead(200, { "Content-Type": "text/html" });
    // Send the content of the about page
    res.end("<h1>About me</h1><p>I am a web developer</p>");
  }
  // If the path is anything else
  else {
    // Send a response with the status code 404 (Not Found) and content type HTML
    res.writeHead(404, { "Content-Type": "text/html" });
    // Send the content of the error page
    res.end("<h1>Page not found</h1>");
  }
});


// Listen on port 3000
server.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log("Server running on port 3000");
});

Use Cases of JavaScript:

Key Virtues of JavaScript:

3. PHP: The Most Used Language on the Web

PHP is one of the most widely used languages in web development, running on the server-side and enabling the creation of dynamic and customized web applications. PHP has a syntax similar to C and can be easily embedded in HTML code.

Moreover, it boasts excellent compatibility with various operating systems, web servers, and databases.

One of the most used frameworks for backend development with PHP is Laravel, providing an elegant and expressive environment with tools for routing, validation, authentication, authorization, ORM, testing, and more.

Another highly popular framework is Symfony, known for its robust and professional nature, allowing the development of complex, large-scale web applications.

Example code with Laravel:

php
// Import the Laravel framework
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Route;


// Define a route for the main page
Route::get("/", function () {
    // Return a view
    return view("welcome");
});


// Define a route for the form
Route::post("/form", function () {
    // Get the form data
    $name = request("name");
    $email = request("email");
    $message = request("message");
    // Do something with the data, for example, save it to a database
    // ...
    // Return a view with the data
    return view("thankyou", ["name" => $name]);
});

Use Cases of PHP:

Key Virtues of PHP:

4. Java: The Most Robust and Professional Language

Java is a programming language known for its robustness and professionalism, enabling the creation of high-quality, secure, and performant web applications.

Java has a syntax based on C and can be used both imperatively and in an object-oriented manner. Moreover, it offers a plethora of advanced features such as inheritance, polymorphism, abstraction, encapsulation, etc.

One of the most used frameworks for web development with Java is Spring, providing a comprehensive and modular environment with tools for routing, validation, authentication, authorization, ORM, testing, and more.

Another highly popular framework is Struts, which is simpler and more conventional, allowing the creation of web applications based on the MVC pattern.

Example code with Spring:

java
// Import the Spring framework
import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.PostMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RequestParam;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;


// Annotate the class as a Spring Boot application
@SpringBootApplication
// Annotate the class as a web controller
@RestController
public class Application {


    // Define a main method to run the application
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(Application.class, args);
    }


    // Define a route for the main page
    @GetMapping("/")
    public String index() {
        // Return a text string
        return "Welcome to my website";
    }


    // Define a route for the form
    @PostMapping("/form")
    public String form(@RequestParam String name, @RequestParam String email, @RequestParam String message) {
        // Get the form data
        // Do something with the data, for example, save it to a database
        // ...
        // Return a text string with the data
        return "Thank you " + name + " for your message";
    }
}

Key Virtues of Java:

5. C#: The Most Powerful and Modern Language

C# is a programming language known for its power and modernity, enabling the creation of high-level web applications with features like object-oriented programming, generic programming, functional programming, concurrent programming, etc.

C# has a syntax based on C++, and it can be used both imperatively and in an object-oriented manner. Moreover, it offers a variety of advanced features, such as delegates, events, attributes, LINQ, async/await, etc.

One of the most used frameworks for web development with C# is ASP.NET, providing a comprehensive and efficient environment with tools for routing, validation, authentication, authorization, ORM, testing, and more.

Another highly popular framework is Blazor, allowing the creation of interactive web applications using C# instead of JavaScript, running either in the browser or on the server.

Example code with ASP.NET:

cs
// Import the ASP.NET framework
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.Mvc;


// Annotate the class as a web controller
[Route("/")]
[ApiController]
public class HomeController : ControllerBase
{
    // Define a route for the main page
    [HttpGet]
    public IActionResult Index()
    {
        // Return a view
        return View("Index");
    }


    // Define a route for the form
    [HttpPost("form")]
    public IActionResult Form(string name, string email, string message)
    {
        // Get the form data
        // Do something with the data, for example, save it to a database
        // ...
        // Return a view with the data
        return View("ThankYou", name);
    }
}

Key Advantages of C#:

6. Go: The Fastest and Concurrent Language for Backend

Go is a programming language known for its speed and concurrency, enabling the creation of high-performance, scalable, and reliable web applications.

Go has a simple and clean syntax and can be used both imperatively and in an object-oriented manner.

Moreover, it offers a variety of advanced features, such as goroutines, channels, interfaces, slices, maps, etc.

One of the most used frameworks for backend development with Go is Gin, providing a lightweight and fast environment with tools for routing, validation, authentication, authorization, testing, and more.

Another highly popular framework is Revel, which is more comprehensive and productive, allowing the creation of web applications with the MVC pattern.

Example code with Gin:

go
// Import the Gin framework
import "github.com/gin-gonic/gin"


// Create an instance of the application
app := gin.Default()


// Define a route for the main page
app.GET("/", func(c *gin.Context) {
  // Return a text string
  c.String(200, "Welcome to my website")
})


// Define a route for the form
app.POST("/form", func(c *gin.Context) {
  // Get the form data
  name := c.PostForm("name")
  email := c.PostForm("email")
  message := c.PostForm("message")
  // Do something with the data, for example, save it to a database
  // ...
  // Return a text string with the data
  c.String(200, "Thank you %s for your message", name)
})


// Listen on port 3000
app.Run(":3000")

Key Virtues of Go:

7. Rust: The Safest and Most Efficient Language

Rust is a programming language known for its safety and efficiency, enabling the creation of high-performance web applications without memory errors or bottlenecks.

Rust has a syntax inspired by C++, and it can be used both imperatively and in an object-oriented manner. Moreover, it offers a variety of advanced features such as ownership, borrowing, lifetimes, traits, macros, etc.

One of the most used frameworks for web development with Rust is Rocket, providing a comprehensive and productive environment with tools for routing, validation, authentication, authorization, ORM, testing, and more.

Another highly popular framework is Actix, which is lighter and faster, allowing the creation of web applications based on the actor model.

Example code with Rocket:

rs
// Import the Rocket framework
#[macro_use] extern crate rocket;


// Define a route for the main page
#[get("/")]
fn index() -> &'static str {
    // Return a text string
    "Welcome to my website"
}


// Define a structure for the form data
#[derive(FromForm)]
struct FormData {
    name: String,
    email: String,
    message: String,
}


// Define a route for the form
#[post("/form", data = "<form_data>")]
fn form(form_data: FormData) -> String {
    // Get the form data
    let name = form_data.name;
    let email = form_data.email;
    let message = form_data.message;
    // Do something with the data, for example, save it to a database
    // ...
    // Return a text string with the data
    format!("Thank you {} for your message", name)
}


// Create a main function to run the application
#[launch]
fn rocket() -> _ {
    // Start the application with the defined routes
    rocket::build().mount("/", routes![index, form])
}

Choosing a Backend Language for Your Project

As you have seen, there are many backend languages available, each with its pros and cons, and some more suitable for certain types of projects than others.

Therefore, there is no single definitive answer to the question of which backend language to choose. It depends on various factors, such as:

However, to help you make a more informed decision, we will provide some general recommendations based on the key virtues of each backend language discussed in this article:

I hope this article has been helpful and has provided you with a general overview of the best backend languages for your web project.

Remember that the final choice depends on you and your project, and the most important thing is that you feel comfortable and satisfied with the language you choose.