App development has become a booming market since the emergence of smartphones. Now, in 2021, more than a decade after the world was first introduced to smartphones, the demand and opportunities for app developers continues to grow.
There’s absolutely no shortage of languages or technologies you can choose to get into the App dev market. In fact, it can be quite intimidating trying to decide which language to get into. From the dozens of options out there, there are a few that stand out due to certain advantages. So here’s our picks for the top 5 languages to get into app development in 2021.
HTML
HTML is the language of the web. It forms the building blocks of almost every website you visit including Google, Facebook and Amazon. It’s popularity and wide usage isn’t surprising considering its support for the latest multimedia formats, its ability to run smoothly on low powered computers and its consistency when run on different platforms.
This also makes HTML an incredibly powerful, cross-platform language for app development. The obvious advantage being you only need to develop an app once and you’ll be able to run it on iPhone, Android or just about any other platform out there. This has the added benefit of making maintenance and updating of apps a lot more streamlined.
CSS
There’s an old saying that goes ”Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” When it comes to development, I have my own saying, “Where there’s HTML, there’s CSS.”
Unlike HTML, CSS isn’t used to lay out the structure of an app or place content, rather it’s used along with HTML to build better looking apps. Think of an app as a building. HTML is the bricks and concrete that will form the floors, rooms and walls of the building. CSS is the interior decorator.
CSS is most commonly used to bring color and design to an otherwise plain HTML page. CSS is used to change fonts and colors, to reposition content and even add basic animations. On top of this, CSS is also used to create responsive pages. Pages that automatically adjust themselves and the content in them to perfectly fit any device size. The same app can run on a tiny smartphone or a 65” TV and look perfect.
JavaScript
Along with HTML and CSS, JavaScript is one of the most widely used technologies on the web. HTML gives structure, CSS adds color and design and JavaScript makes an app interactive by giving it added functionality. Together, these 3 languages form the HTML5 language.
JavaScript, abbreviated to JS, can be used for simple tasks like performing calculations all the way up to developing apps like Uber and even games. Developers have used JavaScript to build clones of popular games like Angry Birds and Candy Crush. Using HTML5, you have the power to develop apps that are cross-platform and responsive to any screen size. Develop once and deploy to virtually any platform.
Java
Java is currently the most widely used development platform in the world. It’s used in the development of tiny webapps to giant software running across multiple servers and even 3D games. But what makes Java a particularly good choice for app developers is that it’s the language the Android OS is built on. Meaning there are over 3 billion smartphones that run Java!
Developing native Android apps allows you to develop efficient apps that communicate effectively with the Android OS. The ability to develop highly specialized android apps is also present when developing with Java.
Another major attraction of Java is the large support base and the incredible amount of well-developed frameworks, which allow you to fast track your development by using prebuilt pieces of code.
Swift
Swift is currently one of the fastest growing languages in the world. It’s the language used to develop applications for all Apple devices, including the iPhone. There are currently just under a billion active iPhones in the world.
Swift was designed by Apple with performance in mind. Apps developed in Swift run fast and effectively on iPhones. Swift is also an easy language to learn and, due to it being relatively young, is high in demand.
Opportunities in the app development arena are endless, whether you plan on working as an internal developer for a company, a freelancer or if you just get into it as a hobby. In order to take proper advantage of these opportunities, you’ll need to equip yourself with the proper tools. Selecting a good language is the first major decision you’ll make in your career as an app developer and can be the start of a lucrative and enjoyable experience.
