Selecting the best code for the job? Dive into crucial factors and expert insights to choose the perfect programming language tailored to your goals!
This is a question heard by many developers whenever they start a new project. Clients often want some kind of magic answer and to know which language is right to help transform their development projects from mere ideas into reality.
This is obviously a valid and fair question, since choosing the best combination of technology stacks, programming languages, and libraries is essential for successful development. However, it is not as simple as simply making a choice and sticking to it.
There are many factors that must be taken into consideration when determining which programming language (or languages) to use for certain projects. Most experienced developers already have a set of tools with their own preferred languages and technologies for certain types of projects, but they still go through a series of questions and considerations about the project in question to make a final decision.
Each programming language has its own advantages and disadvantages, and it is definitely critical to the success of the project and business to choose the right language. This decision also depends on the long-term goals and general expectations of the business.
Questions to Ask When Selecting a Programming Language
By asking lots of questions about the upcoming development project, as well as the capabilities, limitations, and requirements of the various programming languages available, development teams help clarify our confusion and narrow down the choices.
Some of the most important questions include:
- What is the intended environment to execute the project: mobile, web, enterprise level?
- Does the client have a preference based on past experiences and projects?
- Can the development team successfully program in the language? Would there be a big learning curve? Or would this require hiring new developers?
- What kind of performance considerations are there for the project? Will the language help improve and meet performance expectations?
- Does the language provide adequate support for the ecosystem? Will it last a long time without needing updates?
- Does the vendor provide language support? Are there any existing or legacy codebase considerations for the project?
- Is there a digital community of developers available for resources and support?
- Does the language easily integrate with third-party tools?
- What are the considerations for language security?
While this is by no means a comprehensive or total list of questions intended for immediate decision-making, these questions help developers weed out languages that are absolutely not suitable for the project.
In parallel, there are generalized lists of “best options” for different types of projects that developers can use as a guide to begin the selection process. This list is not definitive or a strict thing to follow by any means, but it can be helpful for developers who don't know where to start a new project.
- Mobile Applications: JavaScript, Java, Swift, Object-C
- Web applications: JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, HTML and CSS, TypeScript
- Enterprise Applications: C++, Erlang, C#, Java
- Machine Learning and Data Visualization: Python, R, Java, C#
- Big Data: Python, Java, R, Scala
- Data storage: SQL, Python, Java, C#
- Operating systems: C and C++
- Distributed systems: Go
The critical factors in making decisions about program languages
Type of application
The type of application, from web and mobile apps to enterprise software, heavily influences the languages available to choose from. General programming languages, such as Java, Python, and JavaScript, act as chameleons of the development world and allow you to build different types of applications on different platforms. Others, however, are incredibly specific to their types of projects.
Scalability and performance
While scalability is mostly determined by the technology stack, an application's performance largely depends on the programming languages in which it runs.
Previous development experience
Developers encounter many different types of projects and typically work with several languages throughout their careers. Development teams should express their own experiences with the list of language candidates when making a selection for a new project.
Security
Each application differs in terms of security requirements. While some applications may require compliance with strict laws or codes (i.e. HIPAA compliance), others follow more generalized security rules.
Development speed
The time required to produce code is something that many people ignore as a determining factor when choosing a language. However, it is crucial if the project requires an accelerated timeline or rapid market launch.
Execution speed
This typically depends on the needs of the customer or end users more than anything. Customers may or may not have a ton of data that requires processing, some may want speed as a top priority, and others are subject to speed requirements from third-party applications. By figuring out this criteria in advance, the team can save development time later.
Maintainability
Every language and technology stack comes with an entire system of libraries and, fortunately, vendor support. It's important for developers to look at the frequency of new releases of a language to see what will continue to be supported and stay up-to-date for the foreseeable future.
Development teams should take the time to answer these questions with their clients before a new project, as well as discuss among themselves what the best option for success is based on the critical factors in question.
