Top 5 Programming Languages for Blockchain Development in 2023: Which One Should You Choose?
Choosing the right programming language for your blockchain project
Blockchain technology has been around for over a decade and has grown in popularity in the world of software development. It is a distributed ledger system that enables secure and transparent transactions without the use of middlemen. The growing popularity of blockchain has boosted the demand for blockchain developers. Knowledge of programming languages is one of the most important abilities a blockchain developer must have.
1. Solidity
Solidity is a high-level contract-oriented programming language used to create smart contracts on the Ethereum platform. It is similar to JavaScript and C++, making it a simple language to learn for individuals who have prior experience with these languages. Solidity is a programming language that is widely used for creating decentralised apps (dApps) on the Ethereum network. The language is well-documented and has a huge developer community, making it simple to obtain support and answers to difficulties.
Solidity was created by the Ethereum team, and was initially proposed by Gavin Wood in August 2014, heavily influenced by C++, Python, and JavaScript, and was designed specifically for smart contract development.
2. JavaScript
JavaScript is a versatile programming language that is extensively used for constructing online applications as well as blockchain development. It is a dynamic, object-oriented language that is simple to learn and has a big development community. JavaScript is frequently used to create decentralised applications on the Ethereum network. The ability to connect with web3.js, a framework that allows JavaScript to interact with the Ethereum blockchain, is one of the benefits of utilising JavaScript for blockchain development. JavaScript was originally designed to be used as a scripting language for web browsers but is now used for server-side programming, desktop and mobile applications, and even blockchain development.
JavaScript was created by Brendan Eich in just 10 days in May 1995. The initial name of JavaScript was “Mocha”, which was later changed to “LiveScript” and finally to “JavaScript” to leverage the popularity of Java.
3. Python
Python is a popular general-purpose programming language that, due to its simplicity and versatility, is frequently utilised for blockchain development. Python has a straightforward syntax and is simple to learn for individuals with programming experience. Python provides a huge number of libraries that make working with blockchain technology simple. The language is frequently used for constructing smart contracts and decentralised applications (dApps) on various blockchain systems. Python has a big developer community, making it simple to obtain help and answers to difficulties.
The name “Python” comes from the British comedy group Monty Python, whose members Van Rossum was a fan of. Python’s design philosophy emphasizes code readability and simplicity, and it is often used for scripting, web development, and data analysis.
4. C++
C++ is a sophisticated, high-performance programming language that is frequently utilised in the development of blockchain applications requiring great performance and scalability. C++ is a low-level programming language that gives developers more control over their code and may be used to create essential blockchain components such as consensus algorithms. C++ is a difficult language to learn and is only suitable for experienced developers. The language has a huge developer community, making it simple to obtain help and answers to difficulties.
The name “C++” comes from the increment operator ++ in C, which is used to increment the value of a variable. C++ is a highly portable language and can be used to write programs for a wide variety of systems and hardware.
5. Go
Go is a new programming language that is focused on simplicity and parallelism, making it an excellent candidate for blockchain development. Go has a straightforward syntax and is simple to learn for individuals with a programming background. Go is frequently used to create essential blockchain components including consensus algorithms and networking protocols. Go has a small but growing development community, and its prominence in the blockchain field is expanding.
Go was created by Google in 2007 by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson designed to be a simple, efficient, and easy-to-learn language for writing scalable network and web services. Go is influenced by C and C++ programming languages but has a simpler and more modern syntax.
If you’re interested in learning these programming languages, be sure to check out these carefully curated resources.
Solidity:
- Solidity documentation: https://docs.soliditylang.org/en/v0.8.10/
- CryptoZombies: https://cryptozombies.io/
- Ethereum Foundation: https://ethereum.org/developers/#solidity-documentation
JavaScript:
- Mozilla Developer Network (MDN): https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript
- Codecademy: https://www.codecademy.com/learn/introduction-to-javascript
- FreeCodeCamp: https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/javascript-algorithms-and-data-structures/basic-javascript/
C++:
- C++ documentation: https://devdocs.io/cpp/
- LearnCpp: https://www.learncpp.com/
- C++ Institute: https://cppinstitute.org/
Go:
- Go documentation: https://golang.org/doc/
- A Tour of Go: https://tour.golang.org/welcome/1
- Go by Example: https://gobyexample.com/
Python:
- Python documentation: https://docs.python.org/3/
- Codecademy: https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-python-3
- Python for Everybody: https://www.py4e.com/
Conclusion
Finally, the top five blockchain programming languages are Solidity, JavaScript, Python, C++, and Go. Each language has advantages and disadvantages, and the language chosen relies on the project’s goals and objectives. To stay current in the ever-changing world of blockchain technology, developers interested in pursuing a career in blockchain development should consider studying one or more of these languages.
