Web Development Languages Explained

Working with a freelance web developer can prove quite tricky for those who don’t follow technology or digital marketing trends. They use confusing phrases such as HTML, CSS, and PHP, which might mean completely nothing to you as a business owner who just wants a new website. Many times the company you choose, whether it’s Expedition Co. or one of your choice, will talk you through the steps and involve you as it is your website. If you don’t understand they can make it more simple. However there is definitely a lot of lingo you might have to pick up on!

Most of the phrases you will hear a freelance web developer or agency who offer web design in Essex say will refer to the languages they use to create an attractive website. We totally agree that business owners do not really need to understand the ins and outs of web development, but it can be handy to know the basics.

HTML

HTML (Hypertext mark-up language) is used to lay the foundation and structure of a website. It is a dynamic language that allows web developers to create websites with less code. A good way of understanding what HTML is by thinking of it as the backbone that holds a website together.

CSS

CSS (cascading style sheets) is the language that is used to style a website. In other words, it describes how a website is presented and laid out. CCS works in tandem with HTML to add font sizes, colours, backgrounds, and much more. It is a core web development language that is used to design and build a website.

Java

Out of all of the languages we discuss during this article, Java is the most popular one by a long shot. It is used to develop websites, apps, software, and video games. In fact, over 15 billion devices are using Java in some way or another. It is a portable web development language that can be run on multiple software platforms, making it a favourite amongst professionals. Of course, you start off learning the basics like converting a Char array to String in Java and then move to the more complex code that you can use to design some amazing and useful applications.

SQL

SQL is a little bit different because it is a database query language that is used when a website is dealing with large amounts of data. By using SQL, web developers are able to collect data from different sources and use it to cater for a specific audience on a website. SQL is not used on its own but in combination with a range of languages.

PHP

PHP (hypertext preprocessor) is a scripting language that is typically used in “server-side” web development. It is often used for content and data-heavy websites or mobile app development. Large websites such as Facebook use PHP to manage the way they process data effectively.

Python

Python is considered a high-level web development language but can also be used for general-purpose programming. It is most commonly used for scripting, web scraping, and creating complex data sets. As a language, it is far less wordy when compared to HTML, CSS, and PHP.

Ruby

Ruby is another high-level web development language and purely object-oriented. Unlike other languages, there are no primitive data types related to Ruby. To put it simply, “everything is an object” with this language. It is used to create web applications, back-ups, system utilities and web servers.

C#

C# is a modern programming language that can be used to perform a range of objectives. It is mostly used on the Windows.NET framework but can also be applied to open-source platforms as well. Like, Ruby, C# is object-oriented but was originally designed to rival Java and after being around for over 20 years, we think it is safe to say that goal has been achieved and then some.

Time to Start Learning

When choosing what language to learn, try not to get caught up in the latest trends. The best web development languages this year are more than likely to be the same ones that were best to learn a few years ago. Although the area of web development languages and their use change all the time, the ones we have included in this article have a great deal of staying power. We recommended learning two or more to put yourself in a good position relating to your personal development and employability status.