Programming Languages and Frameworks You Should Learn in 2016
The trend of programming languages and frameworks for 2016 seems to be geared more towards frontend development than backend. Below is a simplified list of things to take note of and consider to improve your knowledge.
Languages and Platforms
PHP 7 is the latest version of PHP. Big websites like Facebook, Google and Apple use PHP. PHP 7 is also twice as fast as the previous version 5.6; this will be a huge improvement on CMS systems like WordPress and Drupal.
JavaScript also has a new update called ES2015 (previously ES5). Some awesome sites that use JavaScript are Lost Worlds Fairs and Cascade Brewery Co.
Python 3.5 was released in 2015 with some juicy features like Asyncio. Almost all of the libraries are available for Python 3, so it might be a good time to upgrade your legacy code base now.
Node.js has the largest ecosystem of open source libraries in the world. Node.js is always a good studio option and with its long-term support release it provides more stability in the future. LinkedIn and Walmart use some aspects of Node.js on their websites.
Swift 2 was released earlier this year and is growing fast (it’s the fastest growing programming language in history!). It is open source and has already been ported to Linux, which means that it is now possible to create backends and server-side software. It’s built by Apple (not the Granny Smith apple) and they have big plans for it, so it’d be good to take note as it grows in popularity.
HTML5 is the last and certainly not the least important. It’s the one you should watch out for! YouTube switched from Flash to HTML5 this year, and Adobe Animate exports now default to HTML5. It’s also one of the fastest growing job trends on Indeed.com, proving its popularity. HTML5 is probably one of the best long-term languages to study in the next 3 years. Some sites that use HTML5 are Ford, Peugeot and Lacoste; they are really cool.
Frontend frameworks (CSS frameworks)
These complete frameworks offer features like icons and other reusable components for navigation, form sets, stylish typography, buttons, popups, alerts, and more.
Bootstrap became very popular in 2015 and this popularity will only increase in 2016 as it is becoming a web development standard. Version 4 will be out soon and will integrate with SASS. It is quite easy to learn and also comes with some interesting extensions and examples.
Foundation is an alternative to Bootstrap. In 2015 they released Version 6 which focuses on modularity so you can only include the parts you need for faster load time and is also built with SASS.
Skeleton is a sexy (there’s no other word to explain it) blueprint for mobile-friendly and responsive development. Skeleton is a small collection of CSS files that help you quickly and beautifully build sites that look amazing on all screen sizes.
backend frameworks
The back-end frameworks or application layers are the ‘brains’ of the website. It’s how the website works and the logic behind it. You are developing the ‘brain’ while in Frontend you are creating the ‘face’.
Depending on the language you prefer, there are many options. Below is a list of some languages with some of their frameworks:
PHP: Symfony, Zend, Laravel, Slim, Codeigniter and CakePHP
Node.js: Express, Hapi, Sails.js and Total.js
JavaScript: Angular.js, Vue.js, Polymer, React, and Ember.js
Ruby: Rails and Sinatra
Java: game, spring and spark
Python: Django and Flask
Frameworks can be very useful, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be useful to you. Ultimately, it’s up to the developer to use a framework or not. This will depend on several factors depending on what you want to achieve. Review each framework and see if it aligns with what you want to achieve before you start using it.
CMS (Content Management Systems)
This article would not be complete without mentioning 2 popular CMS such as WordPress and Drupal. Both are written in PHP and with the new version of PHP 7, it’s even faster.
WordPress has evolved from a dry blogging CMS to a full CMS/Framework with plugins that make almost anything possible. Thousands of developers make a living as WordPress developers by creating premium themes or plugins. You can also use WordPress as a REST API backend.
Drupal 8 was released in 2015. It uses Symfony 2, Composer packages, and the Twig templating engine. Some websites that run on Drupal are: Johnson & Johnson, BBC Store, and World Economic Forum. Drupal is ideal for websites with a lot of content.
If you have doubts about what to spend time studying in 2016, we have made a list of 5 frameworks in which we think you should invest your time:
- Ear
- angular.js
- Ruby on Rails
- HTML5
- Laravel
As a sixth recommendation, we recommend that you add Git to your list of what to learn in 2016. It is growing like crazy and its popularity will continue to grow. Companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and LinkedIn use Git.
This is just a brief overview of the programming languages and frameworks we think you should learn in 2016. Of course, there are hundreds of other languages and frameworks, but I hope this was helpful to you.