Should I choose Java?- It is secure; PHP is better- it’s flexible; Ruby would be much easier. These are some of the thoughts which every programmer tackle with at the inception of any website development project.
However, the big question is which one is the best ultimately? Here, I have picked up some widely used programming languages and tried to differentiate them on the basis of their ease of learning, flexibility, and security.
The world on the internet is changing day by day. It is said that you can gain access to any information by searching on the internet. We have seen a big revolution in the internet industry in the past two decades. I can think of the days when web development was all about HTML(Hyper-Text Markup Language) and it was the primary language for developing the websites those days. With the evolution of internet market, the transformation of simple, static HTML websites to dynamic websites was the first thing to come up.
Apart from this, the newer programming languages have been introduced to the coders in addition to new features and flexibility in web development. The new set of accessibility and ease of coding have made these languages very popular among the programmers. With them, the new programming languages have brought the concept of dynamic web development which have made the websites interactive and more engaging. Even some already existing languages like Java have made itself flexible to dynamic web development and is actively competing with other programming languages like PHP, Ruby, .NET, Perl and Python.
As we know that with a static website, you can only get a one side conversation from B2C (Business to consumer) at a time, while the dynamic websites present a real-time interaction with the users which impacts the C side of B2C model as a positive reflection of the source of the interaction. Almost every website today is built with the concepts of dynamic web development. With a large number of competent programming languages already available, the newer programmers often get confused about which language to choose for their website development project.
We should always remember that each and every programming language that is surviving today is still breathing just because all of them have certain pros over the other. They are all defined for some specific type of Web development depending on the needs and requirement of the project. All they have in common is, all of them are competent to develop dynamic websites. Let’s see what are the resources you need to require for developing your dynamic website:
Requirements of a web development Project
A server Platform (if you want to host your website on your own server) – You can choose any of the server platforms that are being used today. Before naming them, I would like to mention that it is better to choose any tool or platform that is widely used. This is because the widely used platform or tools have the updated resources for information, quick resolution of issues and queries.
A server software (if you want to develop your website on a local host and then host it live after post-development)- A server software is required for the web development project so that you can always test your project as a whole on your localhost server. It is a software program that creates a hosted environment for your project which presents the exact replica of your site as it is hosted on a live server.
Tools available for local host creation on your PC are IIS for windows based PC and Apache for Unix-based OS. These server tools arrive as combined with other web development tools like PHP, and MYSQL in software like WAMP (windows), XAMP(Cross-platform), MAMP (Mac) and Lamp (Linux).
A Database Platform- You can choose the Database platforms depending upon the programming languages, you have selected for your web development project. Some of the popularly used DB are mentioned in these images along with their other information.
You can choose the database platform depending on the Programming languages, you are comfortable with.
Choice of Programming Languages- A number of programming languages are being used today by the developers across the globe. I have picked some of the well known programming languages which you can easily adapt to and can develop a highly flexible, secure and interactive dynamic website.
Java technologies for web development
They say it’s hot, you have to take it sip-by-sip, and slowly. The most used programming language for commercial enterprise web application development is Java. It is an open-source language, which is available for free. Java has one of the strongest support for dynamic web development projects. Any web application created using Java technologies is a part of the Java EE(Enterprise Edition) platform which is an addition to Java SE (Standard Edition ) classes and packages.
Java uses the MVC (Model View Controller) framework such as Spring, struts, and hibernate. It is a perfect combination of both object-oriented and functional paradigm. The most secure and safe web developments have been done using the Java technologies. It uses the Java Servlet API to define HTTP- specific classes which are further extended by the Servlet classes to enhance the capabilities of servers that host these applications. The Servlets run on the server side without a need for GUI interface of its own. That is why, Java based websites are much faster and secure.
As stated in the beginning, It’s hot and it carries a bulk of accessibility to develop a diversity of web applications that are very fast and secure.
Just a garnishing to the spark of Java
Java is a platform independent language that supports all the Operating systems and all kinds of hardware.
Java is a truly scalable programming language.
Java has a highly active community with a large number of Java libraries that are available for free as an open-source resource.
The Internet is full of Java resources for learning as well as research for advanced Java development.
Java is supported by almost every web hosting service provider.
Java is used to manage the biggest data analytics platform- Hadoop which is also written in Java.
Hello World program in Java.
PHP- Hypertext Processor language
PHP is mainly a server-side scripting language that can do anything which any other CGI program can do. The anything includes the functionalities like collecting a form data, generating dynamic page content, and sending and receiving cookies from the client to server side. The PHP scripts are mainly used in three areas:
Server side scripting- Using a PHP script, you can access the output with a web browser through a PHP page and the server. This extensive task can be performed on your client side machine.
Command line scripting- To run a PHP script, it is always not necessary to have a server or browser by your side. Just a PHP parser is enough to use it.
Writing desktop applications- It is not only Java or .NET which is used for writing the desktop applications. PHP too is equipped with the competency to create a desktop application with a Graphical user interface.
The PHP language is supported by both the windows and Unix-based OS. It is the most used scripting language for developing a web application. The famous sites like Facebook is a live example of successful competency of PHP to handle even the biggest and data extensive web applications. PHP is a quick language and is best for developing such web applications which require extensive functionalities with minimum codes.
Did you know?
One of the top most website in the world- Facebook is developed on PHP.
World’s most popular content management systems including- WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal are written in PHP.
World’s most popular eCommerce website solutions including- Magento, PrestaShop, and OpenCart are written in PHP.
Hello World Program in PHP.
Python
Python is a largely used high-level dynamic programming language. It is famous for developing scientific, academic and research level applications that require a very extensive yet quick and accurate mathematical solution. It’s a dynamic language which does not require a separate compiler to run its codes. By supporting multiple programming paradigms such as Object Oriented Programming, Functional Programming and even the structured programming up to a certain extent, it has proved to be a perfect solution to perform extensive calculations in short codes. Unlike the C and C++ who use lengthy codes to perform the calculations.
Python supports a wide variety of platforms such as the Python interpreters and are available for almost all of them. It can be used to build server-side web applications as the python is not executed in a web browser. The language used on the web browser is the JavaScript. Most of the web developers choose a combination of JavaScript and Python to write their web applications. It helps the Python to be executed on the server side and allow JavaScript codes to be downloaded to the client side.
Facts about Python
Python is the easiest web development technology that can be learnt.
Python is one of the most powerful and scalable Programming languages.
Most of the hackers around the globe use Python to create quick scripts.
Python is an open-source language and a huge community is always ready with Python web frameworks for free.
Hello World program in Python.
.NET – Network Enabled Technologies
.NET is a framework which was developed by Microsoft in 2000 to be used as a framework for software and dynamic web development. It is a windows based framework by Microsoft. The framework uses the different CLU languages like C#, F#, J#, Visual Basic.NET and so on. .NET is used to develop enterprise solutions and applications mainly for the financial sector. The official online library for .NET is the best place that can provide you a detailed information about this dynamic framework. Though it’s an open source framework, its tools and resources are not. A basic understanding of HTML, CSS, AJAX etc is required if you are opting to this largely used web development framework. Plus, any of the languages from C#, F#, J#, ASP is an added advantage.
Hello World Program in .NET.
Ruby
Ruby is a programming language which was designed to present an open-source programming language with a much simpler and productive approach. It supports a wide range of platforms like Windows, Mac OS, and the various versions of UNIX. It a pure Object oriented programming language created by Yukihiro Matsumoto in Japan. Ruby presents the features similar to those of Perl, Python, and Smalltalk. You can use the Ruby syntax as easily like a general English sentence.
Features that I like about Ruby
It’s Open source
It’s general purpose and interpreting programming language.
The syntax of Ruby is much similar to many of the programming languages like C++ and Perl.
Ruby can also be used to develop intranet applications.
Ruby is compatible with DB2, MySQL, Oracle, and Sybase.
Hello World Program in Ruby.
Choosing a web development platform is not an easy task. Before going for any of the programming languages, it is highly recommended that we should analyze our project and its requirements thoroughly. Analyzing the requirement of your project will save you from getting stuck into a deadlock. Though nothing is impossible with any of the programming languages, but for having a quick and convenient coding, it is always recommended to choose the language which will finish your project with an ease.
Conclusion:
Choosing a web development language is one of the toughest call and is relative to the time spent on a project. Any wrong decision in this early phase of the project might result in redemption. Hopefully, this article would help you to decide the best ones based on your project requirements.
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