Are HTML Static Site Generators a Good Match for Your Company?
Web development is perhaps one of the most important responsibilities in the tech domain, as well as one of the most visible and forward-facing ones. Therefore, it probably comes as no surprise to anyone, even those outside at the tech space, that web developers, particularly ones with extensive experience, skills, knowledge, and a large portfolio, are in high demand.
To start at the very beginning: Web development has been around since the 1990s, when the internet was in its humble early beginning phase, and it is safe to say that it will never go away. It has become a staple of our daily lives in the several decades since those early years, as we all know very well.
However, those sites from the early days are little more than an interesting footnote in history. If you take a look at an older website, assuming you can find one, you would probably laugh at how basic and outdated it will seem.
It is certainly fair to say that the field and practice of web development have come a very long way since then, as we all know well. Now, modern web design has evolved to become something far more complex, useful, and engaging for audiences around the world. It is what we have all come to expect: dynamic, engaging, appealing, attractive, and communicative tools.
Gone are the days of flat-text, static websites. In their place are these dynamic, interactive sites that can do just about anything — from automatic updates to animated menus and elements to eCommerce. Everyone uses the internet, and everyone expects to be able to find their favorite tools, businesses, and happenings online.
And with the right web development skills, there is next to nothing that your in-house developers or the developers you hire from an outsource web development company can’t create.
No matter where you get your web developers from, it is important that they have the necessary skills to get the job done. And that means having the right programming languages to enable them to design and build the best websites for the job at hand. Today, the internet is full of engaging websites and web applications, and in order to stand out in a highly saturated space, you must be able to turn around the best of the best.
But just what programming languages do your developers need to know to create modern, dynamic, functional, and engaging websites and web products — ones that will, in fact, make you and your business shine and gain more visitors and consumers?
Let’s take a look at the best 7 programming languages for attractive and useful websites, web pages, and web apps, along with some tools you should understand to fully use these programming languages.
#1 HTML/CSS
We will start with the obvious programming language. Why? Because you are not going to get very far when you are building custom websites without knowing the mother of all web programming languages. With the combination of HTML and CSS, you can do quite a lot. However, it is important to be aware that you will need assistance from other programming languages in order to create those dynamic, engaging websites and web pages we are so familiar with today.
Yes, it is true that these 2 markup languages, as they are called, are the foundation for creating web pages for websites. But you should not confuse HTML and CSS with other programming languages. They are actually quite different. These 2 markup languages, as they’re called, are simply the foundation for websites. And it doesn’t matter how complicated the site is — if you view a page source, you will most certainly see HTML and CSS tags in the code.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Easy to learn and use, with a clear syntax | Limited interactivity, requiring the use of additional languages, such as JavaScript, for dynamic content |
| Widely supported, with a large and active community | Can be limited in terms of functionality and capabilities compared to full-fledged programming languages |
| Essential for creating and defining the structure and layout of web pages | Requires the use of additional languages, such as JavaScript, for interactivity and dynamic content |
| Good for prototyping and development speed | Can be difficult to maintain and update, particularly for large or complex websites |
| Integrates with other web technologies, such as JavaScript and PHP, for creating dynamic and interactive web applications | Can result in verbose code, particularly for complex or interactive websites |
Because HTML/CSS are essentially the foundational languages for all of web design, it is pretty important for web developers to have a solid grasp of these 2 languages. Although you won’t get very far with delivering everything your client desires, you will have a foundation with which you can then build the rest of the site using a combination of additional languages for web development.
#2 PHP
PHP stands for Hypertext Preprocessor and is a scripting language used on the backend (server-side) for delivering simple, dynamic websites and web applications. Many of the most popular website frameworks, such as Wikipedia, Etsy, Pfizer, Drupal, WordPress, and even Facebook, use PHP.
PHP is an incredibly popular language for website design, in part because it is supported by a large number of third-party extensions, such as .NET, Apache, and MySQL. This support makes it possible to use PHP as a bridge between websites and other services. PHP can also communicate with other services, such as LDAP, IMAP, SNMP, NNTP, POP3, HTTP, and COM (on Windows).
PHP is also very secure and fast, so it is a highly beneficial programming language for enterprise businesses. And because PHP is both open source and free, it is readily available for any would-be web developer to start using. Of course, experienced developers tap into this resource, too. PHP is also relatively easy to start using, which makes it a great second step up from HTML/CSS. And with plenty of simple documentation, your developers should be able to get up and running with PHP in no time.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Easy to learn and use, with a clear syntax | Security vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection and cross-site scripting (XSS) |
| Widely supported, with a large and active community | Performance limitations compared to other languages, such as Node.js |
| Integration with HTML for seamless web development | Inconsistent error handling and debugging support |
| Good for prototyping and development speed | Lack of standardization across different implementations, leading to compatibility issues |
| Dynamic typing can lead to more flexible and adaptable code | Can result in slower performance for large or complex applications |
One of the best features of PHP Is that it isn’t limited to outputting HTML. PHP can output images, PDF files, text, and even animations, all generated on the fly.
Laravel
Laravel is a free, open-source, accessible, and robust PHP framework that follows the model-view-controller (MVC) design pattern. Its purpose is to support the development of web applications, simplifying and streamlining the web development process.
Laravel is easy to follow and understand, with expressive syntax. Additional features of the web development framework include:
- Fast routing engine
- Multiple ways of accessing relational databases
- Modular packaging system with a dependency manager
- Multiple backends for cache and session storage
- Event broadcasting in real time
Symfony
Symfony is another PHP framework that includes reusable component libraries for the programming language. It is free and open-source.
Symfony is a popular toolkit used for a wide range of web applications and other PHP projects. Its goal is to speed up web development and maintenance and give developers more control over their own projects, as well as make the process easier and more efficient.
#3 Python
Python is one of the easiest programming languages to learn. It is also one of the most popular languages on the planet. It’s not just used for web development — it is also applied to a wide range of software development projects. One of its main strengths is in the data science and analysis sphere, but it has applications to numerous projects.
With Python, you can integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) into your websites. These features will offer you a number of advantages. For example, they will allow you to better understand customer behavior and even build systems that learn to monitor and understand customer conversations related to a product. As you can imagine, this makes it an excellent tool for ramping up your appeal as a business.
And because Python is so adept with backend web development, it is used for several massive services, such as Spotify, Netflix, Intel, YouTube, NASA, and Instagram.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Easy to learn and use, with a clear syntax | Performance limitations compared to lower-level languages, such as C++ |
| Large and active community, providing extensive libraries and support | Dynamic typing can lead to runtime errors, making debugging more difficult |
| Great for prototyping and development speed | May not be suitable for memory-intensive tasks or systems with high performance requirements |
| Wide range of applications, including scientific computing, data analysis, and web development | Can be slower than other languages in certain cases, such as for large data sets |
| Highly readable and maintainable code | Can be less efficient than other languages for certain tasks |
One of the most important aspects of Python is that it offers dynamic typing capabilities, which allows developers to create very large and complex websites — where content must constantly change — far easier than it is with static typing languages. Ultimately, Python is an important programming language to have in your arsenal.
Django
Called “the web framework for perfectionists with deadlines,” Django is a high-level, free and open-source, extraordinarily popular Python web framework. It delivers rapid development, security, and efficiency, and it is frequently updated. Django is also highly scalable.
Django primarily exists to help developers build websites that incorporate data science and databases. Components are reusable, and by using the framework, developers can use far less code and speed up development substantially.
Some of the world’s top businesses and websites use Python and Django together, such as Instagram, Nextdoor, and Mozilla.
Flask
Flask is a lightweight micro framework built for and written in Python. As such, it enables easier development of web applications. Just some of its notable features include URL routing, flexibility, and accessibility. It also has a very low learning curve, enabling newbie and seasoned web developers alike to use the framework.
#4 JavaScript
You will find JavaScript in practically any web developer’s toolkit thanks to its many attributes and the ways in which it augments websites and web apps.
Where HTML is great at creating basic, static, flat web pages, JavaScript shines at making them modern, flashy, and interactive. For example, you can create a basic menu on a website with HTML and CSS. With JavaScript, however, you can animate that menu and even make it easier for users to navigate. So, JavaScript isn’t just about making things pretty but also making them highly functional. Many of the best features you find on websites are there because of JavaScript.
One important aspect of JavaScript is that it serves both the server and client sides (also called the back end and front end). On the client side, JavaScript creates those interactive elements for website navigation and other modern features. On the server side, JavaScript includes a number of libraries and frameworks that can enable your developers to create any number of functionalities, such as web applications and mobile applications.
JavaScript can also enable your developers to create web servers, presentations, games, smartwatch apps, and even software for quadcopters.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Dynamic and versatile, allowing for a wide range of applications | Inconsistent browser support and compatibility issues |
| Client-side execution for faster page rendering and improved user experience | Lack of standardization across different implementations, leading to compatibility issues |
| Widely supported, with a large and active community | Weak typing can lead to unexpected behavior, making debugging more difficult |
| Integration with HTML and CSS for seamless web development | Security vulnerabilities, such as cross-site scripting (XSS) and cross-site request forgery (CSRF) |
| Interactivity, enabling a wide range of dynamic user interface elements | Can be less performant than other languages, particularly for large or complex applications |
As we mentioned, there are many frameworks and libraries that enhance the functionality and attributes of JavaScript. Here is a closer work at some of the more popular examples.
ReactJS
Although a relative newcomer to the scene, React, maintained by Meta — formerly Facebook — is a staple in web development. The free, open-source JavaScript library is used to aid front-end development and has emerged as the most popular front-end development framework, despite it actually being a library.
It can be applied in several ways, but most commonly, developers use it to build user interfaces (UI) based on UI components. With the help of the library, it is easy to build dynamic, high-performance applications quickly
React has a large community of developers and numerous extensions for architectural support.
AngularJS
AngularJS is a popular JavaScript framework and toolkit that allows developers to extend HTML vocabulary to use for your web application projects. Thanks to the framework, code is more testable, maintainable, extensible, and reusable. You also have the capacity to make your code unique thanks to AngularJS.
Some of AngularJS’s features include data-binding and impressive performance. It also offers controllers and works well with other libraries.
AngularJS should not be confused with Angular, a TypeScript-based free and open-source web app framework.
Vue
Called the “progressive” JavaScript framework, Vue is an open-source, model-view-viewmodel, front-end, progressive framework used to create user interfaces and single-page applications.
Vue is considered highly approachable, incrementally adaptable, scalable, and versatile and offers high performance. Depending on the use cases, it can act as a framework or a library. The rich ecosystem can scale between the two.
Vue enables developers to extend HTML thanks to HTML attributes or directives.
TypeScript
No list of web development languages is complete without mentioning TypeScript. Developed and maintained by Microsoft, TypeScript is a superset of JavaScript, created to address some of the limitations of the parent language. Chiefly, it extends JavaScript by adding the option of static typing to the programming language.
TypeScript is free and open-source and can be used for both front-end and back-end development. Using the programming language, developers can create large-scale JavaScript applications.
Any existing JavaScript applications or programs also support TypeScript, and using the subset, developers can apply existing JavaScript code, libraries, and other tools meant for the parent programming language. Additionally, TypeScript will run anywhere that JavaScript is capable of running.
#5 Java
Java isn’t just the most widely used language on the planet because of Android development but also because of the number of well-maintained libraries, frameworks, APIs, and IDEs available for it.
There are several good reasons why so many developers turn to Java for the web. For example, Java supports multi-threading, which means it can handle multiple users and threads simultaneously. Because of this, developers don’t have to execute multiple copies of the same code on a server. This brings about a much faster response time for websites.
Java is also scalable vertically and horizontally with minimal code changes. Additionally, Java is seen as one of the more secure web-centric languages on the market. With features like advanced authentication, cryptography, secure login mechanisms, digital signatures, ciphers, security policies, and access controls, it is a hard language to beat for developing secure, platform-independent web applications.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Platform-independent, allowing for easy deployment on multiple operating systems | Slower performance compared to lower-level languages, such as C++ |
| Large and established community, providing extensive libraries and support | Steep learning curve, particularly for beginners |
| Strong security features, making it a popular choice for enterprise applications | Verbose syntax compared to other languages, making it less concise |
| Wide range of applications, including desktop, mobile, and web development | Can result in larger file sizes compared to other languages |
| Strong type-checking and error handling, leading to more stable and secure code | Can be less flexible than dynamically-typed languages, such as Python |
#6 Ruby
Ruby is an excellent programming language for web development. While it is better known for its associated framework, Ruby on Rails, it has many claims to fame in its own right. The scripting language is used in both front-end and back-end web development
Ruby is a general purpose, user-friendly, open-source, flexible, interpreted, easy to learn, robust, dynamically typed, object-oriented, versatile, intuitive, and can be applied to numerous web products, from websites to web apps to and more. Its high-level syntax makes it particularly easy to use, given that that language is very similar to English. It is often compared to the syntax of programming languages like C++, Perl and Python.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| Dynamic and expressive, making it well-suited for prototyping and rapid development | Slower performance compared to other languages, such as C++ and Go |
| Easy to learn and use, with a clear syntax | Limited support for concurrency and parallelism |
| Large and established community, providing extensive libraries and support | Inconsistent error handling and debugging support |
| Good for rapid development, with a focus on readability and maintainability | Can be less performant than other languages, particularly for large or complex applications |
| Dynamic typing can lead to more flexible and adaptable code | Can be less secure than statically-typed languages, such as Java or Go |
Ruby has other applications aside from web development — data processing and DevOps, to name just a few — but this is by far its most popular use.
Ruby on Rails
It is nearly impossible to discuss Ruby without mentioning one of the most popular web development frameworks in the world: Ruby on Rails, also known as RoR or simply Rails. The framework offers an abundance of libraries and features, such as readily made and available conventions and code generators that automatically build portions of the application.
RoR facilitates easy website creation. It allows for database updates, the rendering of HTML templates, cloud storage, strong security protols, and much more.
In fact, Ruby on Rails is not only a popular framework for Ruby — it is one of the most popular web frameworks, period. This is, perhaps, why it has been used by many major companies, such as Airbnb, Bloomberg, Shopify, SlideShare, Dribble, GitHub, Groupon, and CrunchBase
Jekyll
Ruby on Rails isn’t the only tool you will find associated with the Ruby programming language. Jekyll is a simple static site generator that you can apply to a wide range of sites, from personal projects to larger organizational websites. It enables developers to transform text into static websites.
Jekyll adheres to the following philosophy:
Jekyll does what you tell it to do — no more, no less. It doesn’t try to outsmart users by making bold assumptions, nor does it burden them with needless complexity and configuration. Put simply, Jekyll gets out of your way and allows you to concentrate on what truly matters: your content.
Some site generators have even been inspired by Jekyll, one of the most popular tools of its kind.
#7 Swift
This is a bit of a bit of a bonus when placed among the other programming languages on this list. After all, Swift is not usually thought of as a web development language. But although it is more commonly associated with the iOS/Apple ecosystem — that is, the development of iOS applications — Swift, which was developed by Apple, it is increasingly being applied to the web development sphere, too. This is especially true when it is used in conjunction with Swift-based web frameworks such as Perfect and Vapor, which make your efforts more seamless.
Swift is modern, clean, easy to read and write, intuitive, and simple to learn, with a concise, expressive syntax. It offers optimal performance and speed, strong safety measures, and improved readability. An open-source language, Swift is relatively young but becoming an increasingly popular and in-demand language, with a growing community.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| High performance, making it well-suited for developing large and complex applications | Steep learning curve, particularly for those unfamiliar with statically-typed languages |
| Clear syntax, making it easy to read and maintain | Limited support for web development, as it is primarily used for developing native iOS and macOS applications |
| Strong type-checking and error handling, leading to more stable and secure code | Smaller community compared to other languages, such as Java and Python |
| Interoperability with Objective-C, enabling the reuse of existing code and libraries | Can be less flexible than dynamically-typed languages, such as Python |
| Good for developing native iOS and macOS applications, with access to a wide range of APIs and libraries | Can be less expressive than other languages, particularly for complex applications |
Conclusion
Although more languages can be used for web development, these 7 are a great starting point for kicking off your web development career. Once you’ve mastered HTML/CSS, PHP, Python, JavaScript, Java, Ruby, and Swift, you’re ready to take on serious and advanced web development.
It’s important to keep in mind, however, that the best programming languages for one project aren’t necessarily the right ones for another. Over the course of your programming career, you will discover that one web development language is ideal for a certain initiative, while other languages are better suited to separate projects.
Your job, as a professional in the space, is to be able to select the best tools, including the best programming languages, to suit your purposes, as well as turn around exceptional products.
As with most technological spaces, web development is constantly evolving, as are the programming languages that are used within it. What is popular today could lose some of its appeal in a few years, just as a language that is still relatively unknown this year could very well dominate the landscape next year.
Any web developer who wants to gain knowledge and prominence in the field should continue to stay abreast of trends, include the most popular programming languages, in this sphere in order to grow in their career, as well as make the best website and web products possible.
Web Development Languages FAQ
What is the best language for web development?
While there is no singular best programming language for web development, usually, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the basis of the structure of your website or web app, meaning that these are the programming languages that are the most necessary for you to use.
What languages are required for web development?
The only programming languages that are absolutely necessary for web development are HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. However, you are unlikely to create a compelling website or web app without the assistance of additional web development languages like PHP, Python, and/or Java to enhance the content and structure.
What are the most popular web development languages?
There are several languages that are frequently used for web development. Some of the most popular programming languages for web development include HTML/CSS, PHP, Python, JavaScript, Java, Ruby, and Swift. But this list is not an exhaustive ones, and there are several others to turn to when needed.
