Top 5 Front End Programming Languages
Oct 21,2022What is front-end development? In its essence, it’s the development of the side of the software that the user sees. Whether you are developing an online store or website for a local restaurant, the front end is what ensures an interactive, efficient, and pleasant experience for the users. And the language used for programming plays a crucial role in making this happen.
Choosing a programming language to build the front end of your website is by no means an easy task; on the contrary, it can be quite bewildering. The good news is, we are here to help. We did some research so you don’t have to, and prepared a list of the top 5 front-end programming languages that you can use for your website.
HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
This is one of the most extensively used front-end languages, and it’s used to make both mobile applications and websites. HTML is a markup language added when creating the website to ensure its structure and add certain elements. While alone HTML is not enough to build a functioning website, it’s a basic building block of every website without which the browsers wouldn’t be able to properly display the page content. For example, the title of this article in HTML is <H>Top 5 Front End Programming Languages</H>. These tags let the browser know that the indicated text is a title and that it should be displayed as such.
Pros
- Simplicity;
- Supported by multiple browsers;
- Can be integrated with other languages.
Cons
- A lot of coding required;
- Can build static websites alone.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
Another popular front-end development language and necessary addition to your website, alongside HTML, is CSS.
The main function of CSS is defining how the elements of HTML appear on the display. For example, to alter the font color of this article’s title, CSS would be essential. CSS can be described as one of the main tools that allow you to personalize and customize your website and give it the look and feel that you are looking for. Additionally, it also allows you to embed visuals to the website with your preferred layout, to receive the aesthetics you are aiming at.
Pros
- Simplicity and flexibility;
- Speed
- Supported by different browsers
Cons
- Not beginner-friendly,
- Security vulnerabilities
JavaScript
No list of front-end development languages would be complete without JavaScript, one of the fastest-growing programming languages in the world now. JavaScript is a versatile language that is used both for front- and back-end development.
JavaScript is a powerful tool that allows developers to create dynamic and highly functioning websites that ensure a fantastic user experience at any step of the interaction. Used for the development of both mobile software and websites, JavaScript ensures a pleasant experience both for developers and end-users.
Pros
- Cross-border interoperability;
- High speed;
- Straightforward semantics;
- Extended functionalities.
Cons
- Too complex for simple projects;
- Integration complications;
- Debugging issues.
ReactJS
ReactJS is actually a JavaScript library, not a standalone language, but it is a famous name in the world of front-end development now. Created by Facebook, React is a perfect tool for building UI components into the web page. React was developed with the user experience in mind, and ensures excellent speed and dynamic operations as part of the final product.
Pros
- Works with most back-end setups;
- Allows to split the elements of the page;
- Open-source;
- Reusable components;
- Simplified debugging.
Cons
- Time-consuming;
- SEO-related difficulties;
- Poor documentations;
- Develops too quickly, hard for developers to catch up with the changes.
AngularJS
Finalizing our list of most popular front-end development languages is AngularJS. AngularJS is another programming language that can be considered a JavaScript library, and this time it’s created by Google. It’s a more challenging language than the languages discussed previously but also comes with a lot of benefits.
AngularJS allows developers to create both highly functional and visually stunning websites, combining looks and functionality. This is one of the sought-after qualities of AngularJS, and the reason why many developers prefer this language for front-end programming. But this is far from being the only benefit of AngularJS.
Pros
- Fast prototyping;
- Availability of HTML templates;
- Two-way data binding;
- Large community.
Cons
- Hard to learn, not beginner-friendly;
- Slow page rendering because of the complexity.
Wrapping Up
When it comes to choosing a front-end development language for your program, it’s crucial that you don’t hurry. Take your time to study and consider different options, with all of their pros and cons, especially in regards to your project needs and customer expectations. The languages discussed in this article are some of the widely-used frameworks among front-end developers around the world, and one of them can come in handy for your project as well. Whether it’s HTML for a static website or AngularJS for a more complex one, make sure to experiment before landing on the final decision.