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Rust, JavaScript, or Python?

dev.to staff on March 10, 2024

Which programming languages do you prefer for back-end development, and why? Follow the DEVteam for more discussions and online camaraderie! ...

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Roberto B. • Mar 10

My first choice is PHP, and this is my why : dev.to/robertobutti/why-php-2e4h

But as a developer, i love programming.

As a developer, I find joy in utilizing and expanding my skills in various programming languages such as Rust, Go, JavaScript, and Python. I firmly believe that a language is merely a tool; it is us, as human beings, who truly make the difference. Therefore, it is crucial not to align ourselves too closely with any particular language, especially in today's rapidly evolving landscape.

We are currently witnessing significant shifts in programming paradigms, and it's likely that the way we operate in programming will undergo profound changes in the coming years. This could entail a reduction in traditional constructs like loops and conditionals, with an increasing emphasis on concepts such as pipelines, transformations, and patterns.

As programmers, it's imperative that we maintain a mindset of flexibility, readiness to learn, and willingness to embrace new tools and methodologies. Adaptability is key in navigating the ever-changing terrain of technology and ensuring our continued growth and relevance in the field.

Calin Baenen • Mar 10

My first choice is PHP

It said "Rust, JavaScript, or Python", not "Rust, JavaScript, or PHP". :þ

Roberto B. • Mar 11

you're right, I was a little bit illegal ✨

Vicente G. Reyes • Mar 12

@robertobutti badass hahaha

Michelle Sanseverino • Mar 11

Thank you for your comment. I'm studying to be a dev and it's great to read your insight about programming.

Valeria • Mar 10

For a personal project - JavaScript, hands down. I rarely write anything that would warrant bringing in the big guns (Rust) and loss in development experience is therefore not warranted.

For a professional project my personal preference would be quite secondary and the choice would depend on project needs, market and available resources.

P.S. I like flexibility and simplicity of JavaScript: it’s not bulletproof, but it’s easy to use and in most cases it’s rather predictable and makes sense in general. That and, once again, personal preference :)

Calin Baenen • Mar 10

Rust, for Rust is the best programming language.

Rust för Rust är det bäste programmeringsspråk.

Stokry • Mar 11

Easy, Ruby :-)

Aditya Sharma • Mar 28

The choice of any programming language completely depends on its usecase. For example, it is something similar to choice between nosql vs rdbms database. Similary, if we wanna work with memory, OS, low level work we can prefer working with Rust. If we wanna work with web dev (mostly) its better to work with JS. For ML/AI or data processing, python is recommended. This recommendation was given with respect to the community size in the fields.

Mike Stemle • Mar 14

I like all three, though I’ve recently started wanting to move back toward software which is less centralized. Web software makes us all vulnerable to the problem of platforms over protocols, which makes every vendor we use not just a helpful partner, but also an eager and friendly jailer.

Shrijal Acharya • Mar 11 • Edited

All three of them are GOAT in their own ways. For automation, I choose Python. When dealing with web-related tasks, I prefer JavaScript, especially TypeScript. For performance and safety, my preference is Rust. However, I am a Gopher! 🐀

Prateek Wayne • Mar 12

JavaScript (TypeScript 😊) is my go-to for back-end development due to its flexibility 💪, efficiency ⚡, vast ecosystem 🌐, and most importantly, the huge community 👥 and library support.

Bjoern • Mar 11

Replace the or with an and ;)

Michal Mazurek • Mar 11

I've been developing in Python since 2007, and I've opted for Rust instead of Python for my new side project (web-related - backend) for these reasons:

Security - Rust comes with built-in security measures.
Performance - I aim for this project to maximize income by minimizing CPU and RAM usage, as well as the number of running containers for load balancing and high availability. Python carries significant overhead compared to Rust.
Docker image - Python docker images tend to be considerably larger compared to what can be achieved with Rust or Go, resulting in cost savings.

However, the challenge for me lies in my limited knowledge about Rust, so I'll need to learn a lot along the way. ChatGPT is quite helpful in answering questions.