The Future of Programming: 5 Emerging Languages You Need To Know

 If programming languages were ranked according to popularity, they would be divided into three groups.  The top tier would contain popular programming languages like Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, C#, C++, and Objective-C. While top-tier languages are declining, knowing one or more of them will help you get work.

Second-tier languages have yet to break into the mainstream. They have demonstrated their usefulness by creating robust support groups, yet many more conservative software businesses still do not employ them. Some languages are Scala, Go, Swift, Clojure, and Haskell.

Most top-tier languages are well-established. It takes time for a programming language to fall out of the top tier, and it’s challenging for a second-tier language to rise to the top tier. The emerging languages are in the third tier and are only beginning to gain popularity. 

Some languages have remained in the third tier for many years without popularity. Meanwhile, others have sprung onto the scene in just one or two years. In this MarsDevs article, we talk about the best 5 of them. So, let's get started!

Emerging languages: The Best 5

The five programming languages we'll discuss are very new (so this may be the first time you've heard about them in depth) & they have a high possibility of breaking into the second-tier languages category over the next two to three years. 

Perhaps one of these languages can stand at the top tier. Here's why these five languages are the best emerging ones!

1. Elm

Elm is a functional programming language that focuses on usability & translates to high-performance JavaScript. It can be used with or without JavaScript to create web-based user interfaces. Elm's principal advantages over JavaScript are dependability, maintainability & programmer satisfaction. 

More specifically:

• No runtime exceptions: Elm code has a reputation for not throwing runtime errors. It’s distinct from "undefined isn’t a function."

• Legendarily helpful compiler: Elm's compiler is often regarded as having prominent error messages in the industry. "If it compiles, it typically operates" is a frequent sentiment, even after a primary rework. It makes massive Elm code bases more seamless to manage than large JavaScript ones.

• Semantic versioning automatically enforced: Elm-package implements semantic versioning automatically. If a package author attempts to make a breaking API change without incrementing the crucial version number, elm-package will detect & refuse to publish it. 

• Fast & functional: Elm is a functional programming language that guarantees no side effects/mutations. These assurances allow Elm code to scale well & enable it to render application UIs quicker than React, Angular, or Ember.

Elm code can also interact with JavaScript, allowing you to include it into your JS code base in tiny doses while leveraging the vast JS ecosystem and avoiding reinventing the wheel.

2. Elixir

Elixir also battles for the developers' pleasure. This syntax-heavy language closely resembles Ruby but also offers C-like benefits to your work. Elixir is now used to construct web apps using a fully featured website application ecosystem named Phoenix/a traditional HTTP server Cowboy. 

Elixir's design goals include scalability, usefulness, and sustainability. Ruby serves as inspiration for both the Elixir syntax and toolchain. While the syntactic similarities are superficial, anybody who incorporated Ruby will identify the toolchain. The commands are well-thought-out, simple to use & promote high developer productivity.

• “Friendly” functional programming: "Friendly" functional programming combines the strength and benefits of a functional language with a simple syntax.

• Highly concurrent and scalable: The language shouldn’t be bombarded with numerous users' ability to solve massive issues.

• Excellent development tools: Meant for creating, managing dependencies, testing, and deploying.

Elixir and Phoenix are becoming increasingly popular because they enable the creation of complex, powerful online APIs and applications with good maintainability, performance, and scalability. That is why Pinterest, Bleacher Reports, and several other firms have invested in Elixir for critical components of their product infrastructure. 

3. Crystal

As is said, "Slick as Ruby, fast as C." It is a high-level, statically typed, compiled, entirely object-oriented programming language that assists extensive type inference and garbage collection.

Crystal has distinct characteristics such as:

• Channels: Crystal achieves concurrency through Channels, which are influenced by CSP (like Go). It can be done using cooperative and lightweight threads known as Fibers. The spawn keyword allows you to build a Fiber and make the operation asynchronous/nonblocking.

• Macros: Crystal uses macros to eliminate boilerplate code and enhance metaprogramming capabilities. Macros are strong and evaluated at build time, resulting in no performance cost.

• Crystal Command: The crystal command is efficient and includes several useful built-in utilities. It’s used for various tasks, including project creation, compilation, and test suite execution. It has a built-in code formatting tool with the crystal tool format. There is also crystal play, which is an interactive playground for speedy prototyping, similar to IRB.

Crystal is much more expressive and understandable now that Ruby has contributed. It is simple for newbies to learn and pays money in the long term by requiring less maintenance and noise.

4. Rust

Rust is a systems programming language that combines C-like performance and memory management with functional language characteristics like type inference and robust static typing. 

It has three main design goals:

• Safety: Many C-like languages allow for memory issues caused by human memory management (for example, dangling pointers or double-frees). Rust incorporates best practices from current C++, such as RAII and smart pointers, into language requirements, rigorously assuring that pure Rust code is memory-safe.

• Speed: Almost all languages are slower than C because they provide abstractions that facilitate program creation but come with significant runtime costs (for example, garbage collection and dynamic dispatch). Rust focuses on "zero-cost abstractions," which are approaches for making programming easier that don’t incur any runtime costs.

• Concurrency: Because of the complexities of thread programming, concurrent code in systems languages is sometimes brittle and prone to errors. Rust tries to address these concerns by giving type-level assurances on what types of data can be transferred across threads and where.

As you can see, Rust's vital goals are safety, speed, and concurrency. Static typing, control over memory, type inference, and other functional aspects are merged with C-efficiency.

5. Kotlin

Kotlin is a statically typed language for the JVM and JavaScript. JetBrains needed a new language to develop its tools, being written in Java pushed the foundation of Kotlin. Something that would allow it to use its existing codebase while resolving some of the Java challenges it was experiencing. 

Many of Kotlin's properties were molded by typical issues encountered when building software. 

• Conciseness: It limits the boilerplate code required to express certain constructs. 

• Versatile: Create a language that can be used for different industrial application development, including web, mobile, desktop, and server-side.

• Safe: Allow the language to manage some of the frequent problems associated with issues like null reference exceptions. 

• Interoperable: Enable the language to function with existing Java codebases, libraries, and frameworks, allowing for progressive adoption and utilizing current investments.

• Tool-enabled: JetBrains develops tools because it believes that multiple tedious operations can be automated, resulting in more efficient and productive development. As a result, the language must facilitate tooling. 

Kotlin has and will always be about pragmatism—recognizing common challenges we experience while developing code and attempting to address these.

The Bottom Line:

The needs and commercial demands are continually changing. C++, Java, PHP, Ruby, Python, and other programming languages were formerly considered breakthroughs.

These five PLs & other components are projected to carve out a niche or grab the market shortly. In any case, they will undoubtedly impact the sector shortly. They provide speedier answers to specific issues, demands, and jobs, seamless syntax, strong typing, easier checking or testing & so on. It does not imply that all previous languages will be gradually forgotten, at least for some time.

Nonetheless, these programming languages have a promising future and will give the business a competitive advantage in the global marketplace. When you need help in your app development journey, get on a free 15-minute call with MarsDevs immediately!