Programming language

A A programming language is a set of computer code that programmers use to develop new software in the form of programmes, scripts and any kind of instructions that computers will execute.

Although all the programming languages Although they share certain similarities, they all have their own syntax and are designed for specific purposes. For example, some programming languages are geared more towards server management, others towards the user experience, and others towards database querying and administration.

The first high-level programming language was Fortran (Formula Translation). It was created in 1957 by a team of programmers led by John W. Backus at IBM (International Business Machines Corporation), and represents a major milestone in the history of programming.

We invite you to read our ranking of most commonly used programming languages!

Types of programming languages

Depending on the criteria used, we can classify programming languages into various types:

High level / low level

Low-level programming languages are more closely aligned with hardware architecture and the way machines process information. They are therefore more complex and difficult for people to understand, and require a high degree of specialisation.

Furthermore, most of the programming languages in use today are high-level, as their syntax is closer to human language and they are relatively easier to learn.

Some examples of low-level programming languages include microprocessor assembly language, C and LISP.

You’d probably be able to name some high-level programming languages, as they’re the best known. Some examples are C# (pronounced “si sharp”), Java, Python and PHP.

Declarative / imperative

In imperative languages, the machine is given a precise sequence of steps it must follow to solve a problem. Declarative programming languages, on the other hand, focus on describing the desired result to the machine, without specifying the instructions needed to achieve it.

The best example of a declarative language is SQL for querying databases, whilst examples of imperative languages include Pascal, Java and C++.

General-purpose / domain-specific

General-purpose languages are those used to perform a wide variety of tasks, whilst domain-specific languages (DSLs) are specifically designed to address particular problems or tasks.

Examples of general-purpose programming languages include Java, C and Ruby. There are also many domain-specific programming languages, such as CSS, XML, Verilog and SQL.

Object-oriented programming

An object-oriented programming (OOP) language is a programming paradigm based on the organisation and manipulation of data through objects. Objects are entities that represent real-world elements or abstract concepts and have associated characteristics (attributes) and behaviours (methods).

Examples of object-oriented programming languages include Java, C++, Python and C#

Compilations / live recordings

In compiled languages, the source code written by the programmer is fully translated into executable machine code by a special programme called a compiler. This process takes place before the programme is run and produces a binary file containing instructions that can be directly understood by the CPU.

In interpreted languages, the source code is not fully translated before execution. Instead, an interpreter reads the code line by line and translates it into machine code or bytecode as it is executed.

Some examples of compiled languages are C, C++ and Rust. Meanwhile, examples of interpreted languages include Python, JavaScript and Ruby.