Nolan E Robinson

Frontend Development is basically the development of the frontend of the application. It defines how the application appears to the user. In making a robust, interactive, and attractive user interface, a lot goes behind the scenes. Frontend languages play a significant role in app development. This article on Top Frontend Languages covers eight such popular languages. 

What Is Frontend Development?

  • Frontend development is the part of web development that develops and creates the website’s frontend elements or features immediately visible and available to the end-user or client.
  • A frontend developer, in essence, is responsible for everything you see, including styling, images, text, alignment, navigation, colors, and so on, and strives to make the user experience as frictionless as possible.
  • They also assist with debugging and add to the overall design and look.
  • Frontend development’s main aims are responsiveness and performance.

Now that you know what Frontend Development is, continue reading to learn the Top Frontend Languages. 

1. HyperText Markup Language (HTML)

The most extensively used Frontend Language is HTML, which is a markup language.

HyperText Markup Language is the abbreviation for HyperText Markup Language. It’s a programming language that is used to make websites and web apps.

  • The term “text wrapped within a text” is used to describe HyperText. It is similar to a hyperlink which has an underlying text that, when clicked, takes you to a different webpage.
  • A programming language is not always the same as a markup language. It’s instead used to add formatting and layout to a plain text document. As a result, more interactive and dynamic text material is produced.
  • A web page is a document that is usually written in HTML and displayed via a web browser. A URL identifies each web page, which might be static or dynamic depending on the needs. We can generate static web pages if we solely use HTML for development.

HTML is widely used for Web Page Development, Game Development, Internet Navigation, Offline Support and Responsive UI.

2. Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

Although CSS is a style sheet, it is also considered as the top Frontend Language. 

CSS, or Cascading Style Sheets, is a design language that simplifies making web pages presentable. Selectors are used to pick elements and apply styles to them.

CSS is used to turn a document into a format that audiences can understand. This is especially important for browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, designed to deliver documents to screens, printers, and projectors visually.   

CSS is widely used because it saves time, has easy maintenance, offers selectors, text effects, and layouts.

3. JavaScript 

JavaScript is a robust client-side programming language that is open-source. Its primary purpose is to enhance a user’s interaction with a web page. In other words, you can utilize this programming language to improve the vibrancy and engagement of your website. JavaScript is also widely used in the development of games and mobile apps. Excellent speed, cross-browser interoperability, and straightforward semantics are just a few of JavaScript’s essential qualities, providing a seamless developer experience.

The majority of people that are interested in web development begin with HTML and CSS. Following that, they go on to JavaScript, making sense because these three pieces together create the web development backbone.

4. React

React is a UI development library written in JavaScript. Facebook and an open-source developer community run it. Although React is a library and not a language, its usage in web development is rampant. The library was introduced in May 2013 and is currently one of the most popular frontend libraries for web development. 

React goes beyond simple UI and has many extensions like Flux and React Native for complete application architecture support. 

Two main features of React that make it stand out are – 

  • JSX – JSX helps make the code easier to understand and debug as it avoids the usage of JS DOM structures that are rather complex. 
  • Virtual DOM – When an object’s state changes, Virtual DOM updates only that particular object in the real DOM instead of all.

5. Angular

Angular is an open-source JavaScript framework based on TypeScript. Google runs it, and one of its main goals is to build single-page apps. As a framework, Angular offers apparent advantages, and it also provides a standard structure for developers in a team to work with. It allows users to create huge applications that are easy to manage.

Some salient features of Angular are: 

  • TypeScript – Angular uses TypeScript. TypeScript is a set of types for JavaScript that lets users write more understandable JavaScript code. All TypeScript code may be compiled with JavaScript and run on any platform.
  • Data Binding –  It employs dynamic HTML and does not require complex scripting or programming. 

6. Vue

Developed by Evan You, an ex-Google Employee, Vue is also an open-source, JavaScript framework. It is used to develop user interfaces and single-page applications. 

  • Just like React, Vue uses virtual DOM as an adopted concept of React. Vue updates any altered HTML and does not update the entire tree. This ensures faster and bug-free performance. 
  • Vue uses reactive two-way data binding. Based on the input type, it chooses the best method for updating the element.

Some advantages of using Vue include high flexibility, two-way communication, and great tooling. 

7. jQuery

jQuery is a trendy, leading JavaScript framework and application development platform. It is leaner; it is faster loading, and it comes loaded with features that make the life of a JavaScript application developer much more accessible. No longer is JavaScript an afterthought, grafted onto stateless HTML. It is used more and more to be the foundation and the primary driving force of web development and application development, from desktops to tablets and smartphones.

Features of jQuery

  • Document Object model – jQuery’s most significant innovation was its fantastic DOM querying tool using familiar CSS selector syntax. This component, now called Sizzle, is a separate open-source component included within the larger open-source jQuery framework.
  • Another feature that makes jQuery web development very easy and attractive is its support for chained method calls. Where the API supports it, you can call one method after another by chaining method calls on the backs of one another.

8. Swift 

Swift is a programming language for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS that is powerful and easy. Swift code is interactive and exciting to write; the syntax is simple yet expressive, and Swift incorporates modern features that developers appreciate.

Some of the reasons why Swift is widely adopted are: Offers low cost, safety first, developers’ productivity and mobility, and a vast community.