Over the years, cloud computing has seen wider adoption as more businesses embrace digital transformation. The current shift to remote working, for instance, has seen several companies move their legacy systems to the cloud. This trend is also fueling the demand for cloud developers and engineers, who are now needed to design and configure cloud apps, shared platforms, and databases.
To become a cloud developer, you must learn some programming languages. We have discussed them down below. But first, let’s see what’s driving the demand for cloud computing and why cloud development is gaining popularity.
Why Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing, expedited by increased innovation and the need to enhance collaboration among teams, is becoming a critical competitive advantage in several industries. Businesses are moving to the cloud due to various reasons. These include:
- Flexibility and scalability. With cloud computing, you can quickly scale up or down depending on your business needs. This flexibility makes it possible to adjust efficiently during peak growth periods and economic downturns.
- Speed and Convenience. With cloud computing, accessing data on demand is a lot faster. This is advantageous when sharing files and documents across departments or with distributed teams.
- Cost reduction. Cloud services allow businesses to save on capital expenses. Storage as a Service business model, for instance, allows companies to pay only for the portion of the cloud they use. In other words, cloud storage, like the other cloud services, is becoming an operating expenditure rather than a capital expenditure.
With these three benefits, it’s obvious why organizations are moving to the cloud. And since cloud developers are responsible for designing, developing, analyzing, and maintaining cloud infrastructure, they are needed now more than ever. Below are the five programming languages you need to build the necessary cloud development skills.
5 Best Cloud Dev Languages
Python
This is considered one of the most popular and adaptable programming languages. You can use python to develop apps and websites, automate tasks, or for data visualization and analysis. As a functional and highly interactive language, it enables developers to write simple and succinct codes that can perform complex tasks. It’s also easy to interpret and quite friendly for beginners.
Some critical aspects that make python ideal for cloud development include its scalability, portability, and ease of integration with other languages such as C, C++, Java, CORBA, and software frameworks like ActiveX. Additionally, python allows for easy interfacing to the major commercial databases.
Big companies like Google, Reddit, Instagram, Quora, and YouTube deploy python when creating operating systems. It’s also used for image processing and even in automating scripts for cloud infrastructure.
Java
Thanks to its multi-platform and dynamic features, Java is one of the best languages to learn as a cloud developer. The language is easy to learn, and the Java compiler generates an object file format, which is architecture-neutral. This means the compiled code executes on several processors, provided the Java runtime system is configured. Another aspect that makes Java stand out is the robust development environment that prioritizes compile-time and runtime error checking.
Java also has a multithreaded feature that makes it possible to write a piece of code that executes several tasks simultaneously. This feature allows developers to design interactive apps that run effectively. Cloud applications built with Java can run on various operating systems such as iOS, Linux, Blackberry, and Windows.
C++
As one of the oldest object-oriented programming languages, C++ finds use cases in the cloud development niche. It’s a middle-level programming language that focuses mainly on concepts. C++ is often used to write software or device drivers that rely on hardware manipulation in real-time.
If you’ve used other languages such as C or Java, navigating C++ becomes much easier. The Java programming language is ideal for learners that want to develop high-performing cloud-based apps and platforms. Some of the world’s popular software, such as YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox, was built using C++.
Golang
Golang, popularly Go, is a programming language common with a section of software developers. This language was developed in 2007 and is considered one of the well-written languages with support for concurrent programming and garbage collection. With the Go programming language, code is written using packages to ensure effective management of dependencies. It also uses the contemporary compile and link model when generating executable binaries.
Go’s fast compilation time, built-in concurrency support, and dynamic features make it popular among cloud developers. With Golang, you can build scalable, efficient, and secure apps using microservices, plus it also allows for lower-level communication with the server. Popular platforms powered by the Go language include Google Cloud, SoundCloud, and Uber.
C#
This is a structured, component-oriented programming language that strongly resembles Java. It has essential features such as Boolean conditions, a standard library, indexers, simple multithreading, conditional compilations, etc. The language is approved by ISO and ECMA, making it one of the most recognized and adopted languages worldwide.
Due to its general-purpose, flexible and versatile nature, C# is quite popular among cloud developers. It’s also ideal for developing enterprise solutions, desktop apps, and software-heavy games. Some programs using C# include Microsoft Visual Studio, Windows Installer XML, and Paint. NET.
The Bottom Line
With so many programming languages in the market, choosing only a few to enhance your cloud development career can be daunting. The five programming languages we have highlighted above aren’t the only ones; rather, they are the most common with readily-accessible resources. That said, there’s no specific language that cloud developers use for all their projects. It comes down to being flexible enough to choose the best languages you need to complete a specific task.
If you’re new to software development, you may want to learn the basics of computer programming before getting into the depths of cloud development. Languages such as python and Java are great for a start. You’ll also need to track your progress, set realistic goals, and seek help from mentors or established developers in the niche.