Developers use programming languages to create software, automate processes and solve problems. Today, there are more than 8,000 programming languages, each with their own set of unique features and use cases — from building apps and websites to training machine learning models.
Types of Programming Languages
- Machine Language
- Assembly Language
- Procedural Programming Language
- Functional Programming Languages
- Object-oriented Programming Languages
- Scripting Languages
- Logic Programming Language
What Is a Programming Language?
A programming language is a system of notation that instructs a computer on how to execute specific tasks. Made up of symbols, punctuation and keywords, they use syntax to dictate how code is written and structured. Over time, programming languages have moved away from machine-level instructions and have incorporated more natural language and human-readable elements, creating a more intuitive development process.
Programming languages can be categorized into two classes: high-level or low-level languages. Low-level languages offer precision as they closely resemble the machine code that runs a computer’s hardware; high-level languages allow for more abstraction and are designed to allow humans to easily read and write code.
Types of Programming Languages
The thousands of programming languages known today can be funneled down into seven distinct categories:
1. Machine Language
Machine language, or machine code, is the lowest-level programming language. Because it is written in binary code, it’s the only language a computer can directly execute without the need for translation. It’s written in numeric strings of zeros and ones, where zeros represent an “off” state absent of an electrical signal while one indicates an electrified “on” state. These inputs directly manipulate a computer’s operations at the hardware level, including data movement, arithmetic and logic. Machine language is near impossible for a human to read and write, and is tailored to the architecture of each computer.
2. Assembly Language
Assembly programming language is a low-level language that is closely related to machine code, providing a way to write instructions that a computer can directly execute. It’s essentially a human-readable version of machine language that’s made up of built-in or user-defined mnemonic codes. Because assembly languages specifically correspond to a particular computer architecture, they offer more control and speed compared to high-level languages but require detailed knowledge of the underlying hardware in order to write them.
3. Procedural Programming Language
A procedural programming language follows a series of functions to perform actions or solve a specific problem. In this low-level style, developers write procedures — or reusable blocks of code — that contain step-by-step instructions that manipulate data in a systematic way. It is commonly used in medium-sized applications and embedded systems where straightforward logic and control flow are essential.
- Examples: C, C++, Java, Pascal, BASIC
4. Functional Programming Language
A functional programming language uses functions to perform tasks, treating everything like a math problem without changing values or states. It encourages writing predictable, maintainable code that is easy to understand by using pure functions and immutable data. It is often used for projects that need to handle massive volumes of data or run multiple tasks at once, as seen in data science, financial modeling and real-time distributed systems.
- Examples: Scala, Erlang, Haskell, Elixir, F#
5. Object-Oriented Programming Language
An object-oriented programming language turns everything into objects. Each object — which is a unique piece of data — is defined by its attributes and methods, and assigned to a particular class. Rather than designing a language around functions and logic, object-oriented programming allows developers to directly manipulate data. These languages use principles like inheritance, encapsulation, polymorphism and abstraction to model real-world entities and relationships, making code more modular, reusable and easier to maintain. It’s frequently used in software, web and game development as well as simulation modeling and AI applications.
- Examples: Java, Python, PHP, C++, Ruby
6. Scripting Languages
A scripting language is designed to automate repetitive tasks, manage dynamic content and support processes in larger applications. Unlike traditional programming languages, scripting languages are often interpreted rather than compiled, making them ideal for writing quick, small scripts for specific tasks. They have a simplified syntax, which makes them easy to learn. Due to their ease of use and flexibility, scripting languages are commonly featured in web development, system administration and software automation.
- Examples: PHP, Ruby, Python, bash, Perl, Node.js
7. Logic Programming Language
A logic programming language creates a paradigm that is based on formal logic. By presenting a system of facts and rules, it lets computers solve computations on their own without the need for step-by-step instructions. In these languages, developers define rules and relationships typically in the form of clauses. The program then performs computations based on those rules using logical inference. This allows programmers to define problems using logical relationships and constraints rather than direct commands. Logic programming languages are often used in fields like artificial intelligence and computational linguistics for tasks that involve pattern matching and knowledge representation.
- Examples: Prolog, Absys, Datalog, Alma-0
Bonus: Markup Language
While technically not a programming language, markup languages are text-encoding systems that are used to define structure, presentation and organization of page content. Made up of symbols, markup languages annotate text to enhance its formatting and layout, primarily for display in web browsers or other applications.
- Examples: HTML, CSS, XML
Most Popular Programming Languages
Several factors contribute to a programming languages’ success. They can gain wide acclaim for their ease of use, open-source accessibility, cross-platform functionality or extensive libraries. They gain credibility as online communities adopt and implement them, and become a sought after skill the more in demand they are by employers. Below are some of the most common programming languages in use today.
Python
Python is a high-level, object-oriented programming language known for its beginner-friendly simplicity and ease of learning. It’s great for web development, data science, automation and software development, and has been increasingly featured in artificial intelligence and machine learning applications. Python stands out for its versatility, as it’s adaptable across multiple technical fields, and bolstered by numerous frameworks and libraries that extend these capabilities.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a high-level, object-oriented programming language that transforms static content into dynamic, interactive websites. With JavaScript, developers can manipulate HTML or CSS-based web elements to produce shifting background colors, dropdown menus, video embeds and pop ups, for example. Known for creating engaging user experiences, JavaScript is primarily used for the purpose of web and app development.
Java
Java is one of the oldest and most widely used programming languages in the world, released by Sun Microsystems in 1995. It’s a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language that’s known for its reliability and platform independence. With a Java Virtual Machine, it enables developers to write code that can run on any device, making it widely used for web, desktop and mobile applications — especially those developed for business and Android platforms.
C++
C++ is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language designed for large-scale applications. It’s used for developing high-performance software, including operating systems, animation, video games, browsers and machine learning tools. Despite its age — computer scientist Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs created it around 1980 — C++ remains relevant for building complex systems like Google’s search engine, medical technology such as MRI machines and safety-critical applications.
C#
C#, pronounced “C-sharp,” is an object-oriented programming language that runs on open-source platforms and Microsoft Windows .NET architecture. Developed by Microsoft, C# combines the computational power of C++ with the simplicity of Visual Basic. It’s ideal for game development, web apps, desktop software as well as business-oriented applications thanks to its scalability. Although it’s not the easiest language to learn, its wide range of use cases and strong community support make it a valuable skill to know.
Ruby
Ruby is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming language known for its simplicity and productivity. Developed by computer scientist and software programmer Yukihiro Matsumoto in the mid 1990s, its Ruby on Rails framework revolutionized web development by reducing repetitive coding tasks, which made it easier for developers to build scalable websites. It’s commonly used in web development, DevOps automation and data analysis. Thanks to its intuitive syntax and powerful libraries, it’s also useful for static site generation, web servers and web scraping.
PHP
PHP is a general-purpose scripting language that’s commonly used to develop interactive and dynamic websites. As one of the first scripting languages embedded in HTML, PHP — which originally stood for “personal home page tools” — started in 1993 as a way computer programmer Rasmus Lerdorf would track visits to his online resume. It provides server-side functionality without needing external data files. While newer frameworks like Node.js and AngularJS have become popular alternatives, PHP remains prevalent due to its simplicity, open-source nature and extensive support for various frameworks.
