The 7 Best Web Development Languages

Nowadays, the choice of programming language determines fundamental things such as the software product’s time to market, its stability, scalability potential, and even the project budget. At the same time, wrongly chosen language can cost a business months of unjustified edits and additional investments. To prevent this, we decided to help you choose the best language for web development in 2025.

#1 HTML/CSS

HTML remains one of the most popular web development languages​​ and appeared for structuring web pages. As for CSS, it was invented to separate content and design. HTML/CSS are responsible for how users see the product and how convenient it is for them to interact with it. Also, they work in all browsers and on any devices, as well as predisposed to quick testing UX/UI hypotheses.

Where to use

HTML/CSS is a standard tech stack in most websites or web apps with basic functionality.

Where HTML/CSS isn’t the best option 

The capabilities of HTML/CSS are limited – they are responsible for the design, but not for the business logic, so your project’s tech stack will have to be expanded with other web programming languages to ensure the server part’s operation. Also HTML and CSS cannot be used for the implementation of complex dynamic services .

#2 PHP

PHP as one of the server-side scripting languages used in web development is used for generating dynamic web pages. Over time, it has transformed into a full-featured language with a bunch of libraries, support of numerous CMSes, better performance, and an expanded ecosystem. 

Where to use

Thanks to good backward compatibility, PHP is actively used in the development of content-based and eCommerce solutions. Also, PHP is an excellent choice when a business needs to reduce both the time to market and the project’s budget, especially if this is a CMS-based project and has standard functionality (content placement, catalogs, a shopping cart, etc.). 

Where PHP isn’t the best option

Many PHP-based projects still rely on outdated code bases, which increases the risk of technical debt and vulnerabilities. Additionally, solutions with peak loads and/or based on microservices may necessitate further optimization.

Laravel

Laravel is a concise PHP-based framework providing a server-oriented stack for rapid development. It minimizes routine tasks due to the presence of many ready-made packages and good testability.

Where to use

Laravel is good for the development of SaaS, eCommerce, and MVP solutions. 

Where Laravel isn’t the best option

However, the abundance of ready-made features sometimes turns out to be a disadvantage; in addition, in large projects, developers may find it difficult to implement caching, queues, and horizontal scaling. Finally, there’s a risk of “lock-in” to the Laravel ecosystem and approaches, so migration to a new tech stack may be challenging.

Symfony

Symfony is a framework with a lot of reusable components aimed at creating enterprise-grade apps, with a strong emphasis on robust architecture and extensibility. It is compatible with DevOps and CI/CD tools as well.

Where to use

Symfony is predisposed for long-term releases and integrations with enterprise systems, so it makes sense for large projects with a long lifecycle, such as banking portals, ERP modules, and large SaaS. 

Where Symfony isn’t the best option

If you aren’t ready to invest a lot at the start and want to reduce time to market, it’s better to pay attention to Laravel.

#3 Python

Python is very convenient due to its simple syntax, high level of abstraction, and easy support. Moreover, it supports async/await and the ASGI stack, which enables implementation of sophisticated business logic, reduces the risk of errors at the development stage, and speeds up prototyping.

Where to use

Python is a standard tool for data science projects, automation, and web development. Also, it’s applicable in projects where integration with complex business logic, analytics, and machine learning are needed. 

Where Python isn’t the best option

On the other hand, Python belongs to the cohort of interpreted backend languages for web development, which means that engineers need to take into account the performance limitations and GIL for CPU-intensive tasks. Moreover, for real-time systems, it will be necessary to initially provide the architecture’s asynchronicity and autoscaling. Therefore, in the case of developing basic web solutions, this is not the best option due to the relatively low speed of their implementation.

Django

Django is a framework for high-performance and reliable web apps based on the “batteries-included” approach. Among its features are an admin panel, ORM, migration system, authentication, templates, built-in security tools, as well as the ability to quickly create CRUD functions. 

Where to use

If you need to build a large-scale product with an admin panel and standard web functions (typical for marketplaces, CRM, internal control panels), Django will be a must-use.

Where Django isn’t best option

Django has an excessive template-based nature, provoking redundancy of functionality for simple API services and microservice-based solutions.

Flask

Flask is a microframework that allows developers to plug in custom components, connect to the cloud, and doesn’t impose specific architectural models.

Where to use

Flask is often chosen for creating APIs, microservice solutions, and lightweight backend services intended for subsequent integration into larger solutions.

Where Flask isn’t the best option

When a project scales, teams working with Flask have to rebuild the infrastructure manually; moreover, Flask-based projects with a long lifecycle may require refactoring more often.

#4 JavaScript

As one of the website programming languages for implementing client-side logic, with the advent of Node.js, JavaScript began to be used as a server-side language, too. In contrast to many other coding languages, JS provides interactivity of browser components; it’s also good in terms of stack unification since it can be used by both frontend and backend teams; finally, it boasts a powerful npm repository, SSR/SSG support, as well as the ability to implement PWA and real-time apps.

Where to use

JS can have a significant impact on UX thanks to its interactivity capabilities. As for server tasks, to simplify the interaction of teams due to the ability to reuse logic between the client and the server, teams can use Node.js.

Where JS isn’t the best option

The JS stack is rapidly changing (and generally requires standardization), which leads to more frequent software updates and the risk of technical debt; also, building pipeline configurations may be too complex.

ReactJS

React is the first framework with a declarative component approach and virtual DOM, which dramatically improves UI performance. It features a component architecture, has hooks for state management, and stands out due to its huge ecosystem; moreover, its add-on, React Native, opens up opportunities for cross-platform development.

Where to use

ReactJS is a great choice for creating complex, interactive, dynamically updating interfaces – this determines its suitability for working on marketplaces, control panels, and systems in two formats: web and mobile.

Where ReactJS isn’t the best option

The lack of restrictions in the architecture risks leading to inconsistency – that’s why developers need to initially think through a state management strategy.

AngularJS

AngularJS is aimed at simplifying SPA development. Its second version was based on TypeScript and focused on developing large systems. Also, it has strong typing, as well as a lot of built-in tools for enterprise apps. 

Where to use

It's great for complex projects with large teams, where standardization and long-term support are crucial.

Where AngularJS isn’t the best option

The learning curve of this framework is steep, and for small projects, its capabilities will be overkill.

Vue

Vue is an easy-to-learn framework for rapid prototyping with great potential for scaling. It’s flexible in integrating into existing projects and has a reactive data model.

Where to use

Vue is often chosen by companies that want to get a working interface ASAP without sacrificing flexibility in deployment (that is, it can be used for global upgrades of legacy solutions).

Where Vue isn’t the best option

Like ReactJS, this solution requires strong discipline in making architectural decisions.

TypeScript

TypeScript is a proprietary JavaScript add-on from Microsoft, characterized by static typing and extensive tool support, including IDE completion and refactoring. All these features reduce the number of bugs at runtime, facilitating the support of large codebases. 

Where to use

TypeScript makes sense to be used in enterprise projects and long-term products.

Where TypeScript isn’t the best option

TypeScript can carry additional complexity in mastering; also, switching to it from existing JS bases can require significant time investment.

#5 Java

Java is a portable, high-performance JVM-based language. Also, it was the one and only answer to the question: “Which language is best for web development of enterprise systems?”, but with the advent of Spring and Jakarta EE, Java has also become convenient for implementing web services and microservices. It’s worth highlighting this language’s stability and backward compatibility, so it’s often preferred in solutions for banks, telecom services, as well as systems with high SLAs.

Where to use

If you’re planning high loads for your project, its integration with legacy solutions (since Java is the de facto corporate standard), and its support for at least 10 years, Java will be a completely adequate choice.

Where Java isn’t the best option

Java cannot boast of fast time-to-market and high-speed prototyping; also, to support solutions based on it, you’ll need a strong engineering team.

#6 Ruby

Ruby introduced its elegant syntax and is tailored for maximum developers’ convenience. Today, despite the abundance of other programming languages, Ruby can boast a huge number of ready-made gems for solving typical tasks.

Where to use

Ruby remains a powerful tool for startups and companies that value development speed and rapid hypothesis testing, as it provides everything needed to bring a product to market in the shortest possible time.

Where Ruby isn’t the best option

in tasks with extreme loads, where there’s no time for significant optimizations on the server side, its advantages won’t be so impressive.

Ruby on Rails

The Ruby on Rails framework helped project teams significantly speed up the development process. Moreover, it has conventions that reduce the number of decisions teams need to make.

Where to use

It’s an optimal solution for startups, MVPs, and projects with limited development time, due to the ability to not shift attention from business logic to building infrastructure from scratch. 

Where RoR isn’t the best option

Scaling projects on this framework often requires switching to a service-based architecture – otherwise, the risk of technical debt will grow very rapidly.

Jekyll

Jekyll is a static website generator that uses markdown and templates and is characterized by the absence of server-side logic (which makes it safer). It’s easily hosted via GitHub Pages and is suitable for blogs and landing pages. 

Where to use

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly solution for content websites with high security, CI integration, low hosting costs, and minimal support, Jekyll is a must-consider.

Where Jekyll isn’t the best option

This generator has limitations in implementing dynamic functions (i.e., you’ll need external infrastructure or JS) and isn’t well-suited for interactive solutions.

#7 Swift

Swift is a proprietary Apple solution as a safer and more productive alternative to Objective-C (its speed is comparable to C and C++). This language is used for iOS and macOS development and is generally a standard due to its simple syntax, type-safe system, and tools for preventing null errors.

Where to use

If your target audience uses Apple products, Swift will open the easiest way to create a high-quality product with top UX. 

Where Swift isn’t the best option

if your solution goes beyond the Apple ecosystem, it’s better to consider cross-platform or hybrid alternatives.

Conclusion

The choice of language and framework is not only a technical decision, but also something that affects the speed of delivery of your product to the market and its budget, so we sincerely hope that our web development languages list will help you make a choice. If you want to delegate the choice of the tech stack and the implementation of your project to an experienced team entirely, feel free to contact us.