3 Programming Languages That You Need to Learn for Web3 Development
Tags: web3, solidity, javascript, rust
Published: 2023-03-01 08:31:49

Developing for Web3 requires strong foundations and we’ve got three simple starting points for you to begin your #BUIDL journey; three programming languages you must start with.

Learning a programming language is not very different from learning to play a musical instrument. Whether for Web3 or any other niche.

![Who knows? Web3 might just be your “jam”!](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/6w0yqjpjm6p1ya12al7o.png)

Just going over programming constructs or basic chords doesn’t make any sense. Clearly, one must be able to use these: let’s say, in a song or a technical solution.

As beginners, one must understand that each programming language is an ecosystem in and of itself and which comes with its pros and cons, use cases and nuances and so on and so forth.

## Why Web3 Development is all the Rage
Now, there’s a crucial difference between building Web2 and Web3 applications. The former includes a centralized server as part of its implementation while the latter uses several nodes instead. Clearly, decentralization is the goal here.

![Data Centres, goodbye; hello, Web3!](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/4dkokp3cn76ek1ceq6un.png)

So, what makes Web3 development so exciting?

Based on distributed ledger technology, Web3 development offers opportunities to build dApps, smart contracts and entire blockchain ecosystems from the ground up. Otherwise known as Layer 1 and Layer 2 solutions. In fact, this is said to be the future of the web. One where the dominance of Big Tech dwindles. Towards a more resilient web.

![Big Tech shouldn’t own your data… you should! That’s Web3, in a nutshell!](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/om6xri7kjg0ir8csn2ei.png)

Now, apart from being a challenging, cutting-edge technology, the salaries and benefits in this development niche tends to get everyone’s attention these days. Yes, you can expect north of US$100,000 annually along with other benefits in the form of tokens too.

Which brings us to programming languages dedicated to Web3 development: yes, there are three specific languages that if mastered can propel you to a brand new career altogether.

![Web3 development pays well... if you learn these languages!](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/nex4w5rdctpk6ugv1y8e.png)

Doesn’t sound so bad, now does it? Alright, but which languages are these?

Let’s find out, shall we?

## Top 3 Programming Languages for Web3
As we will see, learning the three languages listed below is useful for a variety of reasons. However, one has to go beyond the basics if they want to write commercial code in these languages for the Web3 space.

So, here are the top 3 programming languages for Web3 development:

### Solidity
Developed for the Ethereum platform, Solidity is primarily used to build smart contracts to be run on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Based on C++, Python and JavaScript, this language was released in 2015. Since then, two breaking and bi-weekly non-breaking releases have been offered to programmers.

![Solidity - specifically designed for the Ethereum platform](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/8cjf2fkffqm7jzpg2409.png)

Now, this language requires the strict declaration of type in assignment statements while it uses the object-oriented programming (or contract-oriented programming) paradigm to build smart contracts. You can follow the Solidity [blog](https://blog.soliditylang.org/) and [Twitter handle](https://twitter.com/solidity_lang) to get the latest updates.

### JavaScript
Commonly referred to as JS, this language was originally built in order to program web page behavior and is considered to be one of the core technologies for the World Wide Web. If you do not know this already, 97% of all websites use JavaScript which makes it a must-learn language for anyone who is interested in Web2 programming. Or in particular, Web3.

![There’s loads of JavaScript content out there…](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/0e407sp6gqa7e27cc0y7.png)

As for the language itself, it offers several programming paradigms to the programmers be it event-driven, functional or imperative language features apart from a host of APIs for use. If you want to learn JavaScript, you can use a website like JSBin or add the code in between the script tags in a HTML file. You can find plenty of tutorials on both YouTube and Udemy just to get started with this 25-year old programming language.

### Rust
Considered to be the most loved programming language since 2016, this systems programming language is said to have derived inspiration from others such as Haskell, OCaml, Erlang, and C++. You can build tools and web apps as well as with servers and embedded development.

![Why Rust is the most loved programming language since 2016](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/n16e8rmpvl4h877za8rq.png)

With a strong focus on memory safety and concurrency, Rust also offers programming features that span multiple paradigms while offering both low and high-level features. If you want to learn the basics of Rust, there are plenty of free tutorials on YouTube and Udemy to get started.

### In Closing
Make no mistake: spending time with each of these languages is advised if you’re interested in Web3 development.

Although, it’s hard to say which programming language — much like that perfect instrument — might hit all the right notes with you.

![Whether playing guitar or Web3 development… we all have to start somewhere!](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/uc6ypnj4o9mp70vbqxi7.png)

Now, apart from these three programming languages for web3, are there any others that are worth looking into? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Follow this Discord Server [link](https://discord.com/invite/XMzxtprXjc) if you want to know more about how you can get started with Web3 programming.