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Love it or hate it, but the Internet of Things (IoT) is not going away anytime soon. In recent times, the Internet of Things has permeated our day to day lives to improve the way we live, the way we work, and the way we entertain. In other words, IoT’s presence has become ubiquitous. With more and more devices becoming ‘smart’ every passing day and with more ‘objects’ being able to interact with users with the help of the internet, it becomes evident that programming for things is the new reality. You will be surprised to know that there are 6.21 million developers already working in the Internet of Things (IoT) domain and 5.36 million more are poised to work in IoT in the next 6 months, as per the reports of Statista. Though, Internet of Things (IoT) development projects provides many opportunities for developers, one of the major problems that almost every developer encounters when coding the IoT function is what programming language to use. If you are also up against the same problem when coding IoT functions, here are the top 3 programming languages that will help you out in the Internet of Things (IoT) projects.
1. JavaScript
As the name suggests, Javascript is a scripting language that was originally used to enhance the features of a web page such as slideshows, moving images, menus, etc. Nowadays, Javascript is widely used in IoT systems, mobile apps, and web servers. There are still many people who think JavaScript is used as a programming language for pop-up alert boxes on web pages, however, this scripting language has gained popularity on the server, which makes it an ideal choice for Internet of Things (IoT) applications and systems.
2. C++
C++ is the successor of C, and is a language generally used by Linux developers as a middle-level language for object-oriented programming. It is widely used in web browsers, GUI based applications, embedded systems and operating systems (OS) and has applications across different industry verticals such as healthcare, finance, defense, etc. C++ was designed by Bjarne Stroustrup to run large-scale applications, which was a limitation in the C language.
Why C++ for IoT?
C++ is preferred over C language when an IoT device is expected to do complex tasks, because C++ comes with additional features such as data abstraction, objects, and classes. Also, the C++ programming language creates compact and quick runtime code. When it comes to specialized hardware to be used for IoT, there is still no other available language better than C++, said by C++ Bjarne Stroustrup. C++ is crafted meticulously to handle both complexity and hardware at the same time. It has the added advantage of running flawlessly with systems having only a few hundred kilobytes of memory.
Difficulty level of C++
C++ is a relatively complex language compared to C since it is designed to achieve big, difficult and complex tasks. It may take a couple of years to become a master in C++. However, if you learn the C language first, you can easily adapt to C++.
3.Python
Starting out as a scripting language for web development and web applications, python has over the years gained enormous attention as a programming language in embedded controls and the IoT. Python is a general purpose, multi-paradigm, object-oriented programming language that is widely used for higher-level applications such as Artificial Intelligence, video streaming, scientific computing, data analysis, and search.
Why Python for IoT?
Python is acclaimed for its easy readability, error reduction and writability. It is easy to decipher and its design is in line with today’s agile work environment. With embedded algorithms becoming more complex by the day, Python is just the right choice of language for the development of IoT projects.
Difficulty level of Python
Believe it or not, but Python is an immensely popular introductory level programming language among students in the Internet of Things Training Institutes and undergraduate courses. It has an easy-to-use, clean syntax, which is ideal for novices. Apart from being easy to learn and code, this popular programming language is widely supported by a large community of developers and programmers.
Now, without wasting any more time, start learning the programming languages, which are worth knowing for IoT platform and projects. You can contact any good institute that provides comprehensive training on the latest programming languages and IoT courses.