Web Reigns Supreme: Stack Overflow 2022 Developer Survey

In May of 2022, Stack Overflow surveyed over 70,000 developers from 180 countries around the world. Respondents were asked about everything from tools they love to those they can’t stand, where they’re working, and how they’re shaping the practice of software development. 

Stack Overflow looks at the most loved, dreaded, and wanted tools, as well as those that developers have worked with vs. want to work with. This gives strong insight into the tools and technologies your dev team will applaud (or cry over). 

HTML/CSS and JavaScript are still the most popular coding languages (by a mile)

When broken down by percentage, JavaScript is used by a whopping 65.36% of respondents (making it the most commonly used programming language for the 10th year in a row). Not far behind is HTML/CSS at 55%. Java trails behind at 33%, Kotlin at 9%, Dart at 6.5%, Swift is only used by 4.91% of respondents, and less than 3% are using Objective-C.  

Stack Overflow also looks at most loved vs. most dreaded technologies, and HTML/CSS and JavaScript remain loved by a majority (over 61%). Conversely, 77% of developers dread working with Objective-C, and 55% roll their eyes when asked to use Java.

If you’re hiring, the talent pool for web developers is (way) bigger 

Given that HTML/CSS and JavaScript remain the most popular coding languages, it means you have a far larger pool to hire from. Compared to native languages which only a small fraction of devs can successfully execute, web development remains extremely popular. 

You can increase your return on talent by hiring web developers as well, especially when you equip them with the right tools to create seamless native-feeling experiences without needing to know native languages. 

Web is the way to go

By leveraging web technologies, you not only open yourself up to a much larger talent pool, but you also use the tools that today’s developer community already knows and loves. You can save money on talent and ramp up time, since a majority of surveyed developers already know HTML/CSS/JavaScript. A hybrid development strategy allows you to leverage these languages to create powerful apps that still look and feel native.

About Ionic

Ionic is a leader in enterprise mobile app development, with 5 million developers worldwide and thousands of enterprise customers who use Ionic to build mission-critical apps for their customers, both external and internal. Ionic is unique in that it takes a web-first approach, leveraging HTML, CSS, and Javascript to build high-quality iOS, Android, desktop, and Progressive Web Apps, no native coding required. One codebase, any platform.