There are many programing languages in the world. Some of them are very popular. All of them have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Here's what they have in common:
Large and active open source communities. Languages like Python, JavaScript, PHP, R, and Swift have huge communities behind them contributing to core language development, frameworks, libraries, tutorials, and discussion forums. This provides valuable support especially for new learners.
Cross-platform abilities. Python, JavaScript, Java, C#, and to some degree PHP can be used to build applications that run across operating systems like Windows, Linux, and macOS. This versatility makes them useful for different devices and environments. Swift and C/C++ are more tailored to Apple and low-level systems respectively.
Simplicity and approachability. Languages like Python, PHP, JavaScript, and to a slightly lesser extent, Swift and Java emphasize readable and writeable code that is easier for beginners to learn compared to languages like C/C++. But they retain capabilities for professional software development.
Rich ecosystems and libraries. No popular language stands alone. They have grown robust frameworks and pre-built modules that expand their capabilities for tasks like machine learning, web frameworks, mobile app development, game building, data analysis, GUI programming, and more specialized domains.
Industry demand and usage. The popularity of these languages directly corresponds to demand from software development, tech, and other industries. They power much of the software, web, and app landscape that has expanded so rapidly over the past two decades especially. Their popularity stems from proven real-world usage at scale.
You can learn more about them by clicking the links below.