The Best Programming Languages for Blockchain Development

Interest in blockchain development has been steadily growing as the digital distributed ledger technology finds use cases in not only the much-hyped cryptocurrency and NFT sectors, but also as a useful software tool for e-commerce, finance, logistics, entertainment, governance, and more. Companies across a variety of industries are investing in custom software development to create their own blockchain-based platforms to suit their business needs, and new developers are interested in learning how to code for blockchain specifically. In either case, which are the best blockchain programming languages to use?

Most blockchain development draws from the same knowledge of coding frameworks that underpin web and mobile app development. Each programming language has its own advantages and limitations and could be suited to different projects. In this article, we’ll take a look at what each of the best languages for blockchain development have to offer, starting with a notable coding language specialized in blockchain.

Solidity – The Best Language for Smart Contracts on EVM

Anyone with even a passing interest in the blockchain and cryptocurrency space has heard of Ethereum. It is often cited as the second most popular cryptocurrency, referring to its native ETH token, but Ethereum is much more than that. The Ethereum network serves as a platform for the development of decentralized apps (dApps). These applications form the basis of many of the most exciting blockchain use cases, such as DeFi, smart contracts, and NFTs.

The majority of smart contracts are built on chains on the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine), using an object-oriented programming language called Solidity. Solidity shares some of its lineage with JavaScript and C++, and should be easier to pick up for developers who are familiar with the latter two, but it is specially designed for smart contracts on the EVM and contains several built-in functions and commands for that purpose.

The EVM supports not only Ethereum, but many other popular blockchains such as Polygon, Tron, Hedera, Avalanche, and others. This makes Solidity a very useful programming language across a wide range of different blockchain projects.

JavaScript – The Best Language for Web3

JavaScript is another object-oriented programming language, but rather than being specialized in smart contracts, is widely used for many non-blockchain products such as web development. JavaScript is more versatile than Solidity and is widely used in off-chain development, e.g., to fetch data from different blockchains. Using JavaScript, one can add interactive and UI elements to a dApp, making it more dynamic and user-friendly.

JavaScript is already hugely important in the development of the current Internet, or Web2, along with HTML and CSS. But it is also a popular framework for developing for Web3. Web3 is intended to be the next stage of the internet that we all use today, so it needs much more than smart contracts. Web3 is slated to encompass social media, virtual reality worlds, e-commerce, gaming, and fintech, all based on a blockchain platform that should give users more autonomy on the Internet.

An ambitious project like Web3 needs many complex and interactive elements, which is why JavaScript, using the “Web3.js” Web3 library, is a solid choice for blockchain developers.

Rust – For Specialist Projects

Solidity is the most popular programming language for smart contracts, but although it works well with many of the most popular blockchains on the market, it is not compatible with some others, such as Solana and Polkadot. For these projects, Rust is the coding language of choice. Even Ethereum uses Rust for some specific purposes.

Rust is a low-level programming language created to replace C++ for low-level systems development. It has been praised for its safety and performance and allows for the building of concurrent programs.

Find Experienced Blockchain Developers

Blockchain is an exciting field in the software industry right now, and, depending on the type of project you want to build you may need developers with expertise in several different programming languages, as well as relevant skills such as UX/UI design, cybersecurity, and fintech experience.

AccelOne’s Nearshore development team has experience in creating powerful blockchain enterprise solutions, including cryptocurrencies and smart contracts. To learn how we can help build a blockchain product to meet your business goals, contact us online or call 800.863.6814.