Learn · Programming languages
SQL (structured query language) is the language for talking to relational databases: asking for data, filtering it, and updating it. It's not a general-purpose programming language, it's the standard way almost every app reads and writes structured data. Nearly every backend developer needs at least basic SQL.
A single SQL query can pull exactly the records you want from millions, join related data together, and summarize it. That power is why SQL has stayed the backbone of data work for decades, across databases like PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQL Server.
Even in an age of new tools, SQL remains essential because so much valuable data lives in relational databases. Learning it pays off for developers, analysts, and anyone who needs to answer questions from a company's data.
Updated July 2026
Go deeper
Related
Python is used for data science, AI and machine learning, automation, scripting, and backend web development. It's known for readable, beginner-friendly syntax and a vast library ecosystem. As of early 2026 it's the most popular language on the TIOBE index, driven largely by the AI boom.
Choose based on what you're building, the talent available, and the ecosystem, not on which language is trendy. Web front end means JavaScript or TypeScript. Data and AI lean Python. High-performance systems suit Go or Rust. The best language is usually the one your team knows well and that has strong libraries for your task.
JavaScript is the language of the web browser. It makes web pages interactive: menus, forms, animations, and live updates. With Node.js it also runs on servers, so one language can power both the front and back end. It's the most widely used language, topping developer surveys every year since 2011.
TypeScript is JavaScript with types added. You declare what kind of data each value holds, and the tools catch mismatches before the code runs. It compiles down to plain JavaScript, so it runs everywhere JavaScript does. It's become the default for serious projects and, as of 2025, the top language on GitHub by contributors.
Java is used for large enterprise systems, Android apps, and backend services that need to run reliably at scale. It's been a backbone of corporate and banking software for decades because it's stable, well-supported, and runs the same across different machines. It remains one of the most in-demand languages in 2026.
Go (or Golang), created at Google, is used for backend services, cloud infrastructure, and networking tools that need speed and handle many things at once. It's compiled, fast, and simple by design, which makes it popular for the servers and tools behind large-scale systems.