Top 5 Programming Languages to build an eCommerce Site

Building an e-commerce site is much more complicated than building a normal website. With e-commerce, many factors like navigation, product database, security, etc. need to be considered to deliver a good user experience. So, you must choose the best programming language for the development process. 

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However, with such a wide range of programming languages out there, it is easy to get confused. Let us have a look at the different options of programming languages you can use to build an e-commerce site:

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1. Java 

A class-based, object-oriented, general-purpose language, Java is one of the leading languages suitable for e-commerce development. This concurrent language currently fuels more than 57,000 websites on the web and is known as one of the most high-performing languages. Given the popularity of this language, the community of Java developers has grown to more than 8 million across the globe. According to PYPL, Java is the second most popular programming language as of December 2022. 

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Java can effectively be used to build programs that can smoothly work on all kinds of devices and platforms. Its syntax matches that of C and C++ and it is one of the most scalable, flexible, and versatile languages for e-commerce development. Development with Java saves time and effort as you don’t have to develop a website differently for different platforms. 

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Pros of Java

- Used by Flipkart and Amazon

- Comes with features like Automatic Memory, Multithreading, Garbage Collection, etc. 

- Spring-Boot helps create fast and smooth websites that are also bug-free

- Customization and modernization are made possible by tools like Webpack

- Secure and Platform-independent language 

- Many 3rd party libraries are available 

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Cons of Java

- Not-so-excellent look and feel of the store

- Code architecture is complex compared to other languages

- Garbage collection comes with limited to no control 

- High requirements for processing and memory lead to increased cost

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2. Python 

Being the number one programming language in the world (according to PYPL), Python is perfect for e-commerce development. The high-level, general-purpose language works behind more than 120,000 websites on the web. In the last five years, the growth in popularity and performance of Python has increased by 18-19%. 

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Python is known for its famous standard libraries like Pandas, SciPy, NumPy, etc. It also comes with tools for the development of e-commerce prototypes that help developers with easy and smooth workflow. All the frameworks associated with this language are also easy to work with and provide regular updates, helping you keep your e-commerce website updated. 

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Pros of Python

- Versatile, scalable, robust, and simple programming language

- Frameworks like Satchmo and Django help run the code fast and add numerous features to the website

- Helps add AI-based chatbots and other customer support features 

- Comes with an extensive list of libraries 

- A portable language that provides easy customization 

- A large community offering amazing support for the development

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Cons of Python

- The memory and garbage collection features can get complicated 

- Comes with limitations in speed and mobile computing

- Difficult to read the functional programming

- Data access layers are underdeveloped

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Related: 4 Tips to Automate eCommerce Operations

3. JavaScript 

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One of the most popular applications of JS is the implementation of client-side scripts for user interactions, modification of data display, and asynchronous communication. The language gains its popularity because of its fast response to client-side browser requests and that is the number one requirement of users these days. 

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For developing highly scalable, dynamic, and sophisticated e-commerce websites, JavaScript comes in handy. The websites created on top of JS have the best look and feel and deliver the best user experience. So, JS helps e-commerce stores boost their customer experience, sales, and conversions. 

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Pros of JavaScript

- Improves page load speed by improving web forms 

- E-commerce tools like Knockout.Js, BrowserSync, Karograph.js, etc. make development easy and efficient

- Offers a fast and extensible development process

- High-performing websites that can easily be executed on client-side

- Easy to learn and offers hassle-free management

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Cons of JavaScript

- Issues with security because the code is easily visible

- Debugging facilities are minimal 

- Only supports single inheritance 

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4. PHP 

Another leader on the list, PHP is one of the most famous programming languages out there, widely used for e-commerce development. It is also a general-purpose programming language that powers more than 4,000,000 websites currently, including giants like WordPress, Wikipedia, Facebook, etc. 

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PHP is an open-source language that is quite easy to learn, given community support. It comes loaded with features like easy integration with JS, CSS, and HTML, object orientation, cross-platform functionalities, etc. Also, it offers a great variety of frameworks like Symfony, CodeIgniter, Laravel, CakePHP, and more. With such features and development tools, you can create a robust, scalable, and easy-to-maintain e-commerce website. 

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Pros of PHP

- Well-known for its personalization features 

- Comes with many components, plugins, and components for better development processes 

- Offers great look and feel of e-commerce stores 

- A stable and easy-to-use language 

- Extensive library support

- Open-source with a huge community support 

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Cons of PHP

- Security and strength issues 

- Not the right choice for big projects 

- Inefficient error handling 

- Cannot handle multiple apps 

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Related: How Easy is It to Use AI in eCommerce?

5. C++ 

One of the most dreaded programming languages, C++ is considered complex and difficult to learn. Yet, when it comes to e-commerce website development, this is one of the best programming languages you can trust.

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C++ powers almost every backend language and comes with several syntax options that make it a secure, flexible, and scalable language. Along with looking after development complications, C++ also provides many features like enumeration value types, direct memory access, etc. 

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Being an object-oriented programming language, C++ also comes with functionalities like polymorphism, encapsulation, classes, data abstraction, inheritance, etc. 

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Pros of C++

- A multi-paradigm language 

- Complete control over memory management

- Scalable and portable language 

- Low-level data manipulation 

- A huge community with constant support

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Cons of C++:

- Has security issues 

- No garbage collector is available

- The use of pointers leads to more memory usage

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To Conclude

Out of these hero programming languages, it is tough to choose the best one but we tried to narrow it down to the best five. Now, if we look at the numbers and stats, Python and JavaScript top the charts, being the most popular languages out there. These programming languages are widely used by many websites already. Also, they provide a plethora of tools and technologies that make the development process easy. 

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From the four languages mentioned in the list, you can choose the one that suits your project the best in all aspects. You can seek assistance from experts to know your answer as they will measure the pros and cons of each language as per the needs of your eCommerce website.   Once you decide and have everyting set up, get in touch with our team for your eCommerce fulfillment needs.

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Recommended: Why Is My WooCommerce Site Slow? 7 Reasons