Blockchain development hinges on programming languages, much like any sort of software development. Although platforms like Moralis make blockchain programming easier than ever, you should still know about the most popular languages when developing your dApps (decentralized applications). Moreover, the blockchain sector is in acute need of more proficient programmers and Web3 developers. As such, now is a great time to transition towards the Web3 industry if you’re already a Web3 developer. However, to become a blockchain developer, there are a few particular skills you need to master. For example, you’ll need to understand and be proficient in specific programming languages. For this reason, we’re going to look closer in this article at the best languages for blockchain development.
You might not have any previous development experience; however, with Moralis, becoming a blockchain developer is significantly easier! Even though prior development skills are favorable, there isn’t much you have to learn to, for example, create a dApp or tokens. With Moralis, it’s possible to eliminate some of the most cumbersome tasks of Web3 development, such as the need to develop a complex backend infrastructure.
Moreover, Moralis provides a handful of practical development tools that can aid you when developing dApps, fungible tokens, and NFTs (non-fungible tokens). For example, the platform provides Moralis Speedy Nodes and Moralis’ NFT and Price API.
So, if you are looking to become a blockchain developer, then the first step in the right direction is to sign up with Moralis. Signing up is free, and you’ll receive instantaneous access to all the platforms’ development tools!
Solidity and JavaScript – Best Languages for Blockchain Development
Becoming a blockchain developer might seem like a cumbersome task; however, it doesn’t have to be that difficult. There are several helpful development tools and platforms that make dApp development more accessible. However, there are a few essential elements you’ll need to know the basics of. When it comes to the world of crypto, the two best languages for blockchain development are Solidity and JavaScript. Furthermore, depending on what blockchains you wish to develop on, you might also need some skills regarding Rust.
However, the most prominent development blockchains support something known as the EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine). Chains utilizing the EVM, therefore, support Solidity-built smart contracts. As such, we’ll focus on Solidity and JavaScript since they are the most well-used languages for blockchain development.
Moreover, JavaScript and Solidity have many similarities as they both are object-oriented languages. As such, if you have prior knowledge of JavaScript, it shouldn’t be too difficult to master Solidity. However, even though the languages share some similarities, their purposes are entirely different.
Developers use Solidity for developing smart contracts, which only takes up about 10% of the code when creating a dApp. On the other hand, JavaScript is more substantial, and when using Moralis, we can accomplish a lot with JavaScript. JavaScript, compared to Solidity, is used primarily for off-chain development and involves, for example, fetching data from various blockchains.
So, this means that knowing both Solidity and JavaScript will advance your blockchain development journey significantly. For this reason, we’ll take a deep dive into these two languages in the following sections.
However, if you’d like to learn more about these languages but prefer watching a video, check out the following clip from Moralis’ YouTube channel:
The Best Languages for Blockchain Development: Solidity
As was mentioned in the previous section, Solidity is a language used to develop smart contracts. As Solidity specializes in creating smart contracts, the community considers Solidity the first contract-oriented programming language. The language has influences from both C++ and JavaScript, which means that they share many features. For example, Solidity is a “curly-bracket” language and supports inheritance. As such, prior knowledge of JavaScript and C++ will help you learn Solidity at a quicker rate.
Since Solidity is specially designed for developing smart contracts, the language provides some already developed functions and commands. This means that developers, for example, can easily access timestamps for particular blocks and addresses on various chains. These commands and the orientation towards smart contracts make blockchain and smart contract development more seamless with Solidity.
Furthermore, this object-oriented programming language enables developers to create EVM-compatible smart contracts. This means that whenever a contract is finalized, it’s compiled into EVM’s bytecode. As such, any chain using the EVM can also run the contracts developed using Solidity. For this reason, it is possible to code smart contracts for most major blockchains such as BSC, Ethereum, Polygon, etc. This means that learning Solidity doesn’t limit you to Ethereum development but gives you further opportunities for the industry.
Moreover, when explaining Solidity, we’ve mentioned smart contracts consistently. If you are new to the world of blockchain, this might be an unfamiliar concept to you. As such, we’ll dive deeper into the topic of what smart contracts are in the following section.
Furthermore, if you have an interest in learning Solidity, then visit Ivan on Tech Academy. There you’ll find courses on Ethereum development that covers the development of smart contracts with Solidity.
What are Smart Contracts?
Smart contracts are one of the most well-known examples of blockchain development, and are vital when creating dApps. To explain what they are, we’re going to be using Ethereum’s blockchain as an example. So, when it comes to Ethereum development, smart contracts are essentially programs running on the blockchain. Any Ethereum smart contract has two essential parts: 1) the functions of the contract and 2) its data. Once deployed, this information is then stored on a specific Ethereum address.
Furthermore, all smart contracts are also a specific type of account. Since they are accounts of the network, they have a balance and can make transactions on the chain. However, they differ from regular user accounts in the way that no user actually controls them. Instead, the code of the contract controls the account and decides if a transaction will execute.
It is not uncommon to compare smart contracts to digital vending machines, and this is an excellent analogy to explain how they function. So, imagine a contract as a vending machine; you first input some funds, the machine then analyses the amount, and if it’s sufficient, it returns something as a result. However, instead of returning a physical product, the smart contract often executes some form of on-chain transaction.
Furthermore, one of the many remarkable things about the blockchain community is the amount of open-source code. There are many smart contracts already written and available online, meaning that you, in many cases, don’t even need to write your own contracts. As such, it’s possible to create dApps without having to construct a single contract from scratch.
The Best Languages for Blockchain Development: JavaScript
The second language that you should look into if you want to become a blockchain developer is JavaScript. JavaScript is an object-oriented programming language that is primarily used for web development. JavaScript code adds functionality and interactivity elements to a website. As such, every time a web page does more than just display data, it’s a high chance that JavaScript is part of the equation.
Furthermore, JavaScript is often referred to as the third layer of Web2 development. The two prior layers are CSS and HTML, which are also important factors when developing web applications. HTML is a markup language that adds fields, buttons, and structure to a web page, while developers use CSS to style the page according to their preferences.
JavaScript makes web pages much more dynamic than when solely utilizing CSS and HTML. As such, this language enhances web pages making them user-friendly and dynamic. This is important to ensure that users are coming back to our applications and web pages.
Moreover, JavaScript is huge when it comes to Web3 development as well. It’s possible to use the same three layers of Web2 to create web applications for the decentralized web. As such, we can use JavaScript to add functionality and intractability, HTML to structure the content, and CSS to style our dApps.
However, there are some minor differences between Web2 and Web3 JavaScript development. For example, when it comes to Web3, it is necessary to implement and know how to use the “Web3.js” Web3 library. But, if you have prior experience working with JavaScript for Web2 development, then you’ll be able to master the Web3 library with ease.
The Best Languages for Blockchain Development: Rust
It is possible to utilize Solidity when developing on most of the significant blockchains available on the market. However, there are some exceptions, meaning that another language is necessary to create smart contracts. For example, if you’d like to build on Solana, Solidity won’t work, and instead, you’ll need to work with Rust when creating smart contracts. So, what is Rust?
Rust is a multi-paradigm, statically typed, low-level programming language that emphasizes security and performance. The language set out to solve some of the most significant C++ and C programming issues, such as building concurrent programs.
Here are three of the most prominent benefits of Rust’s programming language:
- The compiler ensures better memory safety.
- More accessible concurrency.
- Zero-cost abstractions.
However, this is only a brief summary of Rust, and we will not dive any deeper into that topic. The reason for this is that Solidity and JavaScript are more widely used for Web3 development. So, if you need to prioritize, starting with Solidity and JavaScript should be the first choice. This will provide you with the most opportunities and give you a more comprehensive range of chains to work with.
Moralis Explained
Even though development on most blockchains requires the same languages, some exceptions are out there. However, one constant and commonality for most blockchain development is the possibility to utilize Moralis.
Moralis is the ultimate middleware for Web3 development, and the platform provides an already developed backend infrastructure for its users. As such, Moralis allows developers to avoid the complex development process of setting up a backend.
Furthermore, another helpful tool when writing JavaScript code is the Moralis SDK (Software Development Kit). The Moralis SDK provides already developed functions that are commonly used in dApp development. As such, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, and as a result, you can save vast amounts of time and resources. For example, here are some of the functionalities ready to use out of the box with Moralis:
- Logging in users.
- Fetching balances regarding everything from NFTs to fungible tokens.
- Fetching transactions.
- Getting smart contract events.
- Sending transactions.
Creating these functions from scratch would be a waste of time since this part of Web3 development is quite complicated. However, this is exactly why you should complement your skills in Solidity and JavaScript with Moralis. Furthermore, you don’t have to know too much about these languages if you are using Moralis as the platform makes Web3 development more accessible. You’ll find more information regarding what’s possible with Moralis in the official documentation.
So, if you’re looking to become a blockchain developer, you should sign up with Moralis right away. This will give you immediate access to the platform’s tools, including the SDK.
The Best Languages for Blockchain Development – Summary
In short, the best languages for blockchain development that you should check out are Solidity and JavaScript. Solidity is the number one programming language for developing smart contracts. However, in some instances, it’s not even necessary to know Solidity since there are already developed contracts on the market that can be used in dApp development.
Furthermore, JavaScript is the best language for blockchain development when it comes to off-chain programming. Using JavaScript, in combination with Moralis, makes it relatively easy to set up the necessary functionalities that your dApps need. If you have an interest in learning more about JavaScript, you can visit Ivan on Tech Academy, which offers an excellent JavaScript course.
Moreover, Solidity and JavaScript will allow you to develop on a multitude of chains such as Ethereum, Polygon, Avalanche, and BSC. As such, understanding these languages will provide you with endless opportunities. Furthermore, one platform that will significantly help you in the development process, no matter which chain you are developing on, is Moralis. The backend infrastructure that the platform provides enables you to avoid reinventing the wheel, and as a result, you’ll be able to save vast amounts of resources.
As such, signing up with Moralis is the first step towards becoming a top-tier blockchain developer! Joining the platform is completely free, and you can begin your development journey right away. Also, check out Moralis’ free guides on everything from the limitations of RPC nodes, the BEP20 testnet, or NFT token development with Moralis’ comprehensive NFT API.
