GitHut is a platform that provides analytics and visualizations for GitHub, the largest and most popular code hosting platform. It offers insights into the activity and popularity of programming languages and GitHub repositories.
By analyzing GitHub’s data, such as the number of pushes or pull requests for different programming languages, GitHut shows trends in their usage, contributions to public repositories, and other metrics related to software development activities.
Python Reigns Supreme
Unsurprisingly, in 2023, Python continues to be the top choice among developers using GitHub with almost 18% share among all programming languages, maintaining its lead for the fourth consecutive year, showing a year-over-year increase of 0.5%, solidifying its position as the most popular language.
Despite a slight decline, Java remains strong in second place with just over 11% usage. But what should be emphasized is that Java, uniquely among other programing languages that have experienced various ups and downs, has maintained a steady trajectory over the last decade, demonstrating its role as a stable pillar in the entire IT sector.
The Rise of Go
Go, rising swiftly in the rankings, has secured third place and is on the verge of surpassing Java, trailing by less than 0.3%. This, of course, has its explanation in the boom of cloud-based applications and services in recent years, where Go is one of the top choices for DevOps engineers.
JavaScript, once the undisputed leader on GitHub from 2014 to 2018, has experienced a notable decrease in popularity over the past four years despite maintaining a strong position. C++ and TypeScript occupy the fifth and sixth positions, respectively.
GitHub’s Top Programming Languages for 2023
Here’s a glimpse at the top 10 programming languages of 2023 on GitHub, ranked according to pull requests – a proposal to merge code changes into a repository, which is a reliable measure.
| Ranking | Programming Language | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Python | 17.715% |
| 2 | Java | 11.086% |
| 3 | Go | 10.817% |
| 4 | JavaScript | 10.065% |
| 5 | C++ | 9.712% |
| 6 | TypeScript | 7.610% |
| 7 | PHP | 4.835% |
| 8 | Ruby | 4.690% |
| 9 | C | 4.309% |
| 10 | C# | 3.531% |
PHP’s Popularity Dips
However, as some programming languages gain popularity, others lose their appeal. This is particularly evident with PHP and Ruby. PHP, long-established in web development, has slipped to seventh place with 4.8% popularity. Ruby follows closely, holding 4.7%. The ninth and tenth places in the top 10 most popular languages on GitHub for 2023 are respectively taken by C and C#.
Conclusion
Overall, the data on programming language popularity and year-over-year (YoY) change reveals a dynamic landscape in software development. Python continues to lead with modest growth, indicating its strong and growing presence.
Go is also gaining traction, showcasing its increasing relevance in the industry, reflecting shifts in technology trends and developer preferences. Traditional languages such as Java and C++ have shown good resilience, proving their undeniable qualities over the years that are relevant to this day.
On the opposite end, languages such as PHP and Ruby are past their prime, with this downward trend likely to intensify.
For more information, visit the GitHut page.
And Gnome pick javascript for their environment. Go figure.