Stack Overflow 2023 Developer Survey
Programming, scripting, and markup languages
2023 continues JavaScript’s streak as its eleventh year in a row as the most commonly-used programming language. Python has overtaken SQL as the third most commonly-used language, but placing first for those who are not professional developers or learning to code (Other Coders).
A few technologies moved up a spot this year (Bash/Shell, C, Ruby, Perl, and Erlang) with two moving up two spots (Elixir and Lisp). The big mover, gaining seven spots since 2022 was Lua, an embeddable scripting language.
Professional developers top three technologies are the same as last year—JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and SQL.
But it’s a different picture for those learning to code. HTML/CSS and JavaScript are almost tied as the most popular languages for people learning to code. Student developers use Python more than SQL (59% vs. 37%), while professional developers report using SQL more than Python (52% vs 45%).
Compared to Professional Developers, those learning to code are more likely to report using Java (37% vs 31%), C++ (32% vs 20%), and C (32% vs 17%).
Rust is the most admired language, more than 80% of developers that use it want to use it again next year. Compare this to the least admired language: MATLAB. Less than 20% of developers who used this language want to use it again next year.
Databases
This year, PostgreSQL took over the first place spot from MySQL. Professional Developers are more likely than those learning to code to use PostgreSQL (50%) and those learning are more likely to use MySQL (54%).
MongoDB is used by a similar percentage of both Professional Developers and those learning to code and it’s the second most popular database for those learning to code (behind MySQL).
PostgreSQL, Redis, and Datomic are the most admired databases with Datomic having the least users. That kind of admiration should push others to consider Datomic as a viable option.
Cloud platforms
AWS remains the most used cloud platform for all respondents. AWS handily makes it to the top spot, almost doubling the percentage of the second most used cloud platform for all respondents, Azure.
People learning to code are still using AWS (26%) the most but it is much more at parity amongst their top three cloud platforms (26% Google Cloud and 25% Firebase). Interestingly, Heroku was the most used cloud platform last year by those learning to code but it dropped to number five this year.
You can see the inroads that Azure has with organizations—twice as many Professional Developers are using Azure compared to people who are learning to code (30% vs. 15%).
Hetzner and Vercel have a large proportion that have used and want to continue using them (69%+); more developers would choose to work with these two cloud platforms over those that would choose to and have worked with the top three (AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud).
Web frameworks and technologies
Node.js and React.js are the two most common web technologies used by all respondents.
Professional Developers use both fairly equally and those learning to code use Node.js more than React (52% vs. 48%). jQuery and Express are the next two popular web technologies for all respondents, and jQuery is used more by Professional Developers than those learning to code (24% vs 18%), whereas Express is used more by those learning than professionals (25% vs. 20%).
Next.js moved from 11th place in 2022 to 6th this year, likely driven by its popularity with those learning to code.
Phoenix is the most admired web framework and technology; more developers would choose to work with Phoenix again than those who have used the three most common: React, Node.js, and Next.js.
Other frameworks and libraries
This year we disaggregated .NET to be more specific, and specifically .NET (5+) is top of the list again this year for other frameworks and libraries. Those learning to code are using NumPy and Pandas more than .NET (5+).
We added a few new options this year as well, and see RabbitMQ is fairly popular with professionals (14%). Python-compatible libraries continue the trend of scoring higher in this category amongst those learning to code, like last year, but interspersed amongst old favorites and new options, we see Opencv and OpenGL rise up into the top 10 list (13% and 11% respectively).
The most admired of the other frameworks and libraries category are Tauri, Hugging Face Transformers and .NET(5+). .NET(5+) is the most popular of it's category this year, while Tauri and Hugging Face Transformers are much less well known but have more admiration among its users.
Other tools
This year, Docker is the top-used other tool amongst all respondents (53%) rising from its second place spot last year.
People learning to code are more likely to be using npm or Pip than Docker (50% and 37% respectively vs. 26%). Both are used alongside languages that are popular with students (JavaScript and Python respectively).
More respondents want to continue using Cargo next year than the top competitors (top 6 tools that respondents want to use next year), however, Docker has almost double the proportion of respondents that want to use it next year compared to all other options.
Integrated development environment
Visual Studio Code remains the preferred IDE across all developers, increasing its use among all developers this year from 75% to 81%.
Visual Studio Code is the preferred IDE as far as what users want but Neovim has a higher proportion of users that want to continue using it next year (81% vs 77%).
Asynchronous tools
Why complicate it? Jira and Confluence are the top two async tools amongst all developers similar to last year, but this year a new addition to the list broke top three: 27% of respondents use markdown files as an async tool. People who are learning to code are using GitHub Discussions more than markdown files (31% vs. 29%) and turn to Notion (26%) and Trello (23%) more than professional developers.
Markdown files are the second most desired asynchronous tool and the most admired asynchronous tool. Markdown files can be deployed in various hosted instances and show an opportunity for paid solutions to reduce friction for sharing information.
Synchronous tools
The three most popular synchronous tools are universal for all respondents: Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zoom. Zoom was top of the list last year but is third place this year with about 10 percentage points fewer people having worked with it in the past year.
For those learning, Discord and Whatsapp are used more than any of the top three (70% and 45% respectively).
Microsoft Teams and Zoom have the lowest proportion of users that want to continue using given first-hand experience out the top five solutions users want to use next year.
