JavaScript has been considered the king of the web for decades. Everything was written in it — from simple scripts to complex frontend applications and even servers. But in the fresh rating IEEE Spectrum the language suddenly lost its position. Why did this happen, and is the JS era coming to an end? Let's find out.
What do the ratings show?
IEEE Spectrum annually analyzes dozens of metrics: vacancies, GitHub repositories, search queries, and activity in Stack Overflow. In 2024, JavaScript noticeably lost ground, giving way to Python, Java, and even C++.
🏆 | Language | Reasons for popularity |
|---|---|---|
1 | Python | AI, Data Science, ease of learning |
2 | Java | Corporate systems, Android, backend |
3 | C++ | System programming, games, high-perf |
4 | C | Embedded, OS, critical systems |
5 | C# | .NET, Unity, enterprise applications |
6 | JavaScript | Web frameworks, frontend, Node.js |
7 | SQL | Data processing, analytics |
8 | Go | Network services, microservices |
9 | Rust | Memory security, system programming |
10 | MATLAB | Science, research |
The impact of artificial intelligence
One of the main factors of the fall is AI boom.
Developers are increasingly choosing Python as the main language for working with machine learning.
Many beginners start with Python: simple syntax + a huge number of courses on Data Science.
Code generators and Copilot-like tools lower the “entry threshold” to AI, and JavaScript is overshadowed here.
But will the web disappear?
No, and that's why talking about the "death" of JavaScript would be naive.
All modern front-end frameworks (React, Vue, Angular, Svelte) work on JS.
Even new languages and translators (TypeScript, Solid, Qwik) are built on top of it.
Node.js and Deno continue to evolve on the server.
In fact, JavaScript has become an "infrastructure" language: without it, the web will not work, but the hype focus has shifted.
What's next for JS?
Sustainable core: The web will never leave JavaScript while there are browsers.
New standards: ECMAScript continues to evolve (Record & Tuple, Temporal API, etc.).
AI integration: projects are emerging that connect JavaScript to ML models via WebGPU and TensorFlow.js.
Total
JavaScript has indeed lost its position in the rankings, but this is not a "fall", but a redistribution of interest. The center of the industry has shifted to AI, where Python dominates, but the web hasn't gone anywhere. JS remains the foundation of the front-end and an important part of server technologies.
And if you're just starting out in IT, JavaScript is still a great choice, especially if you want to create interfaces and work with the web.
In Codice we not only teach programming, but also analyze the latest news and technologies.
Want to keep up with trends, get reviews of new tools, and participate in discussions?
👉 Subscribe to our Telegram channel and learn with Kodik!