The world of software development is always moving forward, often with new and emerging technologies — such as artificial intelligence — to help developers build applications. However, there are also tried and true technologies like JavaScript that year after year remain popular with developers.
Those are some of the takeaways from the Stack Overflow 2023 Developer Survey, which was released on June 14. The survey is one of the most comprehensive developer ones released in any given year, with questions involving 370 different technologies and garnering 90,000 responses from developers around the world to determine the state of the key trends in software development.
Top findings in the report include:
- AWS remains the most used cloud platform for all respondents.
- Docker is a top used tool amongst all respondents (53%).
- JavaScript is the most commonly used programming language for the 11th straight year.
- PostgreSQL is now the most popular database.
- 70% of developers are already using or planning to use AI tools in their development process.
"Curiosity is starting to outweigh the skepticism around AI," Joy Cicman Liuzzo, vice president of product marketing at Stack Overflow, told ITPro Today. "We didn't expect to see 70% already using or planning to use AI tools in their development process."
Liuzzo said that besides improving productivity and efficiency, speeding up learning will also be a benefit of making AI tools part of the workflow of both professional developers and those learning to code, according to the survey.
The Role of AI in Modern Development
In a small sample survey Stack Overflow conducted in March, developers reported being both skeptical and curious about AI. And the participants in the larger survey echoed those same sentiments.
AI tools are increasingly becoming part of software development with the widespread usage of ChatGPT, which has been used by 83% of survey respondents. GitHub Copilot is one of the most widely used AI developer tools, with 44% of respondents reporting they work with it now and 78% stating they plan on working with it.
While developers are using AI tools, they don't necessarily trust them, at least not entirely. When asked how much they trust the accuracy of the output from AI tools as part of a development workflow, only 3% said they highly trust the output — 39% reported they "somewhat trust" the output, 31% said they "neither trust nor distrust" it, and 22% "somewhat distrust" the output from AI tools.
JavaScript Dominates Usage but Rust Is Most Admired
Looking at the most popular programming languages, JavaScript dominates, with 64% of developers using the language as part of their workflow. Python also remains popular at 49%, with Java trailing at 31%. Go and Rust both came in at roughly 13%.
While Rust usage trails other options, when asked what language is most admired, Rust came out on top at 85%; however, only 31% reported that they "desired" Rust.
"It means people who worked with it in the last year still want to work with it in the future," Liuzzo explained. "The wide distance between these two points is a good thing. It means that the more people get their hands on Rust, the more they want to keep using it."
About the author
Sean Michael Kerner is an IT consultant, technology enthusiast and tinkerer. He consults to industry and media organizations on technology issues.
