The State of the Developer Ecosystem 2024: A Comprehensive Analysis

The JetBrains 2024 State of Developer Ecosystem Report provides an in-depth analysis of the programming world, examining the tools, languages, and technologies developers use today. Surveying over 23,000 developers globally, this report offers insights into current trends, emerging technologies, and preferences within the software development community. Here, we dissect every detail, categorized for clarity.

Key Takeaways from the Report

Programming Languages

Top 10 Programming Languages in 2024

JavaScript

Adoption: 61% of developers continue to use JavaScript, especially in web development.
Trends: Although still dominant, its use has slightly decreased as alternatives gain traction.
Strengths: Ubiquity, large ecosystem (NPM), and ease of integration with various platforms.
Challenges: Managing large codebases, runtime performance issues, and inconsistencies across environments.

Python

Adoption: A favorite for 47% of developers, especially in data science, machine learning, and automation.
Trends: A steady rise due to its versatility and ease of learning for beginners.
Strengths: Readability, extensive libraries (NumPy, Pandas, TensorFlow), and strong community support.
Challenges: Performance limitations in computationally-heavy tasks, dependency conflicts.

TypeScript

Adoption: Used by 35% of developers, showing a significant rise since 2017 (12%).
Trends: Preferred by JavaScript developers for its type-safety and maintainability.
Strengths: Static typing, early error detection, and integration with existing JavaScript projects.
Challenges: Learning curve for beginners, slower build times due to type-checking.

Java

Adoption: A workhorse for 33% of developers, largely in enterprise and Android development.
Trends: Decline in adoption as Kotlin and modern alternatives emerge in specific areas.
Strengths: Platform independence, stability, and extensive library support.
Challenges: Verbosity and competition from lightweight languages like Kotlin.

C#

Adoption: Preferred by 28% of developers, especially for Windows applications and game development.
Trends: Growth in popularity due to Unity’s dominance in game development.
Strengths: Strong integration with Microsoft ecosystems, modern syntax, and a thriving community.
Challenges: Platform dependency for non-Windows environments, slower adoption outside of the enterprise sector.

Rust

Adoption: Used by 18% of developers, especially those seeking performance and safety.
Trends: Growth driven by the need for high-performance and memory-safe applications.
Strengths: Zero-cost abstractions, ownership model, and robust performance.
Challenges: Steep learning curve and limited library ecosystem compared to established languages.

Kotlin

Adoption: A favorite for Android developers, with 16% usage overall.
Trends: Adoption accelerated by Google’s official endorsement for Android development.
Strengths: Concise syntax, null safety, and seamless interoperability with Java.
Challenges: Slower build times and smaller community compared to Java.

PHP

Adoption: Used by 15% of developers, primarily in web development.
Trends: Steady decline due to competition from modern back-end frameworks like Node.js.
Strengths: Easy to deploy, vast library support, and widespread hosting availability.
Challenges: Security vulnerabilities and perception as an outdated language.

Go (Golang)

Adoption: Employed by 12% of developers, particularly in cloud and DevOps projects.
Trends: Growth driven by simplicity and concurrency support.
Strengths: Lightweight, efficient performance, and excellent support for microservices.
Challenges: Limited third-party libraries and a smaller talent pool compared to Java or Python.

Swift

Adoption: Used by 9% of developers, mainly for iOS/macOS development.
Trends: Steady usage, driven by Apple’s ecosystem requirements.
Strengths: Performance, safety features, and native support for Apple platforms.
Challenges: Platform dependency and limited use cases outside the Apple ecosystem.

Language Adoption by Category

Web Development

JavaScript (61%), TypeScript (35%), and PHP (15%) dominate web development.
Frameworks like React and Angular drive JavaScript and TypeScript usage.

Mobile Development

Kotlin (16%) for Android and Swift (9%) for iOS are the top choices.
Flutter’s rise is promoting Dart adoption, though it remains niche.

Data Science and AI

Python (47%) leads by a wide margin, with R and Julia making minor inroads.

Game Development

C# (28%) dominates, thanks to Unity, with C++ also seeing significant use in AAA game development.

System Programming

Rust (18%) and C++ are preferred for performance-critical and low-level systems.

Enterprise Applications

Java (33%) and C# (28%) remain stalwarts in enterprise development.

Top 10 Languages with the Most Growth Since 2020

TypeScript

Growth: Increased from approximately 25% in 2020 to 35% in 2024.
Factors: Rising popularity in front-end frameworks, JavaScript enhancements, and strong typing benefits.

Python

Growth: Expanded from approximately 45% in 2020 to 47% in 2024.
Factors: Versatility, widespread adoption for machine learning, and extensive library support.

Rust

Growth: Increased from approximately 10% in 2020 to 18% in 2024.
Factors: Usage in system-level programming, focus on safety and performance, and advocacy by tech giants.

Kotlin

Growth: Rose from approximately 12% in 2020 to 16% in 2024.
Factors: Interoperability with Java, concise syntax, and Google’s endorsement for Android development.

Go (Golang)

Growth: Increased from approximately 9% in 2020 to 12% in 2024.
Factors: Ease of use, concurrency support, and gains in popularity for cloud computing and DevOps.

C#

Growth: Increased from approximately 25% in 2020 to 28% in 2024.
Factors: Strong support from Microsoft, integration with .NET, and steady increase fueled by game development.

JavaScript

Growth: Slightly decreased from approximately 65% in 2020 to 61% in 2024.
Factors: Despite a slight decrease, innovations like Deno and modern frameworks sustain interest. Ecosystem evolution and cross-platform capabilities.

Swift

Growth: Increased from approximately 7% in 2020 to 9% in 2024.
Factors: Improved tools, exclusive focus on iOS/macOS development, and gradual increase within Apple’s ecosystem.

PHP

Growth: Decreased from approximately 20% in 2020 to 15% in 2024.
Factors: Despite a decline, sustained by legacy projects and consistent web development use cases. Hosting availability and framework updates like Laravel.

C++

Growth: Increased from approximately 22% in 2020 to 25% in 2024.
Factors: Updates like the C++20 standard, performance optimization needs, and marginal growth driven by embedded systems and performance-critical applications.

Developer Tools and AI Integration

AI Tools:

69% of developers have experimented with AI tools like ChatGPT.
49% use AI regularly in workflows for tasks such as code completion, debugging, and documentation.

IDEs:

IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio Code, and Eclipse remain the top choices.

The 2024 developer ecosystem reveals fascinating insights across multiple dimensions. Developer experience shows a strong emphasis on continuous learning and adaptation to new technologies, with most developers spending 20% of their time learning new skills. The developers’ life section highlights a healthy work-life balance trend, with remote work becoming increasingly prevalent. Regarding salaries, there’s a notable upward trend, particularly in specialized fields like AI/ML and cloud computing, with experience level and location playing significant roles in compensation. The job market trends indicate strong demand for full-stack developers, cloud architects, and AI specialists, with remote opportunities continuing to expand. Demographics show increasing diversity in the field, though there’s still room for improvement in gender and age representation. The methodology employed in this survey ensures statistical significance with over 23,000 respondents from various regions and specializations. The raw data demonstrates the comprehensive nature of the study, covering multiple aspects of developer life, tools, and career progression in 2024.