One fact that surprises most people in tech jobs is that there are more than 700 programming languages available to humankind. Most people know only a few main ones. A scripting language is similar to a programming language in that all scripting languages are programming languages. Scripting languages are simply a series of commands that are executed without compiling. Compiling is simply converting a program into a machine code for it to be executed. So, let me discuss some of the best scripting languages.
JavaScript
JavaScript is one of the most known scripting languages. It is an Object-Oriented Program whereby the objects are reused as prototypes. It has first-class functions meaning they are treated as variables. It uses the same syntax as the ECMA script, meaning it does not have a standalone specification. It is used in front-end web development and also in runtime and non-browser environments.
PHP
PHP that is PHP Hypertext Processor in full is the most popular scripting language for backend developers. PHP means Personal Home Page. It adds dynamic functionalities to static web pages. It has a similar syntax to C. It is object-oriented. It is executed in WAMP, LAMP and MAMP HTTP server stacks. It can also be used by WordPress, Joomla and Drupal, among other content management systems.
Perl
Perl is one of the oldest scripting languages. It was initially a UNIX scripting language in 1987 used in processing reports. CGI use by programmers popularised it. It is still used by Amazon, IMDB, BBC iPlayer, for backend development.
Bash
Bash stands for Bourne Again Shell. It is both a scripting language and a command-line interpreter for GNU operating system. You can run it in both scripting mode and interactive mode, which allows you to run a set of commands at once and execute a single command. It is used in the operating system for customizing and automating administrative tasks. It is mainly used in UNIX operating systems.
PowerShell
This scripting language is mainly made for Windows operating system and is used under the .NET core to create cross-platform applications. This configuration enables you to create applications for Windows, Linux and macOS.
Python
Python is among the most popular programming languages, and it requires less typing and more doing than other languages. Python Software Foundation manages it and it is one of the best open-source projects. It is an Object-Oriented Programming language. It runs across multiple platforms and is mainly used in backend web development, automation, data analytics, machine learning, web scraping and scientific computing.
Ruby
Ruby is an Object-Oriented Language that allows for procedural and functional programming. It is an open-source scripting language. It has a straightforward syntax that is capable of writing clean and logical code. It is mainly used for creating backend logic for web development. It is also helpful in powering web application frameworks. It supports runtime environments such as JRuby, mruby, Truffle Ruby and many others.
VBA
VBA stands for Visual Basic for Applications. It is mainly used to automate repetitive tasks, add new functionalities, and handle interaction with end-users of documents in Microsoft Windows Applications. They can be attached to keyboard shortcuts, macros, OLE events and menu buttons since Microsoft Office Applications have GUI that is a Graphical User Interface. It is applied in Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Project, Office for Mac. Publisher Visio and Word. It is used in apps such as CorelDRAW and AutoCAD.
Conclusion
There are a lot of scripting languages out there, each functioning in its own right. If you decide to learn them, it would be advisable if you start with these. As learning a language in real life, learning scripting languages require concentration and practice.
