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9 Best Programming Languages for Blockchain Development

The blockchain industry has already reached that point of development when it consists of several competitive ecosystems that rule the market and dictate the terms of your future project. To navigate this complex landscape, it’s important to have a deep understanding of the various blockchain programming languages that are used to build and deploy decentralized applications (dApps) on these ecosystems.

At the moment, we’ve got a huge ecosystem of EVM blockchains, including Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, Polygon, Avalanche, etc. Next, there are two big projects that connect different ecosystems based on interoperability: Polkadot with Substrate-based projects and Cosmos with Cosmos SDK-compatible projects. Besides, you can find some young, fast-paced ecosystems (Solana or Secret Network), a self-sufficient DFINITY, and pretty old but still worthy ecosystems of Telos and EOS, let alone the whole family of Bitcoin forks and altchains.

Blockchain is not going anywhere – only in 2021, the worldwide spending on blockchain solutions reached $6.6B, which is projected to triple by 2024. And that’s why, if you really want to stay on top of the charts and build a successful product popular with many users worldwide, you should think of the technology stack ahead.

Depending on the blockchain ecosystem you choose for the project, you’ll encounter different programming languages used in these blockchains and frameworks. The main hardship would be to choose the one that fits you best.

That’s why, today, we’ll share top blockchain coding languages that you should consider for developing a genuinely timeless product. We’ll describe the pros and cons of these blockchain languages, as well as the history of their creation. Hopefully, this will help you make up your mind and find an experienced team who will help you build an outstanding project.

Why are we considering only 9 programming languages?

The Blaize team has been developing custom blockchain solutions for over five years, working on well-known projects and building our own products. We are proud to say that in this time, we’ve mastered popular programming languages used in blockchain development and smart contract design, and now we have enough expertise to compile the list of winners.

Due to our knowledge of programming languages for building blockchain apps and experience in this area, we could assess the most perspective directions of the further blockchain industry evolution. This allowed us to select the ecosystems that are not only trending right now but will be in demand in the years to come. And, of course, we decided to share this information with you.

We believe that such a list of must-have blockchain development languages will help you kick into gear fast and create an incredible project.

TOP 9 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES FOR BLOCKCHAIN & SMART CONTRACT DEVELOPMENT

So finally, we’ve come to the best part – we’ll share top blockchain programming languages for modern smart contracts and dApps development. Many programming languages can be used in the blockchain, but in our opinion, the best are Solidity, Go, Rust, С++, Move and Motoko. Choose wisely, and don’t forget to hire experienced developers for your team to get the most out of the language of your choice!

Read: Benefits of Smart Contracts

Rust – The best programming language for blockchain development

Rust is a relatively young blockchain programming language that has already proven its efficiency. It entered the spotlight not that long ago, brought to the wider audience by Parity, which has developed a relevant Ethereum client.

One of the Parity founders, Gavin Wood, soon greatly contributed to the mass Rust adoption at his presentation about the interoperable blockchain Polkadot and its framework Substrate. After this, other large players of the blockchain market have started appreciating the Rust language and its advantages. And thanks to that, we can now use high-speed networks like Solana, NEAR, Secret Network, and other young blockchains that work on the technology edge.

What is Rust?

Rust is a multi-paradigm programming language that was specifically created for enhanced performance and safety. It offers great documentation, a vast set of developer tools, and a friendly compiler with helpful error messages.

Rust is probably the most efficient crypto programming language for smart contract development since it enables productive collaborative work for project teams, as well as open source developers who want to contribute to the protocol. The Rust language allows programmers to control low-level details without any hassle or micro-management, providing a great balance of technical capacity and coding experience.

On top of that, Rust enables top-notch speed and stability by means of the real-time compiler that checks the code through feature additions and refactoring. Thus, this language corresponds to all the primary requirements for blockchain development and much more.

Rust advantages

Rust Blockchains Examples

Rust is widely considered the best language for blockchain development due to its strong focus on safety, speed, and memory efficiency. Choose Rust if you’d like to work with fast networks and new concepts in the blockchain industry or if you want to develop for Solana or NEAR.

Read Also: Delving deeper into specific platforms? Discover the intricacies of NEAR smart contracts and unlock advanced development potential.

Go

Go has already made a name in the blockchain world, and similar to the story of Rust, it all started with Ethereum. To be precise, it has begun with Geth, an Ethereum Go-client that is currently the most widespread solution among all Ethereum clients. 

The next stage of the Go adoption in the blockchain community was connected with the introduction of the Cosmos interoperable chain and its Cosmos SDK, the framework for fast blockchain development. Then, the popularization of Go happened due to Tendermint, a BFT consensus that is integrated by many blockchain clients. Eventually, at the moment, Go is a pretty widespread programming language that is used in many ways. Read: Ethereum dApp Development Guide

What is Go?

Go (often called Golang) is an open-source programming language that was modeled after C at Google and is currently used for many purposes.

Golang is one of the best blockchain programming languages nowadays since it has an easy and readable syntax and fast compilation time. It is a single language that enables simultaneous programming, which is highly beneficial for many teams. Moreover, it is relatively easy to maintain in the long run and efficient compared to other blockchain coding languages, especially legacy ones.

Go Advantages

Examples

Choose Go if you are looking for a programming language that can be easily learned and used both in EVM chains and new alternative chains.

By the way, Blaize has been providing blockchain consulting services for several years, leveraging our expertise in Golang and other programming languages to help clients build efficient and secure blockchain solutions. Contact us to learn more about our blockchain consulting services.

C++

C++ is an iconic programming language because it was used by Satoshi Nakamoto himself to create the Bitcoin chain. And this means that the whole altchain family, including Litecoin, PIVX, Qtum, Dogecoin, and many more, is built with C++.

Besides, the C++ language is used to develop EOS and Telos blockchains with their framework of smart contracts.

What is C++?

C++ is one of the oldest general-purpose programming languages that was also used as a blockchain coding language by many world-famous projects.

Even though C++ was first used in 1985, it remains a popular choice among blockchain developers and DeFi products. The main reason is that it offers exquisite CPU and memory control, which is essential for any blockchain, as well as high efficiency, code isolation, and compile time polymorphism.

C++ advantages

Examples

Choose C++ if you need an old, reliable programming language that many blockchain developers know. You can use it both for building blockchains and smart contracts.

Solidity – The best programing language for smart contract development

Being influenced by C++, Python, and JavaScript, Solidity inherited all the beneficial features of these languages and became the most commonly used programming language for smart contract development. 

Developers from all over the world choose Solidity for its accessibility, precision, and extreme flexibility, which is highly valued in the blockchain industry. The whole DeFi sphere is built with the help of Solidity, from Uniswap to Chainlink. The majority of projects choose it for smart contract development, which is no wonder as it is concise, well-defined, and pretty easy to learn and use.

What is Solidity?

Solidity is an object-oriented high-level smart contract programming language that was created specifically for running smart contracts on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This makes Solidity a perfect match for developing smart contracts and dApps on blockchain.

Solidity is pretty similar to JavaScript, which means that it is rather easy to learn for most developers. What is more, it is one of the fastest-growing programming languages at the moment, so it’s safe to say that in the future, it will be even more developer-friendly and easy to learn.

Solidity Advantages

Examples

Choose Solidity for developing smart contracts since it is a perfect language for this purpose.

MOVE

In the dynamic landscape of blockchain development, Move stands out as an innovative beacon, charting new territories in the domain of programming languages. Birthed by Facebook’s subsidiary, Novi, for the then Libra project, Move goes beyond traditional paradigms, blending advanced architectural designs with a unique approach to handling digital assets, setting a new benchmark for blockchain-oriented languages.

WHAT IS MOVE?

Based on Rust, a popular, multi-purpose programming language, Move was meticulously crafted and brought to life for the Diem (formerly Libra) blockchain project. Its design philosophy is underpinned by a resource-oriented model, which brings an unprecedented level of safety and assurance to digital transactions. 

Unlike traditional languages where data can be easily copied or replicated, Move treats digital assets as resources that are singular in nature. This means they cannot be inadvertently cloned or simultaneously exist in two locations. Such a groundbreaking approach ensures that every transaction retains its authenticity, reducing the risk of asset duplication or theft, especially vital in the context of financial transactions on a blockchain. 

Additionally, Move is built to be modular, allowing developers to craft, publish, and manage custom modules, bringing a high degree of flexibility and scalability to blockchain projects.

This language, operating at the bytecode level, introduces a new era of efficiency. Instead of going through the traditional route of compilation into bytecode as seen in Ethereum’s Solidity, Move leverages its native Move Virtual Machine (MVM). The result? Speed, precision, and a step closer to the machine’s heart.

Read also: Blockchain in Healthcare

MOVE ADVANTAGES

EXAMPLES

Diem (formerly Libra) – the primary and most significant implementation of Move is the Diem blockchain itself. The very platform for which Move was created, Diem’s smart contracts and transaction scripts, are written using Move, ensuring security and flexibility at its core.

Dfinance – a decentralized platform for issuing stablecoins and creating financial instruments, Dfinance leverages Move for its smart contracts, benefiting from its safety-first approach.

Sui – a perfect example of Move’s adaptability in the modern blockchain arena, Sui harnesses Move’s power to craft a blockchain that emphasizes scalability, without compromising on decentralization and security. The “blockchain trilemma”, which posits the challenge of a blockchain being simultaneously decentralized, secure, and scalable, is being addressed head-on by Sui. By leveraging Move, Sui seeks to offer a solution that maintains a balance among these three aspects, differentiating itself from blockchains like Ethereum, which, while being decentralized and secure, struggles with scalability.

Aptos – Aptos embodies the essence of Move to develop a blockchain infrastructure that’s both scalable and composable. In a sector seemingly inundated with layer 1 blockchains such as Solana, Avalanche, and Tron, Aptos, powered by Move, has reignited interest and demand for innovative layer 1 solutions. Like Sui, Aptos is also making strides towards resolving the blockchain trilemma, emphasizing a harmony between decentralization, security, and scalability.

Choose Move if you want a robust and expressive language tailored for blockchain, designed with asset security and system efficiency in mind.

Motoko

Motoko is a great choice of programming language for blockchain and smart contract development in the DFINITY ecosystem. 

If you haven’t heard of DFINITY yet, it is a non-profit organization that develops the Internet Computer, a public blockchain network platform based on the Internet Computer Protocol (ICP). It is a rather isolated chain that was created from the concept of a world computer that cannot be shut down and was launched only in 2021.

At the moment, DFINITY has its own isolated DeFi ecosystem, which works similar to the modern DeFi we’re used to. The only difference is that it was written in Motoko and has no connections with regular EVM chains.

Due to the isolated nature of DFINITY, the Motoko language remains in demand and can compete with EVM chains and Solidity.

What is Motoko?

Motoko is a relatively new programming language created for developing smart contracts directly on the Internet Computer by the DFINITY foundation. The language was created with blockchain technology in mind, so it is aimed to be secure and versatile while providing all the necessary tools for convenient and fast dApps development, as well as supporting the unique features of the Internet Computer.

Motoko provides native support for the Internet Computer canisters (smart contracts), sequential style, simple modern coding style, and multiple features to help you leverage orthogonal persistence. All of these features make it an easy and safe language for the Internet Computer ecosystem.

Read also: Blockchain in Healthcare

Motoko Advantages

Examples

Choose Motoko if you want your project to be a part of the DFINITY ecosystem. Use this language for smart contract development.

JAVA

Java, renowned for its object-oriented approach and platform-independent bytecode, has been a primary force in the software development arena. Its concurrent execution capability, enabled by its robust JVM (Java Virtual Machine), has led to its significant application in distributed systems, including blockchains.

EXAMPLES

JAVASCRIPT

JavaScript’s evolution from a mere browser scripting language to a full-fledged, asynchronous programming environment, especially with the advent of Node.js, has been monumental. Its non-blocking I/O model and event-driven architecture make it exceptionally suitable for blockchain SDKs and real-time dApp interactions.

EXAMPLES

PYTHON

Python’s readability and simplicity make it a preferred choice for developers venturing into new domains, including blockchain. Its versatility ensures it serves as a foundation for various SDKs, dialects, and blockchain tools.

EXAMPLES

TYPES OF BLOCKCHAIN PROGRAMMING 

Blockchain development extends beyond mere code writing; it encapsulates a spectrum of tasks, each demanding its distinct expertise.

WHAT ARE THE SKILLS REQUIRED FOR BLOCKCHAIN DOMAIN?

Embarking on a blockchain career demands a fusion of technical and conceptual prowess:

At the same time, not that blockchain development domain is constantly developing and evolving which indeed requires a relevant constant professional growth from the specialist meaning learning new tools, techniques and skills.

HOW TO LEARN BLOCKCHAIN PROGRAMMING

Embarking on the blockchain journey demands structured learning and practical immersion. Here are some reputable resources:

Blaize in collaboration with IdeaSoft has recently developed and launched 2 free comprehensive courses on development on Solana using Rust. Take a closer look at the process of creation of the courses and participate to start your blockchain development journey smoothly.

Embarking on this journey requires consistent learning, as the blockchain landscape is ever-evolving. Stay updated, keep experimenting, and engage with the community for a holistic learning experience.

Looking for blockchain developers for your project?

If you are looking to hire blockchain developers for your project, the best possible solution is to get a professional outsourced team with relevant experience in the industry. And we’d be happy to offer you our services.

Blaize.Tech is a blockchain development company that builds blockchain ecosystems, dApps, smart contracts, and various developer tools on multiple chains. 

Our team of 40+ programming engineers is proficient in the best languages for blockchain development. This means that we’ll be able to help you select the best option for your business and develop an efficient solution that your users will love.

You may also like 10 best blockchain development companies which you should pay attention to.

Over the 5+ years of Blaize existence, we’ve successfully completed 70+ projects and deployed 250+ smart contracts. Moreover, our Blaize.Security team has conducted hundreds of smart contract audits, helping blockchain projects eliminate smart contract vulnerabilities and secure their protocols. Read Also: How to build a lending platform based on blockchain

As for blockchain development, we provide the following services:

Here at Blaize, we can offer any solution that might suit your needs best. You can hire a dedicated outsourced team or just a few specialists that would collaborate with your developers; you can get only one task done or the whole scope of work for your project, regardless of its size. The opportunities are endless, so get in touch and get your product done with no headaches or delays. Read: How to create a stablecoin or how to boost smart contract security.

Final thoughts

There are quite a few noteworthy ecosystems with plenty of programming languages for developing blockchain solutions, but eventually, you’ll need to choose one. It is not the easiest choice to make, so to get through the whole process smoothly, you should focus on choosing an ecosystem first. Yet, please don’t forget that the ecosystem selection imposes the coding language, too, and a certain level of expertise in it.

That’s why, if you are looking to hire blockchain developers for your project, turn to Blaize.Tech – we will offer the best deal for your business. With extensive hands-on experience in blockchain and smart contract development, our specialists will help you build any product. Contact us today to get a custom blockchain solution that covers all your needs!

Frequently asked questions

What is the best blockchain programming language?

The best languages for blockchain development include Rust, Go, C++, Solidity, Move and Motoko. As well, one shouldn’t forget about the traditional ones: Java, JavaScipt and Python that also perfectly fit for web3 development needs. According to Blaize experience, Rust suits blockchain development purposes best since it enables productive collaborative work, provides clear development guidelines and offers high speed, stability, and overall efficiency. However, you should choose the blockchain language based on the ecosystem for your project in the first place.

What is the best blockchain programming language?

The best languages for blockchain development include Rust, Go, C++, Solidity, and Motoko. According to our experience, Rust suits blockchain development purposes best since it enables productive collaborative work, provides clear development guidelines and offers high speed, stability, and overall efficiency. However, you should choose the blockchain language based on the ecosystem for your project in the first place.

What is the best programming language for smart contract development?

Solidity is currently the most popular programming language for smart contract development. Over 200K developers worldwide choose Solidity for its great accessibility, flexibility, and precision.

How to choose a suitable blockchain coding language for a DeFi project?

When building a DeFi product from scratch, you should start by choosing the ecosystem for your project, which will help you select the best-fit blockchain programming language. Decide on where you’d like to see your project, which “neighbors” and potential partners you want to have, and which opportunities you want to enable for users and developers. 

If you’d like to avoid any headache, contact the Blaize team to get a free extensive consultation on blockchain development and get a custom solution made specifically for your project.

Where can I find professional blockchain developers?

If you are looking for highly qualified engineers with hands-on experience in programming languages for developing blockchain-based products, the best option is to hire a ready-made outsourced team. Blaize has been focusing on custom blockchain development for over five years, growing the team and expanding our expertise. Contact us today for a consultation and get your task done in the next few weeks.

What do you need to learn in order to start developing on the blockchain?

To start developing on the blockchain, you initially need a deep understanding of cryptographic principles and decentralized architectures. Mastering a blockchain-specific programming language, such as Solidity for Ethereum or Rust for Polkadot, is paramount. Familiarity with distributed ledger concepts, consensus algorithms (like PoW or PoS), and smart contract mechanics is crucial. Furthermore, hands-on experience with development tools and frameworks, such as Truffle or Hardhat for Ethereum, will facilitate a smoother entry into practical development.

Move vs Solidity. What’s the key points here? 

Move and Solidity are both perfect languages for blockchain development but both of them have certain features. Solidity, Ethereum’s flagship language, is contract-oriented, widely adopted, and has a JavaScript-like syntax, making it accessible to many developers. In contrast, Move, developed for Facebook’s Diem (formerly Libra), introduces the concept of “resources”, which ensures assets are non-fungible and can’t be duplicated, thereby enhancing security. While Solidity compiles into EVM bytecode, Move bypasses some abstraction layers, executing directly on its native Move Virtual Machine, ensuring efficiency. The choice between the two languages depends on the specific use-case, desired blockchain platform, and security considerations.

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