Python in Business

What do the rankings say?

According to StackOverflow and their annual ranking, the most popular programming language is JavaScript. But there's no real surprise there, given that it's the number one language for Front-End developers. Next come HTML/CSS and then Python.

Looking at another ranking — the PYPL Programming Language Popularity Index, which measures how often programming language tutorials are searched on Google — Python has held first place for several months, with Java in second.

Equally interesting is the TIOBE index, which uses search engine data. Looking at data from November 2021, Python is in first place, C in second, and Java only in third. As you can see, Python appears in every ranking as one of the most popular languages.

What else can we learn from these rankings in the context of Python?

According to the stackoverflow.com report, in 2020, 44.1% of 57,378 respondents used Python. In 2021, there was a clear increase — over 48% of 83,052 survey participants declared working with Python.

And how does it look from the perspective of new developers wanting to start their Python journey? Satisfaction with Python work has remained practically at the same level of 67–68%, perhaps with a slight upward trend.

More interesting are the figures for developers interested in starting to learn and work with Python. In 2021 it was the most frequently chosen programming language. But that's a natural trend when thinking about web application development.

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Why is Python so popular?

Let's think for a moment about what makes Python so popular.

Its simplicity and the breadth of its business applications is its strength. It allows, among other things, writing scripts for applications and websites, but is also an excellent choice for people working with data, as well as for those seeking creative, entirely new solutions.

For beginner developers, it is much easier to learn compared to other programming languages. Its simple syntax is easy to grasp, and for more experienced developers it allows focus on more complex tasks.

It is open-source software — meaning it is free by default.

It works seamlessly in both Linux and Windows environments. It also has access to many libraries that can be used without issue for data operations, machine learning, and data visualization.

Because it becomes more popular every year, access to knowledge/courses, documentation, and discussion groups is ever easier. It is something like a self-reinforcing spiral: the more people using Python, the larger the community with whom you can exchange know-how.

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Where and how can we use Python in business?

Python has a very wide range of business applications. We increasingly choose it for creating both web and desktop applications. Moreover, it is currently the most important technology used in website design. The most popular libraries here are Django and Flask.

• Django is one of the most popular frameworks. It has access to a very large number of libraries. It enables fast and efficient creation of API interfaces and web applications. It has efficient caching systems, a comprehensive admin panel, and its own WWW server for testing applications.
• Flask is rather a "lightweight" microframework — it does not have complex tools and libraries, which makes it faster and easier to adapt to various needs. Because of its lightness and simplicity, it is primarily used for smaller projects. It enables building a strong foundation for a web application.
• Other frameworks include: Web2py, TurboGears, CubicWeb, Giotto, Bottle, CherryPy, Sanic, Tornado, AIOHTTP, Pyramid, Zope

Another related field in which Python is used is system programming. Python has built-in interfaces to operating system services. This makes it ideally suited for creating portable and easy-to-maintain system administration tools. Programs written in this language can be used to run other programs, fetch data from the internet (scraping), search files and directory trees, move data, and perform parallel processing using processes and threads. Most of Python's system interfaces were designed with portability in mind. For example, scripts for copying and moving files can be run on both Windows and Linux.

An important feature of Python is also the ability to easily work with databases, including the most popular systems such as MySQL, Oracle, and PostgreSQL. A portable API for databases is also available, providing access to SQL databases from scripts written in Python.

Finally, there is business process automation. This is one of the broadest areas in which Python is used. All repetitive tasks that do not require intellectual engagement can be automated using simple algorithms written in Python. This technology is the most frequently chosen when deciding to automate processes. What is the source of Python's popularity in the field of automation? The most important reasons are:

• Simple and readable code
• Easy testing of automation written in Python (built-in automatic testing tool)
• Ability to scale and easily modify code without affecting the whole

As you can see, it is not without reason that Python ranks highly in all rankings. Thanks to its simplicity and versatility, it is already today a dream programming language. At the same time it is a highly valued tool frequently used by professionals. Easy to use, flexible, versatile — and with many useful libraries.