Python Has Surpassed JavaScript as the No. 1 Language on GitHub

Python has officially outpaced JavaScript as the most popular programming language on GitHub, marking a significant shift in the programming landscape. According to GitHub’s Octoverse 2024 report, Python’s rise is emblematic of the surge in data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, areas where Python is particularly powerful.

The report, which covers data from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024, highlights the growing importance of Python in various fields beyond traditional software development. Python’s versatility spans from machine learning and data science to scientific computing, web development, and even home automation. This growth aligns with the broader trend of open-source activity expanding into new and varied domains.

Interestingly, the report also notes a significant increase in the use of Jupyter Notebooks, a tool beloved by data scientists for its ease of use and powerful capabilities. This uptick underscores the rise of data-centric development on GitHub.

Furthermore, GitHub’s findings challenge the notion that AI will replace developers. Instead, as AI rapidly advances, developers are increasingly incorporating AI models into their applications and engaging with AI projects on the platform.

The number of developers joining GitHub has also seen an unprecedented surge, with top developer communities emerging in the United States, India, China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, and Canada. Notably, Africa is nurturing a growing pool of developers, highlighting the global nature of this trend.

In 2024, developers globally made nearly 1 billion contributions to open-source and public repositories on GitHub. On the security front, developers utilized CodeQL secret scanning to detect over 39 million secret leaks, with the most common vulnerabilities being injection flaws, broken access control, insecure design, and cryptographic failures.

This shift underscores the dynamic and evolving nature of the software development landscape, with Python and data science at the forefront of this transformation. The Octoverse 2024 report offers a fascinating snapshot of current trends and future directions in the programming world.

You may also like: