There’s no denying that blockchain is a promising infrastructure platform that’s finding its way into a growing range of fields, including big data, banking, and healthcare, to name a few. While blockchain has often been thought of as a network that supports cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, the fact is that its applications have expanded well beyond that.
While blockchain continues to increase in importance, so does the need for high-quality programming approaches. The advent of platforms like Ethereum development, which allows for the development of blockchain applications and smart contracts, has emphasized this point.
Bitcoin was created to replace banks, as most of us are now aware, but blockchain, the underlying infrastructure of cryptocurrencies, has shown that it can replace almost every intermediary. Digital money was born as a result of this process. Following that, programmable money was added, which could never be done with paper money. ?Programmable currency’ took decentralization to the next step, with the potential to carry out agreed-upon transactions without the need for human intervention and with total secrecy. Smart contracts are based on this principle.
So what is Smart Contract?
A smart contract is a self-executing contract in which the terms of the buyer-seller deal are written explicitly into lines of code. The code and the agreements that it contains are spread through a global blockchain network. Smart contracts enable anonymous individuals to conduct trustworthy transactions and arrangements without the need for a central authority, and external compliance process, or a legal framework. The transactions are open, immutable, and traceable in this manner. Solidity, a high-level object-oriented programming language, allows smart contracts to be implemented through several blockchains.
Now that you know what smart contracts are, here?s a list of the programming languages that you can use to build them.
C++
C++ is a general-purpose programming language used by at least 4.4 million programmers. Its most powerful feature is its ability to scale resource-intensive systems while keeping them running smoothly. Since the EOS blockchain uses the WebAssembly virtual machine to support smart contracts, any language that can compile into WebAssembly (WASM) can program smart contracts. On EOS, however, C++ is the preferred language for developers.
Solidity
Gavin Wood, Yoichi Hirai, Christian Reitweissner, and several other ethereum blockchain developer created Solidity to aid in the creation of smart contracts. Many alternative blockchains want to use Solidity compliant contracts to operate on their networks, with the Ethereum blockchain leading the way as a big smart contract platform. Smart contracts created on the Ethereum network can easily be transferred to other blockchain networks.
Solidity is the primary smart contract programming language used on the Ethereum development network to create smart contracts. It’s a high-level programming language that resembles Python, C++, and JavaScript in appearance. It’s a contact-oriented programming language, which means smart contracts are in charge of maintaining all of the programming logic that interacts with the blockchain. The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), which is hosted on Ethereum nodes attached to the network, runs the Solidity programming language. It is statically typed and supports inheritance, libraries, and many more. It can create blockchain apps that increase industrial power.
JavaScript
JavaScript is a dynamic and lightweight object-oriented programming language. Brendan Eich is the creator of JavaScript. JavaScript is one of the three foundations of web design, along with HTML and CSS. On the NEO blockchain, smart contracts are created using JavaScript. JavaScript ushered in a new age of websites that became more interactive and user-friendly. It is credited with improving the usability of websites. JavaScript gets new language functionality regularly. NEO strives to give developers more options and freedom. Many developers will write smart contracts on NEO and build and realize their own ideas since it supports a range of popular programming languages.
Java
Java is a popular and in-demand smart contract programming language. Sun Microsystems developed it in 1995 as an object-oriented and class-based programming language. C++ has influenced a lot of its syntax and form. In NEO, smart contracts can be written in Java. NEO is a blockchain network that allows smart contracts and digital assets to be created. The term NEO comes from the ancient Greek language and means “new,” “modern,” and “young.” NEO strives to become a decentralized, digital, and distributed network for non-digital properties by using smart contracts. Its specific aim is to become a digital replacement for currently non-digital asset transactions.
Java was created to give developers the freedom to write code that would run on any computer, regardless of platform or architecture. On the NEO blockchain, smart contracts are created using the Java programming language.
Golang
Go, also known as Golang, is a Google-developed open-source programming language. It allows for concurrent programming, which ensures that many processes will operate at the same time. It is closely based on the C programming language’s syntax. It is a simple programming language. It is estimated that there are 800,000 Golang developers in the world. The Golang programming language is used to write a large portion of Hyperledger’s chain code for smart contracts designed with Hyperledger Fabric.
SQL
SQL, or ?’Sequel,” is a programming language developed by IBM for communicating with databases by saving, querying, and interacting with data.
AERGO, a Hong Kong-based enterprise-ready blockchain initiative, uses SQL-based smart contracts. They intend to enable enterprise organizations to build and execute advanced smart contracts that have been coded in SQL, with an emphasis on commercial business environments.
So there you have it: the six programming languages for getting started with smart contracts right now:
- C++
- Solidity
- JavaScript
- Java
- Golang
- SQL
This is not an exhaustive list; there are many others, but these are the most common, to begin with.
Wrapping up
A blockchain will not be complete without smart contracts. Smart contracts, including blockchains, are a hot topic in the corporate world. Smart contracts eliminate the problem of mistrust between parties and business partners. It saves time, cuts down on needless spending, and improves accountability. Since all is done by prescribed computer code, it does not allow for human involvement in transactions. Smart contracts have security since the data in the decentralized repository cannot be lost and is not vulnerable to cyberattacks. Smart contracts are, without a doubt, a more reliable method of payment than the conventional scheme. There are several specially curated ethereum certification courses that you can try. Ethereum development, blockchain, smart contract is the future. What are you waiting for?
As the editor of the blog, She curate insightful content that sparks curiosity and fosters learning. With a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, she strive to bring diverse perspectives and engaging narratives to readers, ensuring every piece informs, inspires, and enriches.
