Many people will agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most important factors entailing significant changes in many areas. And the IT sphere is not an exception here. Nowadays representatives of the industry of information technology must accept the growing modification of the usual programming processes. To quickly adjust to this new reality it is important to follow trends and examine predictions made by experts.
In order to stay competitive in the ever-changing market it’s important to have a strong in-house team of engineers or work with a reliable software development vendor such as purrweb.com. Only experienced professionals would be able to create solutions that adhere to the modern market trends and successfully serve the users.
Without further ado, let’s dive into the issue and find out which trends to focus your attention on in 2021!
Accelerated Transition to Cloud Technology
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Nowadays, the world is ruled by three giants – AWS, Azure, Google Cloud. These companies possess a considerable share of the market around the world and set trends in the development of cloud IaaS services.
According to the data published by Statista, the Amazon Web Services platform is the leader of the cloud services market with a 32% share. Microsoft Azure got 20% of the market, while Google Cloud – 9%.
Edge Computing
It seems like the term “cloud computing” has just entered into our everyday life. Yet another computing model is gradually gaining momentum. This is about edge computing, sometimes called fog computing.
The most evident difference between edge computing and cloud computing is that the collection and analysis of data are conducted in the place where the data streams are generated rather than in a centralized computing environment, such as a data center.
Edge computing is expected to cover all areas of activity: from data collection and automation of access control to monitoring the quality of manufactured goods and the movement of vehicles.
Low Code/No Code Tendencies
First of all, it is worth clarifying that nowadays many people combine the concepts of no-code and low-code. However, this is somewhat incorrect, since low-code allows the use of a minimal set of commands from programming languages. No-code is a group of services that enable the client to independently implement their project without the help of developers and at minimum cost.
Nowadays, similar solutions are already being implanted into many CRM and corporate portals. Both no-code and low-code have a huge potential that is said to grow in the coming years.
Blockchain Technology Implementation
Blockchain technologies have been introduced in software development relatively recently. Nevertheless, it is already obvious that they are capable of changing the world. These technologies are currently used in cryptocurrencies. But they can seriously transform the entire IT industry in the future.
Blockchain refers to the distributed database that contains information about all transactions carried out by the participants of a particular system. It is gradually implemented at the state level, in the real sector, in the activities of major finance banks. Moreover, it is very likely that in 2021, these technologies, in the form of a smart contract mechanism, will be used in a wide variety of areas.
Creating Progressive Web Apps (PWA)
Progressive Web Apps (PWA) are those sites that are similar to smartphone apps both functionally and in appearance. In this context, let us consider the differences between PWA and native apps:
- PWAs can be loaded on any gadget, regardless of screen size and other features.
- Software development experts note that building a progressive application is easier and faster than a regular website.
- Application programming interface (API) is no longer needed as backward compatibility support.
Progressiveness in this case means that an app with limited functionality can work on any gadget. Moreover, when the user switches to a more advanced device or browser, the PWA functions expand.
PWA is a prospective technology that improves performance and behavioral factors. The plans for the implementation of this trend are also promising. For example, Google is actively promoting PWA, which will influence the ranking of sites in the search engine in the future.
Expansion of Programming Languages
The world of programming languages is currently undergoing profound transformations. Traditional “heavy” languages are moving at the back seat, while more user-friendly languages like JavaScript, Python, and Java remain popular.
Apart from the conventional languages, some modern ones are becoming more and more popular among software development professionals. These are, for example, Go, Kotlin, Rust. According to StackOverflow, the latter ones were the most popular during the course of the last 6 years. The ability to control all low-level details is the reason for their popularity. At the moment, Rust is considered a great alternative to systems programming languages such as C++ or C.
IoT as a Software Development Trend
Of course, we couldn’t omit the Internet of Things from the list of software development trends. Without this fast-growing tendency, any list would be incomplete. It connects devices into a computer network and allows them to gather, process, and analyze massive amounts of data through technical devices or software.
The main benefit of IoT is its ability to automate routine processes and reduce labor-related costs. This decreases the waste volume, improves the quality of services provided, and makes the process of production and logistics cheaper. According to IDC forecasts, there will be 55.7 billion IoT-connected devices in the world by 2025.
The Role of UX
Software development is not just a tool for creating functional programs. It must also be focused on making the apps convenient for use. Therefore, in 2021 user experience (UX) will be one of the main factors to be taken into account by software development teams. They must correctly define the goals of the site and adjust them to ensure a positive experience for users.
Conclusion
Software development trends modify the perception of the IT industry and introduce the technologies previously unknown even for the most passionate computer geeks. To get the most benefit out of the current tendencies in software development, it is worth monitoring the situation and involving experienced professionals in the field.