As the tech sector grows, so does the demand for professionals and service firms in this field. Most of the roles in this industry have an above-average pay according to a recent salary comparison. Cloud engineering isn’t actually a singular role but a cluster of roles dealing with cloud system development and management. Some of the roles include cloud systems engineers and cloud database administrators.
With more institutions using cloud systems for data storage and management these days, they’re seeking professionals to manage such aspects of their organizations. In fact, around 68% of IT departments use cloud infrastructures. Furthermore, cloud engineers earn considerable salaries. They make around USD$111,165 on average as of November 2021. As such, organizations find themselves hiring professionals or outsourcing IT services in Chicago and other locations.
Knowing all of that, perhaps now you’re thinking of becoming a cloud engineer. However, in order to do so, you must have the needed expertise. One of the requirements to become a cloud engineer is knowledge in cloud platforms and database administration. Another is knowledge of network systems and operating software like Linux. Finally, cloud engineers should be highly adept in programming, specifically for cloud infrastructures.
With numerous programming languages available, you might wonder which ones are best for cloud engineering. This article explores that matter and enumerates the programming languages often used by cloud engineers.
Java
First released in 1995, Java is a general-purpose language that’s still being widely used today. In fact, numerous applications and websites can’t run without having Java installed. Known for being versatile, Java is a language that can be utilized for all programming tasks.
One of the benefits of using this for cloud development is that it’s easy to learn. With a wide range of educational online platforms out there, you can self-learn Java programming. Another benefit is that it’s platform independent since its code is first compiled into byte code. After compilation, it’s no longer dependent on any platform to run.
Multiple major cloud platforms have chosen to use Java since it’s scalable, secure, and portable. They’ve even made integrating Java into applications an option by providing software development kits (SDKs). This has made software development simplified and software capabilities enhanced. Ultimately, this is one of the best languages for cloud apps since it can run on different operating systems.
If you wish to get an Amazon Web Services (AWS) certification, this is one of the best languages to learn. Cloud platforms such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform offer support for Java, improving development processes and capabilities.
Python
This is a high-level language that was created by Guido van Rossum and released in 1991. Furthermore, despite being developed by one person, Python evolved as a result of the voluntary contributions of thousands of people.
In 1999, van Rossum intended Python to be easy and intuitive yet powerful. He also wished for it to be open-source, understandable, and suitable for daily tasks. Years later, this came true with the numerous contributions being made to the programming language. Because of the aforementioned, Python currently occupies a position in the top 10 preferred and popular programming languages.
For cloud development, Python is used in the development of serverless applications by AWS. In addition to this, Python is known to be a full-stack programming language. This means that it’s usable in all components of the cloud development life cycle. It’s worth noting that AWS isn’t the only platform using Python as Azure Cloud does, too. Therefore, it doesn’t limit you in terms of career opportunities.
ASP.NET
Created by Microsoft for developing dynamic and robust applications, this is known to be one of the best languages for cloud engineering. The first version was released back in 2002 as a component of the .NET framework. Unlike the previous languages that are general-purpose languages, ASP.NET is used mainly for website and website application development.
Moreover, it’s known for its ability to provide dynamic web pages and high-tech solutions viewable in different browsers. Because of this, it’s a great language for creating cloud applications.
Furthermore, some of the benefits of using ASP.NET include its language-independent aspect and easy usability. Content and logic are separated as well, making development much more convenient. Along with this, it’s easy to learn because of its monitoring functionality. If you wish to work with a lot of Azure products using this framework, this language is for you.
Ruby
With its usability and learnability, Ruby is another cloud computing language you can learn. Created by Yukihiro Matsumoto in Japan around the mid-1990s, Ruby was designed for programmer productivity and the principle that programming should be fun. Now, Ruby is open-sourced, has community support, and features more than 60,000 libraries and frameworks to assist developers.
This programming language is ideal for cloud engineers since it can be easily integrated with numerous cloud management tasks. Furthermore, compared to Java, you’ll have to write less code for Ruby applications to be released on the cloud.
PHP
PHP or Hypertext Processor is a popular open-source, general-purpose scripting language. It’s meant mainly for web development that can be embedded into HTML. It was created in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf to serve as a successor to Personal Home Page/Form Interpreter (PHP/FI). Now, popular websites like Facebook use PHP in their tech stack.
While it’s extremely simple for beginner programmers, PHP is packed with advanced features for professionals. Furthermore, it can be used with a lot of database management systems and manages to run smoothly in various operating systems. Because of this, it’s ideal for cloud computing.
Conclusion
Given that cloud engineers become more in demand, you could consider becoming one. However, it’s vital that you have all the skills needed to qualify for the job, including programming. Since there are so many languages to choose from, it’s beneficial to go for one that’s suited for cloud computing. The languages above are worth studying if you wish to pursue a career in cloud engineering.
