As we enter 2024, the realm of software development is rapidly evolving due to technological advancements and evolving market demands. Staying informed about these trends is crucial for businesses and developers to maintain competitiveness and achieve success. In this article, we delve into the essential software development trends expected to have a significant impact in 2024.
General principles of software engineering in 2024
In 2024, the landscape of software development is undergoing rapid transformation owing to technological advancements and evolving market needs. Remaining well-informed about these trends is imperative for both businesses and developers to sustain competitiveness and attain success. Here, we explore the key software development trends anticipated to exert substantial influence throughout the year.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning integration
AI and machine learning have transcended mere buzzwords to become fundamental pillars of contemporary software development, establishing fresh benchmarks for functionality and performance. Predictive algorithms and automated code reviews exemplify how AI/ML technologies are elevating efficiency and capabilities across diverse industries.
AI-powered coding tools are increasingly prevalent among developers, accelerating the coding process while mitigating human errors. GitHub’s Copilot, for example, leverages AI to offer real-time suggestions of code snippets and complete functions to developers. Likewise, AI-driven analytics tools such as Tableau empower businesses to extract insights from their data with unprecedented efficiency.
Blockchain beyond cryptocurrencies
Blockchain technology is expanding its scope beyond cryptocurrencies. The growing demand for mobile applications that prioritize heightened security and superior quality has led to increased adoption of blockchain-based apps.
Key characteristics of Blockchain-Oriented Software (BOS) systems include:
- Data Replication: Data is duplicated and stored across thousands of systems, significantly enhancing data security.
- Requirement Verification: BOS systems verify transaction requirements before proceeding, ensuring they meet validation criteria for successful execution.
- Sequential Transaction Logging: Transactions are recorded in a chronologically arranged log of interconnected blocks established through a consensus algorithm.
- Public-Key Cryptography: The transaction process in BOS relies on public-key cryptography, ensuring secure and verifiable transactions.
Despite its potential, blockchain technology faces limitations such as scalability and energy consumption, which remain hurdles to broader adoption.
Multi-runtime microservices
Microservices architecture involves developing software applications as a collection of small, independently deployable, and modular services. Each service operates in its own process and communicates with other services through lightweight mechanisms, commonly using an HTTP-based API.
In 2024, microservices architecture is poised to advance further, transitioning towards multi-runtime microservices, often referred to as MACH architecture—derived from Microservices-based, API-first, Cloud-native, and Headless principles. MACH architecture enables services to be written in diverse programming languages, utilize varied data storage technologies, and deploy on different runtime environments. This flexibility in runtimes accommodates the unique requirements of each service, fostering a more tailored and optimized approach for every component of the application.
The key advantage of a multi-runtime microservices architecture lies in its capacity to harness the strengths of multiple technologies and platforms. For instance, a service demanding high computational power can deploy on a runtime specifically engineered for such tasks, while another service handling real-time data processing may leverage an environment optimized for speed and low latency. This strategy ensures each service operates optimally within its preferred environment and facilitates streamlined updates and maintenance, with modifications to one service having minimal impact on others.
Cybersecurity at the forefront of 2024
In 2024, the escalating complexity of cyber threats underscores the critical importance of security in software development. Implementing advanced security protocols and leveraging AI for threat detection are now standard practices, reflecting a shift towards proactive security measures.
Key trends include:
- DevSecOps Focus: Companies are integrating security into DevOps processes, fostering a culture where security is a shared responsibility across all stakeholders. This approach ensures that security considerations are ingrained throughout the software development lifecycle.
- Zero Trust Architecture: The traditional perimeter-based security model is giving way to Zero Trust, which operates on the principle of “never trust, always verify.” Every user and device must be verified, regardless of their location relative to the organization’s network.
- Increased Encryption: Amid rising data breaches, robust encryption methods are seeing increased adoption to protect data both in transit and at rest. Advanced cryptographic techniques like homomorphic encryption allow data to be processed while still encrypted.
- Secure Code Practices: There is growing emphasis on training developers in secure coding practices, including regular code reviews, vulnerability testing, and using static and dynamic analysis tools to identify and mitigate security flaws during development.
- Cybersecurity Mesh: This concept entails a flexible, modular approach to security, where each device receives its own security measures such as firewalls and network safeguards. This strategy creates a more responsive and adaptable security infrastructure capable of addressing the dynamic nature of modern cyber threats, enhancing overall network safety.
Further adoption of AR and VR
As we enter 2024, the increasing accessibility of AR and VR technologies is driving skyrocketing demand across diverse industries:
Education: VR is revolutionizing education by enabling interactive lessons in history, geography, and science, as well as providing risk-free medical training through virtual surgery simulations. Platforms like Google Expeditions and educational AR apps allow students to explore historical sites, conduct virtual dissections, and interact with 3D models of complex subjects.
Healthcare: Applications such as AccuVein use AR to assist in locating veins for easier needle insertion, while surgical planning tools overlay 3D models onto a patient’s anatomy for precise surgical guidance.
Business: VR is finding widespread use in business for prototyping, staff training, and enhancing customer service. In real estate, VR and AR are employed to offer virtual property tours and visualize furniture or renovations within a space before making purchasing decisions.
Exciting developments anticipated in 2024 include:
- Hyper-realistic Virtual Reality: VR technologies are advancing to simulate real-world sensations, such as the feel of rain or the scent of a summer meadow, blurring the boundary between virtual and reality.
- Expansion of Social VR Platforms: Social VR platforms are evolving to facilitate real-time interactions, enabling virtual gatherings, attending concerts, and participating in multiplayer games.
- Integration of AI in VR: AI integration personalizes VR experiences by adapting to user behavior, creating dynamic environments that respond to individual preferences and actions.
Sustainable software development
As environmental concerns intensify, green computing and sustainable software practices are garnering increased attention. Developers are prioritizing eco-friendly solutions and supporting initiatives like the Green Software Foundation and Sustainable Web Manifesto, which advocate for energy-efficient coding practices. This involves crafting code that minimizes server processing, loading times, and data requests to reduce overall environmental impact.
Key principles of sustainable software development encompass several critical aspects:
- Software Optimization: Streamlining code to minimize energy consumption and enhance performance.
- Deployment Efficiency: Utilizing resources judiciously by implementing techniques like lazy loading and employing cloud-based applications to minimize energy waste.
- Integrations: Reducing data processing between systems to minimize unnecessary data usage and processing.
- Data Management: Limiting the volume of stored data and the duration it is retained within the system.
- Media Optimization: Employing smaller-sized media formats whenever feasible to reduce storage and processing requirements.
- Regular Refactoring: Updating software periodically to eliminate outdated or redundant features.
- Minimal Third-Party Dependencies: Decreasing reliance on large external components that consume excessive resources.
- Efficient Software Architecture: Adopting architectures designed to optimize efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
- Green Data Center Selection: Opting for hosting services committed to environmentally friendly practices to minimize the ecological footprint of software operations.
Computing
Looking ahead, we expect significant advancements in key computing domains in the coming year: Function-as-a-Service (FaaS), cloud computing, edge computing, and notably, quantum computing.
Serverless computing (FaaS)
Serverless computing, or Function-as-a-Service (FaaS), is experiencing rapid growth, with AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, and Google Cloud Functions leading the charge. FaaS enables developers to build and deploy applications and services without the burden of managing infrastructure, resulting in more efficient and cost-effective development processes.
A notable example is Netflix, which utilizes AWS Lambda extensively within its streaming platform. Lambda functions are leveraged for tasks such as video encoding, user authentication, and backend processes. When users upload videos, Lambda functions are triggered to process and encode the content into various streaming formats, dynamically scaling resources based on demand without the need to provision or manage servers. This ensures a seamless streaming experience for Netflix users while optimizing operational costs.
Similarly, Spotify employs Google Cloud Functions to manage various backend tasks within its music streaming platform. Functions handle user authentication, process user-generated content, and support music recommendation algorithms, enhancing user experiences through seamless and personalized interactions.
Additionally, IBM’s subsidiary, The Weather Company, harnesses IBM Cloud Functions to process and analyze large volumes of weather data. Serverless functions enable real-time data processing, forecast generation, and personalized weather alerts based on user locations, all achieved without the overhead of managing underlying infrastructure.
Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) solutions, featuring event-driven architecture, automatically execute in response to requests and dynamically adjust resource usage as required. This scalability and responsiveness streamline development, making serverless computing ideal for high-traffic applications. Moreover, serverless computing is being seamlessly integrated with IoT, chatbots, and virtual assistants, further enhancing its versatility and applicability across diverse technological domains.
Expansion of cloud computing
In 2024, cloud-native technologies are poised for significant evolution, aiming to become more accessible to users while delivering improved performance, cost efficiencies, and increased flexibility in achieving IT objectives. Major cloud providers like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform are expanding their offerings, introducing advanced analytics, machine learning capabilities, and enhanced security features to meet evolving market demands.
Surge of edge computing
Edge computing is an IT architecture designed to process client data at the network’s edge, minimizing latency by executing computations as close to the data source as feasible. This approach enhances real-time data processing capabilities by bringing computation closer to where data is generated.
This trend is pivotal for applications that demand instant data analysis, exemplified by autonomous vehicles like Tesla’s self-driving cars, which heavily rely on edge computing. Similarly, in healthcare, edge computing ensures data privacy and enables AI-driven real-time monitoring and analysis of patient conditions. Moreover, edge computing has the potential to revolutionize city traffic management by optimizing bus schedules, regulating traffic lanes, and potentially guiding autonomous vehicle flows, showcasing its versatility and impact across various domains. Additionally, edge computing is essential for the adoption of smart grids, assisting enterprises in efficiently managing energy consumption.
Quantum computing: a new frontier
Quantum computing represents a cutting-edge computing paradigm that utilizes quantum bits, or qubits, instead of classical bits. By harnessing quantum mechanics principles like superposition and entanglement, quantum computing enables data processing at speeds far beyond those achievable by conventional computers. This technology excels in tackling complex tasks such as cryptography, optimization, and molecular simulation, offering exponentially faster solutions compared to traditional computing methods.
Although widespread adoption of quantum computing remains on the horizon, its impact on software development is becoming increasingly evident. Industry leaders such as IBM, Microsoft, Google, D-Wave, and Amazon are driving innovation in this space. IBM leads with its Quantum System One and Two, boasting powerful processors with up to 127 qubits. Microsoft emphasizes topological qubits, integrating them into its Azure cloud platform to broaden accessibility. Google’s Quantum AI lab is focused on developing a practical, universal quantum computer, while D-Wave specializes in quantum annealing for addressing complex optimization challenges. Amazon, through initiatives like the AWS Centre for Quantum Networking and Amazon Braket, is building a robust infrastructure to support quantum computing. These efforts signal the growing influence of quantum technologies on the future of software development.
Programming languages
In 2024, Python continues to dominate programming, celebrated for its simplicity, versatility, and robust library ecosystem. It remains a top choice across various domains, including web development, data analysis, artificial intelligence, and scientific computing.
Python retains its position as the most popular programming language, experiencing significant growth with a 19% increase according to the PYPL index, which measures tutorial searches on Google.
The 2023 Stack Overflow survey underscores Python as the most sought-after language for developers to learn, surpassing Java for the first time since 2012. Python’s recognition extends beyond web development, earning the TIOBE Programming Language of the Year title three times in five years for its substantial annual rating increase.
With its extensive library support that seamlessly integrates into code and scales well for larger applications, Python offers expansive possibilities for web and desktop app development, as well as system operations.
Growth in Rust adoption
Rust’s adoption is gaining traction, particularly in sectors prioritizing performance and safety. The language’s distinctive features make it well-suited for system-level programming, with a notable surge in usage in embedded systems. Rust’s capability to prevent memory errors and ensure thread safety is particularly critical in this domain. Moreover, Rust’s deployment in cloud infrastructure underscores its reliability and efficiency in managing high-performance computing tasks. These trends highlight Rust’s growing importance and impact in areas demanding robustness and performance optimization.
Application development
In the realm of application development, notable trends include the expanding adoption of low-code and no-code platforms, advancements in cross-platform development technologies, and the rising prevalence of progressive web applications.
Rise of of low-code and no-code platforms
The democratization of software development is advancing through the emergence of low-code and no-code platforms. These tools empower individuals with limited coding expertise to create and deploy applications, drastically cutting down development time.
Platforms like Microsoft Power Apps and Bubble enable non-technical users to build applications without requiring extensive coding skills. They are particularly favored for developing business apps, facilitating rapid prototyping and deployment without relying heavily on a dedicated development team. However, it’s important to note that while these platforms excel at streamlining application creation for standard use cases, they may not be suitable for tackling complex custom development tasks.
Increase in progressive web applications (PWAs)
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) offer faster and less resource-intensive download experiences compared to native apps. They have offline capabilities and automatically refresh with each visit, enhancing user engagement. From a development standpoint, PWAs are cost-effective and efficient, requiring fewer versions for different devices, which can result in costs that are 3 to 4 times lower than native app development. Major companies like Forbes, Starbucks, and Pinterest have embraced PWAs, recognizing their benefits in terms of performance, user experience, and cost savings.
One of the primary drivers behind the increasing adoption of PWAs (Progressive Web Apps) among developers is their platform independence, which eliminates the necessity of building separate apps for mobile, tablet, and desktop devices. In addition to the simplicity of development, PWAs offer significant cost-saving benefits by being quicker to create and more affordable to maintain over time.
Cross-platform app development
In the realm of mobile application development, the significant trend of 2023 that continues to gain momentum in 2024 is the emergence of new tools facilitating the creation of user-friendly cross-platform solutions while reducing development costs.
Cross-platform applications offer several advantages:
- Broader Reach: They can be utilized across multiple operating systems (iOS, Android), expanding the potential user base.
- Faster Development Time: Development of a single project instead of multiple native apps accelerates the process.
- Consistent User Experience: Cross-platform applications provide a uniform look and feel across different platforms, enhancing user familiarity.
- Shared Codebase: Code reusability and efficiency in development.
- Simpler Deployment: Updates are deployed simultaneously across all platforms.
- Resource Efficiency: Requires fewer resources and a smaller development team.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Reduced development and maintenance costs due to the use of a single codebase for multiple platforms.
Popular cross-platform frameworks include React Native
Conclusion
The trends highlighted in this article are poised to shape the landscape of software development in 2024 and beyond. At Serokell, we emphasize the importance of responsible and ethical innovation as the foundation of all software development endeavors.
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