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Why Does Everyone Forget Java and C# for Backend Development? Why Don’t Full-Stack Developers Learn Java and C#?

Spyros Ponaris on February 07, 2025

Why Does Everyone Forget Java and C# for Backend Development? Why Don’t Full-Stack Developers Learn Java and C#? In recent years, backend developm...
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arjun98k profile image
arjun

While the article is factually accurate, I believe Kotlin will replace Java in the future due to its similar features and advantages such as null pointer exception handling and reduced boilerplate code.and the extra advantage of coroutines

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tech-ninja profile image
.

When it will happened? I am a big fan and senior in Kotlin, but there are no jobs in Kotlin backend, only android dev. And even jobs opportunities in Android drastically reduced nowadays.

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lifeofperfect profile image
PERFECT IGBADUMHE

I dont think kotlin will replace java for backend most companies that use java are switching to Go instead

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Most Kotlin jobs are for Android development, and you're right ,. It might take more time for Kotlin backend roles to become common.
Why do you think Kotlin is not widely used for backend development?

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tech-ninja profile image
.

According to my job searches in Linkedin for the last 2 years in EU. Only in Czechia possibly to find Kotlin positions for backend in its origin country.
Even Java positions have been decreased in the last years. Mostly I see frontend positions.

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

There are 39 Android developer positions available in Greece . The majority of Kotlin-related opportunities are in Android development. What a number ... No backend for Kotlin unfor..

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tech-ninja profile image
.

Thanks, unfortunately I am not a EU resident, I am refugee. Most of the companies hire via B2B who has a stable EU residency. I am looking for relocation opportunities. By the way I am also in Balkans, temporary in Slovenia, where is such a limited IT market.
As I know in Athens it's almost impossible to rent a long-term apartment by adequate price, cause of the tourists, the same like in Ljubljana. I hope in your country will not happen strong earthquackes after recent news.
Android Dev has been transformed fully from imperative to declarative paradigm with Compose framework which is a new for me. Android development become very complicated due to the legacy and mess of dependencies and Google policy.

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Thank you for your kind words! You can still find apartments for rent in Athens. Although prices are rising, there are still available options. I heard lubjana is beautiful city. Haven't been yet

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tech-ninja profile image
.

The whole country Slovenia is full of green nature and mountains. There is nothing to do here except tourism, no perspectives if you are not rich. As locals said, after the pandemy the prices raised by twice here, now it's very expensive country for tourism like Austria. I still see budget cars from Greece in Ljubljana, but mostly I see rich cars of tourists from Austria, Germany, Italy, Croatia.
I am sad to leave a such beautiful country, and to move to more poor country without seeing the country beforehand.

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frzhen77 profile image
Rui Zhen

The problem with popularity against stability is that most developers only scratch the surface. With IaaS, BaaS, and AI, fewer and fewer developers had the opportunity to get into a large system and code base. Tragically, these developers are exactly who AI will replace.

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Thanks for your feedback. Unfortunately, what you said is true and that time is coming soon.

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Thanks for your comment.. I don't have experience with Kotlin, but I've heard good things about it.

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iamcymentho profile image
Odumosu Matthew

As a C# backend engineer myself, I can definitely relate to the sentiments expressed here. While newer languages and frameworks often take the spotlight, it’s easy to overlook the sheer stability, scalability, and versatility of C# in backend development. I’ve worked on several large-scale enterprise applications using C#, and the language has consistently delivered high performance with solid community support.

The evolution of C# with .NET Core (now .NET 9) and its cross-platform capabilities has been a game-changer. It's exciting to see the language become more lightweight, efficient, and cloud-friendly. Whether it's handling microservices, supporting complex business logic, or leveraging Azure for cloud deployments, C# remains a powerful tool that continues to stand the test of time.

The fact that C# has been integral to industries like banking, healthcare, and gaming speaks volumes about its capability. Even though it may not get the same "cool" factor as newer tech stacks, the solid foundation and rich ecosystem it provides are hard to beat.

I truly believe Java and C# have an essential role to play in backend development, and they’re far from being forgotten, they’re just the steady, reliable workhorses powering mission-critical systems.

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Thanks for your comment!

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Startups prioritize speed, but Java and C# provide powerful frameworks like Spring Boot and ASP.NET Core, enabling fast development and scalability.

Both have strong open-source communities. While trendy languages get more attention, Java and C# remain essential for their stability and reliability in enterprise applications.

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k2an profile image
k2an

how java and c# for backend dead :) nowadays its not possible. huh!? python raising, go also. but nah they both not dead and not in near future.. btw kotlin can not replace java sorry kotlin developers its a dead born child.

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xwero profile image
david duymelinck • Edited

Java still has that enterprise label. And C#, or .NET in general, is closed source. Both those things didn't stop other languages to become popular, but for java and C# it weights them down I think.

When I started developing java and C# servers where expensive. I think with cloud computing that is not as much as a problem now?

I read an article on boring languages, and I believe java is considered one of them. The main takeaway was boring is good.

I think javascript in the backend is still a bad idea because is a UI language. Node, Deno and Bun might be fast but they are missing essential things in their core, like database drivers. You want that connection to be as fast as possible too.
And they promote to interpret typescript, the downside of that is that there has to be a compilation to javascript first before the code can be executed.
It gives me a feeling that there are to many cogs in the machine.

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Thanks for your feedback..JavaScript on the backend , while Node, Deno, and Bun have improved a lot, I’m still a bit skeptical. JavaScript was made for UI, and backend work often requires a different kind of robustness.
In the end, every tool has its purpose. Java and C# maybe are not so exciting, but they proved they work well over time , sometimes, boring is actually better

 
stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

I checked out Golang a couple of years ago—it felt like C++ but without the hassle of pointers. Its simplicity is a big plus, and it’s super efficient for scalable systems.

As for Rust, I’ve heard great things about its focus on safety and performance. I haven’t had the chance to try it yet, but it seems like a good choice for systems programming.

Java and C# are still great languages, but I agree—Go and Rust are becoming popular for new projects where speed and scalability matter.

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georgekobaidze profile image
Giorgi Kobaidze

I would’t say “everyone”, but also acknowledge that those 2 languages need to be appreciated more. I’m a C# developer myself and I admit, .NET ecosystem wasn’t always perfect in the past, but many things have changed since then. There hasn’t been a better time to be a C# developer and, based on what I know, I can say pretty much the same thing about Java.

The problem is, some developers just don’t do their own research to find out what’s out there. They just rely on resources that are kind of misleading and false.

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

I completely agree. C# and Java have come a long way, but many people don’t realize it. A lot of opinions are based on old information. If more developers looked into what's available today, they’d be surprised.

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as4886 profile image
as4886

After 20 years of experience, I can say that Java and C# are two of the most popular programming languages. However, if you are a freelancer or run your own business, you can tailor your work to meet the specific needs of your clients.

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elanatframework profile image
Elanat Framework

C# is very good.

I using CodeBehind Framework for back-end!

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Thanks for your feedback. I checked out this framework, and it seems great! Unfortunately, it does not support Blazor, only ASP.NET Razor Pages.

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elanatframework profile image
Elanat Framework

You are right, CodeBehind Framework does not support Blazor, but instead supports WebForms Core technology.

youtube.com/watch?v=Cv7vv0gGpd4

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Never heard about webforms core. I will check out.

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lexlohr profile image
Alex Lohr

Companies will choose languages for which they will get replaceable developers reliably.

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Thanks for your feedback..

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canro91 profile image
Cesar Aguirre

My favorite benchmark back in the day was trying to open Netbeans in a computer. "Oh that was fast, Netbeans opened in 5 sec" :)

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris • Edited

Great moments... I think the worst was JBuilder.

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chami profile image
Mohammed Chami

C# in more famous in games (Unity Engine)

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Thanks for your comment! Yes, Unity has indeed been a game-changer and is widely used in the gaming industry.

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minhthong_dev_vn profile image
Trương Minh Thông

Thanks you for your article. I am big fan of C#/Java. I am coding with Python about RAG. I really miss about C#.

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stevsharp profile image
Spyros Ponaris

Thanks for your comment. I have heard good things about Python and Django.