Software Development Trends That Will Define 2023

By James Smith

In the coming few months, we will bid adieu to 2022, and we can't anticipate what technology revolutions 2023 will bring for us. The back-to-back waves of COVID-19 have brought digital transformations to a higher level and have accelerated how organizations lean toward disruptive technologies to streamline business operations.

The pandemic has accelerated the changes in the software development trends, so what might be trending in 2022 might not be implemented at a broader level in 2023 or later. However, it is expected for some trends to stay and conquer the market, like IT teams and organizations will see a growth in cloud-native technologies or edge computing will grow in tandem with IoT devices. Also, cybersecurity is going to be at the core of digital transformation as the complexity of risks and threats will continue to expand.

CIOs and software development services providers invest ample budgets in technology to achieve business resilience. A report by Gartner forecasts that IT spending worldwide will reach US$ 4.4 trillion by 2022, with an increase of 4% from 2021, and let alone, the software development industry will reach US$675 billion by the end of 2022.

Software Development Trends to Watch Out in 2023

Software development in 2023 will continue the direction it has taken in these last two years. However, familiar technologies and markets will astonish us with new advancements as they become mainstream. Let us walk through the latest software technology trends that will dominate in 2023.

Adoption of low code/no-code development

The demand for software developers has outpaced supply, and low-code/no-code (LCNC) will become a trendsetter in 2023. Approximately 20% of software projects fail, and another 52% are challenged to stay in the market. These factors have pushed LCNC to become mainstream in 2023 and beyond. This form of software development allows technical and non-technical peers to support agile operations as it doesn't utilize advanced coding skills.

Low code and no-code development platforms allow you to quickly and efficiently create applications in a visual software development environment with drag and drop functionality, easing the overall process. As per Statista, it is expected that the global low-code platform will reach 65 billion US dollars by 2027 with an expected CAGR of 26.1%. 

Increase in cloud computing

During the pandemic, most companies shifted their focus to expanding remote work capabilities, which prompted the rapid acceleration of cloud computing. Though things are returning to normal, organizations still trust the cloud to be upscale or downscale per their current business requirements. The demand for cloud-native technology is increasing as it allows you to construct, design, and operate workloads directly developed through the cloud.

Big organizations like Accenture and Amazon invest heavily in cloud computing technologies to train more people on cloud computing and accelerate cloud ubiquity. Businesses are looking forward to cloud transformation leveraging the agility and better speed it extends with built-in scalability in a model work environment.

AI adoption accelerates

The revenue from the global artificial intelligence market is expected to see rapid growth in the coming year, reaching more than half a trillion US dollars by 2023. Whether you observe it or not, some form of AI and machine learning are used in nearly every industry, from real estate to production and manufacturing. Another industry in which AI is poised to make the most significant impact in healthcare. Currently, it is seen that in the business world, AI software is making an impact through Robotic Process Automation (RPA). For instance, businesses use RPA for data entry, mass emails, payroll, lead nurturing, financial planning, and compliance. SMEs, large enterprises, and government agencies will use various software segments like AI applications, AI platforms, and AI system infrastructure to enhance operations agility.

Continued expansion of IoT

IoT debuted as a much-hyped futuristic technology that has become a reality impacting different sectors. From smart appliances to phones, cars, and security systems, IoT is mainstream. This trend will expand more in 2023, and organizations will focus on IoT developments at a rapid scale and leverage the trend to grow their organization.

The proliferation of devices has fueled the growth of IoT. Thanks to the new sensors, more computing power, and reliable mobile connectivity, it will continue to become cheaper, secure, and widely available. Furthermore, IoT will be used with data analytics software and artificial intelligence to help businesses improve processes, reduce overheads, boost productivity, and generate higher revenue.

Use of modern languages will continue

The use of modern languages will continue to rise in 2023 as more businesses realize how to benefit from using them. Modern languages take advantage of modern computer hardware and are changing how software is developed. According to the StackOverflow survey, the language is known as the "most beloved language" for its speed, security, and performance

Some popular modern languages are Rust, TypeScript, Swift, Dart, Go, and Kotlin. Of all the modern languages, Rust and Go are gaining popularity due to their advanced features like conciseness, null safety, and type interference. Large enterprises like Amazon and Microsoft have announced significant investments in Rust.

Rise in development of progressive web apps

Progressive web apps have been around for some time, but it is currently picking pace. PWAs are game-changers in the web and app development landscape as they drive website surfing closer to native mobile applications. Nowadays, most users are mobile, and businesses can't afford to give a poor user experience on mobile. It is where PWAs come into action. 

They mitigate the need to build two different platforms, offer a fantastic response time with higher reliability, and save a considerable chunk of money. PWAs focus on engaging mobile users with an immersive experience and have the capability of running in offline modes. Use cases of PWA by known enterprises include Alibaba, AliExpress, Olx, Washington Post, Twitter, and more.

Personalization using IoB

Personalization is the primary key to success for any software in the market. This trend of personalization using the Internet of Behavior (IoB) will be noticed in 2023 and beyond. It can be explained as a component of IoT and acquires data from gadgets to track and analyze people's behavior as they interact with apps and devices.

 IoB brings crucial data such as preferences, user behavior, and interests from business intelligence, big data, and customer data platforms. It has become elementary to track, analyze, and evaluate massive data sets created by users through online activities, purchase histories, and social media interactions and improve user personalization. Gartner predicts that by 2023, 40% of the world's population will have their activities tracked digitally.

Rise of Web 3.0

2023 will be the year when everyone will get to know the future of the internet. Web 3.0 is a third-generation internet that offers a data-driven semantic web. Web 3.0 applications distinguish themselves by their interactivity and complexity. Web three goes beyond the static pages that were customary in web 1.0 and web 2.0. JavaScript is used to develop web 3.0 applications making them more dynamic and responsive. Such applications experience faster loading times when run on modern hardware systems.

Web 3.0 consists of three basic IT architecture tiers, which are explained below:

Interaction: The content, software, and hardware users communicate with

Computation: The functionality of inducing an interaction

Information: The data and structural architecture needed for precise and secure computing systems functioning.

Blockchain will gain momentum

Blockchain became popular with cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin BTC/USD; however, blockchain is expanding, and various industries are implementing this disruptive technology to efficiently manage supply chain operations. The use cases of blockchain are increasing every day, and large enterprises like Walmart WMT, British Airways, FedEx FDX, etc., have already invested in this technology. In the last two years, we can see how NFTs have gained popularity, and creators worldwide have started investing in them. 

Primarily, it is used for digital art, but in 2023 we can see more facets of the growing use case. Also, in 2023, organizations at all levels, from SMEs to large enterprises, will involve blockchain for better transparency, security, and reliability. As per a report, the blockchain market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 42.8%, leading to global revenue of US$19.9 billion by 2023.

Global recognition of microservices

Microservices in another technology trend changing the software industry. It is a distinct approach to software development that focuses on creating single-function modules with well-defined operations and interfaces. Recent cloud and container developments led software development companies to consider microservices a leading form of architecture. 

Instead of building one best service, developers break the functionality into manageable sectors. The software consists of microservices, where each performs a single function impeccably. One of the best advantages of microservices architecture is if a single microservice goes down, the entire application will not be affected. In 2023, the trend will become more agile and will gain global recognition.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) adoption

Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a process that allows the management and provisioning of computer data centers with the help of machine-readable definition files. It codifies IT infrastructure in software rather than in hardware configuration tools. The development team can automatically manage and monitor through software code rather than manually configuring devices one by one. 

It is also known as software-defined infrastructure or software intelligence as code. According to Gartner, by 2023, 60% of organizations will use infrastructure automation tools as part of their DevOps toolchains, which is expected to improve application deployment efficiency by 25%.

Kubernetes adoption will increase

Docker has been one of the most popular container solutions, along with competitors like Mesos, Swarm, and Kubernetes. In 2023, it is anticipated that Kubernetes adoption will escalate at a higher rate. Kubernetes, aka K8 or Kube, is an open-source container orchestration platform that helps automate many processes such as scaling, deploying, and managing containerized applications.

Kubernetes grew into a loyal community in the past years and has emerged as a global authority on container development. With companies moving forward with the trend, it can be used for data outsourcing centers to the public cloud service providers, hosting large-scale websites, and deploying mobile applications while saving ample money.

Cybersecurity with DevSecOps

DevSecOps is an automation and platform design approach that integrates security as a shared responsibility across the IT lifecycle. DevSecOps offers built-in security that acts as a perimeter around data and applications. It allows early detection of potential threats and fixes vulnerabilities in the initial stage.

In 2023, it is expected that the DevSecOps market size is expected to grow from USD 1.5 billion in 2018 to US$5.9 billion by 2023 at a CAGR of 31.2% during the forecast period. With the growing trend, businesses will focus on security and compliance for highly secure continuous application delivery.

Conclusion

The IT market will continue to grow and will be highly influenced by the above trends in the upcoming year. In 2023, organizations' primary focus will be on automation at all business levels. Most organizations are investing in emerging technology trends and expecting a significant return on investments. However, these technologies come up with challenges, and a better step will be connecting with reputed software development companies to know the current market in real-time and deploy efficient products with the right technology implementation.