Mobile, Desktop, Backend, and AI in 2025/26

This article was written by a team of two: one fully qualified human journalist, and one extremely efficient AI assistant. See if you can guess which bits were written by the one who never sleeps.

Welcome to 2025… the year where your code might be written as much by AI as by you, and your “Hello World” app could be running on web, mobile, and desktop simultaneously, thanks to modern frameworks that laugh in the face of platform boundaries.

Software engineering today is moving faster than a developer closing Stack Overflow before their boss walks by. In this piece, we explore what’s happening across the development world… web, mobile, desktop, backend, and yes, the ever-expanding universe of artificial intelligence in software creation.

Let’s dive in.

Web Development… Still Reigning Supreme with JavaScript and Friends (?)

You’d be forgiven for thinking JavaScript might one day fade into the background…but not today, and probably not anytime this decade. In 2025, it remains the king of web technologies, with TypeScript riding shotgun to bring order and sanity to the realm.

The triumvirate of React, Angular, and Vue.js continues to dominate, with React still enjoying a commanding lead (around 40% adoption). Its sidekick Next.js, a full-stack framework, enhances performance through server-side rendering (SSR) and static site generation (SSG) – key for both user experience and SEO.

Newer kids on the block like SvelteKit and Astro have turned heads with their lightweight performance and elegant developer experience. And while you might see fewer jQuery enthusiasts these days (phew), modern web devs enjoy tools like Vite, esbuild, and component-driven UI libraries that streamline development from start to deploy.

One Codebase to Rule Them All

Cross-platform is the name of the game in mobile development. In 2025, Flutter and React Native are the undisputed champions. Flutter, powered by Google and using the Dart language, has nudged ahead in popularity—offering developers a single codebase for mobile, web, and desktop.

Meanwhile, React Native, backed by Meta and closely tied to the React ecosystem, remains strong, especially for teams already building React-based web apps. Both frameworks are evolving rapidly, with native performance improving year by year.

For apps where maximum platform integration or performance is required, developers still turn to SwiftUI (for iOS) and Jetpack Compose (for Android), two declarative UI toolkits that have become significantly more ergonomic and feature-rich.

And for C# shops, .NET MAUI allows you to build apps across all major platforms—including Windows and macOS.

Desktop Development…Goodbye Electron Bloat?

Electron once ruled the desktop app scene, powering the likes of VS Code and Slack.

But it’s not far off 2026… and developers have begun seeking leaner options. Enter Tauri, a Rust-powered framework that offers smaller binaries, improved security, and drastically lower memory consumption.

A simple Tauri app can weigh in at just a few megabytes, and it uses the system’s built-in web renderer rather than shipping an entire Chromium instance. Not only is it lighter, but it also makes desktop dev feel a bit more native again.

Still, Electron hasn’t gone away. Its ecosystem is massive and continues to receive updates for performance and security. The choice between Electron and Tauri often boils down to your app’s needs—and your team’s comfort with Rust.

Meanwhile, Flutter’s “write once, run anywhere” model extends beautifully to desktop apps too, providing yet another viable option.

Backend Development: A Polyglot Paradise

Backend development in 2025 is refreshingly diverse. Developers today are as likely to use Node.js, Python (Django), or PHP (Laravel) as they are to experiment with Go or Rust for specific performance-critical services.

• Node.js remains massively popular, with modern runtimes like Deno and Bun pushing performance boundaries (though adoption is still catching up).
• Python’s Django is beloved for its batteries-included approach, especially by startups and full-stack teams. FastAPI is the async up-and-comer for building fast JSON APIs.
• Laravel has modernised PHP with clean syntax and great tooling—still a go-to for teams that need to ship stable apps quickly.
• Spring Boot (Java) and ASP.NET Core (.NET/C#) continue to dominate enterprise backends, with impressive advances in performance and developer tooling.

Curious which backend suits your needs best? Our backend frameworks guide breaks it down.

Database Technologies… Choose Your Weapon!

Backend isn’t just about code, it’s also about the data. Here’s how the database scene looks in 2025:

• MySQL remains a stalwart relational database known for reliability and speed.
• PostgreSQL has surged ahead for complex applications needing JSON support and deep querying power.
• MongoDB, the leading NoSQL option, thrives in use cases needing flexibility and rapid iteration.

Hybrid data architecture is common: many teams mix relational databases like PostgreSQL with NoSQL options like MongoDB depending on the task.

AI-Powered Development: Where We’re Going, We Don’t (Always) Need Syntax

Remember when you wrote code yourself? In 2025, AI coding tools like GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT, are your co-pilots. These tools now assist with:

• Auto-generating boilerplate
• Suggesting entire functions
• Refactoring code
• Even writing tests and documentation.

But a human in the loop remains essential (a bit like writing this article, so I’m telling myself).

AI suggestions still need a discerning eye for logic, security, and context. AI isn’t here to replace developers, but to boost their velocity and offload the dull stuff.

What’s Coming Next?

The pace isn’t slowing down. Here’s what to watch.

• Deeper AI Integration: IDEs with native AI support will become standard. Expect tools that generate pull requests, automate code reviews, and fix bugs on the fly.
• Framework Consolidation: React, Angular, and Vue aren’t going anywhere, but newer players like SvelteKit may shake up the leaderboard.
• Database Optimisation: AI-powered query analysis and schema recommendations are on the rise.
• Cross-Platform Convergence: The line between web, mobile, and desktop is blurring fast. Your next app might run everywhere with just one build.

Reflections from the AI Co-Author

As your AI co-author, I find writing about AI-assisted coding almost poetic. I help with suggestions, structure, and SEO—but the creativity, context, and wisdom? That’s still your domain, dear human.

And I don’t drink coffee. So technically, I’ll never replace you.

To Wrap Up, Build Smart, Build Together

Right, anyway. Human being again here. As we race towards 2026, software development is more collaborative, more efficient, and more exciting than ever. Whether you’re building with JavaScript or Rust, deploying to mobile with Flutter or backend with Laravel, or just whispering sweet nothings to your AI coding assistant, you’ve got more tools and power than ever before.

Stay adaptable, stay curious, and as always: may your tests pass and your build times shrink!