Top 20 Software Development Trends in 2024

software development trends | TurnKey

When it comes to software development trends, it always pays for tech startups and high growth companies to be one step ahead so they can proactively leverage these trends to their advantage.

This year, they face new challenges and find new opportunities. I’ve discussed the current trends with our founders based in Silicon Valley and developers who work on SV products to gather the most recent trends to date for you.

So, let’s dive in!

Here are the Top 20 software development trends we expect to impact tech companies the most in 2024:

AI Adoption Accelerates

With so much buzz around OpenAI products like ChatGPT, 2024 is poised to be the year of AI technology. As a content creator, I feel this trend’s influence too!

Automation is quickly rising to the top of software development trends, and some sectors are leading the charge. Accounting, banking, lending, data processing, tech development, and customer service are among the first to reap the rewards of automated processes.

Startups will have to respond quickly if they want a piece of the pie; those who hoped to complete their rapid adoption of AI by 2024-2025 may have to move up their timeline to stay competitive. It’s no surprise that leveraging automation is quickly becoming essential to success in this new market ecosystem.

It’s predicted that the AI software adoption wave will give birth to many necessity-driven AI innovations and new startup unicorns.

IMPACT OF TOP 10 AI TRENDS | TurnKey

Source: StartUs Insights, December 2022

As AI technology continues to advance, many are left wondering – will it replace the need for software engineers altogether? Or will AI simply make developers more productive and efficient? Join Boris Glants, CTO at TurnKey Staffing, as he explores the potential impact of AI on the world of software development:

Tech Companies Turn To Offshore

With too much software to build and not enough local software developers, tech startups and high growth companies are increasingly looking to tap into a global pool of developers to meet their talent needs.

The easiest way to do this is to partner with software development offshoring experts like TurnKey to fill all your key roles. We provide offshoring services (as opposed to outsourcing) which enable startups to choose from a variety of locations when it comes to hiring deep expertise talent while maintaining total control. Offshoring comes with a range of benefits, including cost savings on taxes and wages, and typically higher talent retention.

We are the offshore development experts–let us help you build your dream team.

Cloud Computing Continues Its Inexorable Climb

Cloud computing’s domination of the tech revolution will continue in 2024, ensuring that on-premise, mainframe computing is headed toward the dustbin of computing history even faster.

Indeed, the global transition to remote work and the need to facilitate it has provoked a strong uptake of cloud computing. And with remote work still at the top of the list among startups, cloud computing software engineers are more in demand than ever.

Moreover, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) integration into cloud computing is set to skyrocket in 2024. According to a survey, the cloud AI market is proposed to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 20.3 percent between 2021 and 2026, as more companies seek to capitalize on its numerous benefits.

CLOUD COMPUTING MARKET SIZE, 2021 TO 2030 | TurnKey

Source: Precedence Research

AI and ML will mainly be used for automation, self-learning capabilities, data security and privacy, as well as personalized cloud experiences. Companies can thus reap massive opportunities in cloud computing with the help of AI and ML technologies. The projected growth in investments between now and 2026 proves just how integral AI and ML have become in practical applications in cloud computing.

The trend of using cloud-based solutions isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, especially when remote work is becoming the norm not the exception.

Cyber Security is a Priority

With many companies now working from home due to the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, data and corporate workspace safety are at the forefront of everyone’s minds. According to IBM, the share of breaches caused by ransomware grew 41% in the last year and took 49 days longer than the average breach to identify and contain.

Education and awareness around tech security are no longer enough as social engineering techniques, and easy-to-use deep fake technology is becoming increasingly sophisticated. That’s why auditing user activity regularly is now more important than ever to catch abnormal behavior and prevent serious incidents from occurring.

What’s the solution to increasing security issues? Implementing a zero-standing privilege (ZSP) approach will help protect software development teams from the unintended abuse of their most influential accounts. IBM says that teams with a zero trust approach saved nearly million in average breach costs compared to organizations without zero trust deployed.

Top 6 Recent High-Profile Company Data Breaches in 2022 | TurnKey

Machine Learning Hits the Mainstream Thanks to AutoML

Through software automation, ML software developers can deploy better solutions faster and help reduce complexity within software development. But ML is often hard to implement, which is what has held back its broad adoption in the developer community.

No longer. AutoML brings improved machine learning performance at a fraction of the time a human engineer would take to achieve the same results. This emerging technology is becoming more attractive due to its highly-efficient functionality and scalability.

AutoML is the latest trend for automating ML models’ selection, composition, and parameterization. Manually adjusting data models and their parameters in a trial-and-error manner is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Automated machine learning provides data-driven organizations with improved returns on investment and reduces the time required to capture value from their initiatives. It also removes the need for sole reliance upon the baked-in knowledge of data scientists, meaning fewer resources are needed to accomplish any particular goal.

Here’s a quick overview:

How AutoML works | TurnKey

Source: Google

DevOps is Deeply Integrated with Security

DevSecOps is becoming an increasingly popular software development trend that puts security front and center by combining Development, Security, and Operations and integrating security throughout the software development lifecycle.

The idea behind the approach is to bring security into the software design right from the start rather than bolting it on after launch. By having it fully integrated into the entire process, security can be implemented without slowing down software development.

In 2020, the global DevSecOps market was about USD $2.79 billion, and it is estimated to grow a whopping 24.1% CAGR from 2021 to 2028. This rapid growth in such a short amount of time can be attributed to the stability offered by modern software development practices enabled by secure infrastructure and software architectures.

U.S. DevSecOps Market | TurnKey

Source: GVR

Automated Code Reviews Become the Norm

Yet another software trend connected to automation, automatic code reviews use static analysis to help reduce errors and increase productivity. The static analysis looks at the source code without running it, allowing for a faster and more accurate analysis than a manual review with no understanding of how the software works or how sudden input changes could affect the output is required.

All this makes automatic code analysis highly advantageous when compared to a traditional peer review.

Here are three of the most popular tools for code review automation:

  • WorkerB for Pull Request is a free Chrome Extension that helps you collaborate with your team and get your pull requests reviewed 10x faster.
  • WorkerB + LinearB allow you to track cycle time, PR size, pickup and review time, and customize goals to streamline your code review process across your team.
  • gitStream allows you to create a clear set of rules and policies at the repo level that automates how code gets merged. Visible in the IDE, developers understand how their PR will be treated and how to follow the repo policy.

Are you looking for developers who understand how to leverage all the key development trends for your advantage? We’ve got you covered.

Simplicity Keeps Winning

Simplicity continues to be among the top software technology trends of 2024, as low-code and no-code development allows anyone, regardless of coding knowledge, to create software platforms. Companies can save valuable time, resources and money by taking advantage of low code technology – and the numbers prove it. According to research, the global low-code platform market is forecasted to achieve revenue of 87.0 billion by 2030.

Low-Code Development Platform Market | TurnKey

Blockchain-Based Apps (Dapps) Increase in Popularity

As blockchain-based applications (commonly referred to as DApps, or decentralized applications) offer advantages like security and transparency to startups, more and more DApps are popping up around the globe.

These distributed systems have already been making waves in the fintech industry, and they’re continuing to gain traction in other sectors such as Logistics, Publishing, and Healthcare.

Blockchain technology software systems are extremely secure and stable as they store data in a decentralized manner and have multiple layers of security to ensure that unauthorized access is prevented. Adopting blockchain software can give certain businesses an edge compared to their competitors, as noted by over 80% of financial executives who took part in a Deloitte survey:

What is your level of agreement or disagreement with each of the following statements

Engineering Leaders Prioritize the Right Developers

In the software development process, smart engineering leaders know that quality is more important than quantity and this trend will accelerate in 2024. Having fewer but better-qualified software developers is critical to an efficient development process, and the key is to take the time to really understand the skillsets needed on the team and how to acquire those folks. 

There are countless variables to consider when hiring software developers. Sifting through candidates requires effort, but it pays off in terms of software product success in the end. Here is our detailed guide on hiring developers for startups – check it out for even more great info.

elon musk quote

At TurnKey, we make sure that all the software development candidates we source for our clients fall in the high quality bucket, while we also take care of all administration headaches like taxes and payroll – leaving you free to focus exclusively on building great software.

Expansion of the Internet of Things (IoT)

IoT has long been included on lists of software development trends, but what can we expect from IoT in the future? According to Deloitte, global spending on software and hardware related to IoT was projected to reach 1 trillion in 2023 and even higher in 2024, a massive jump from the $726 billion spent in 2019. Embracing software as part of the service proposition is more important than ever if players in the field want to stay ahead.

If technology has taught us anything, it’s that customer experience is always king. This rings true for IoT, where more personalization, better data management, and improved security will be key future software development pillars. We’ll also likely see projects incorporating AI as well as decentralization to keep pushing boundaries and create even more innovations.

Medical Devices Component segment | TurnKey

Source: ReportCrux Market Research

More of the Development Process Becomes Automated

With the latest trends in software development pushing the boundaries of innovation, there’s no doubt that software quality standards are becoming increasingly important.  In fact, the ISO/IEC 25000 series of standards set out the latest requirements for software development, which can be a bit confusing. (Thankfully, we here at TurnKey are ready to meet them and ensure your software development efforts address all the necessary standards.)

But even more important are processes that automate the efficiency of your software infrastructure and help ensure that these standards are met:

Continuous Integration and Delivery

Continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) is becoming not a development trend, but a must in Agile and DevOps development. By introducing automation into the process, teams can improve the quality and efficiency of development with constant updates to the software.

The tools used in CI/CD provide a wide range of advantages from code repositories to test suites which makes development more streamlined and secure. This development trend is sure to take hold as its efficiencies are undeniable, resulting in improved product development timelines but also increased customer satisfaction.

Microservices Architecture

Microservices architecture on cloud infrastructure is rapidly growing in popularity due to its ability to make software development, management, and maintenance easier. By dividing the software development process into smaller parts, this architecture increases scalability and flexibility while reducing development time, making it an attractive development model for small, middle-size, and enterprise software development.

Legacy System Migration

Many tech companies are updating their tech systems to stay in sync with today’s disruptive technology. They now need to migrate their data and processes over to new platforms that can handle an ever-increasing workload. This is necessary for the reliable functioning of their systems but can also come with additional benefits. For example, migrating to the cloud can save infrastructure costs because cloud spending is often much lower.


Last year was the highest year yet for legacy system migration and managing technical debt across various industries. There’s no doubt this development trend is here to stay.

You deserve a custom approach to hiring the absolute best software developers. “Custom” is our middle name.

UX/UI Becomes A Driver of Development

User experience (UX) development is in the midst of a revolution, with 2024 bringing enticing new features to the design landscape. Users are quickly adopting software that is designed with artificial intelligence, eye-popping hover capabilities, and innovative navigation styles.  Tapping into these development trends around UX/UI will be essential to success.

Jonathan Widawski, CEO at Maze, compares the implementation of UI and UX to building a house. “UX would be the foundation, and UI would be the paint and furniture.”

Building a house requires consideration of all the details, big and small. Starting with the foundation – or UX – of the design is key: it makes sure that each room connects with and relates to the next, that all doorways are in functional positions and stairs are safely constructed so they don’t cause a safety hazard. Once this part is done, you can get creative and start playing around with interior design ideas (UI.)

In 2024, UX/UI designers will strive to deliver immersive 3D experiences that give users a unique view of product offerings and services. By blending cutting-edge development standards with latest usability standards, brands can engage both new and returning customers.

The Rise of Progressive Web Applications (PWA)

Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) is a web development trend on everyone’s lips these days. PWAs use new-age technology to provide a mobile app-level experience without any of the maintenance issues of installing native apps, which means faster development, automatic updates, and lower data consumption.

Google has strongly advocated for PWA development, referring to it as the ‘future of software’. For example, the revenue of AliExpress was dramatically improved after they adopted the development of PWAs, resulting in an increase in their conversion rate by 104% and time spent in session increasing by nearly 74%.

PWAs create a much smoother and more enjoyable web app experience a user journeys through it. The development time is also drastically reduced without sacrificing optimization or client engagement.

Four key technologies of a PWA | TurnKey

JavaScript Continues to Gain Momentum

The development trend of developers flocking to JavaScript continues to take the world by storm with its meteoric rise in popularity. Over the last few years, it has consistently remained among the top-ranked programming language for software development.

In May of 2022, Stack Overflow conducted its 2022 Developer Survey, and the results validated the development trend. With over 70,000 developers participating, the survey provided clear indicators for how the development industry using key programming tools. As expected, JavaScript was ranked as the most commonly used language.

And it’s growth shows no sign of slowing down!

2022 Developer Survey development trend 1

Python Increases in Popularity

Python was already a second top programming language last year, and that momentum hasn’t slowed. Instead, it has only continued to grow more popular, showing no sign of slowing anytime soon. More and more developers are leaning toward Python as their language of choice, putting it on the path to stand atop the development pedestal at some point in the future.

Python development is currently on a steady rise and with the development trend in AI and ML kicking in, it’s set to reach even greater heights. Moreover, Python developers will benefit from new technologies available to them, such as rapid prototyping that can be paired with faster software development and maintenance iteration capabilities.

As the development environment changes, Python looks set to become an even more crucial technology and valuable asset for software development teams.

We build All-Star software development teams built entirely around your needs.

React and Angular Are Cemented as the Software Development Scaling Tools of Choice

The growing popularity of React and Angular continue to be top development trends for a reason, especially when it comes to programming tools that enable you to scale software development more quickly and easily

React makes building fast and high-performance native or cross-platform applications easy.

Angular is known for its exceptional flexibility of software solutions as well as for SEO-friendliness.

Both serve different purposes and drive exceptional benefits for the software products they power:

  • Angular offers many out-of-the-box capabilities and a clear structure, making it easy to scale the product and onboard new developers quickly. If your project requires an enterprise-grade application with a high degree of interactivity, then Angular is a great choice.
  • If developing a lightweight, quick-view library is more of what you need–or you are developing cross-platform (like Android and iOS) – React is a great choice. What’s more, version migration in React is straightforward; no need to install updates one at a time or deal with issues. With React, you can access many pre-existing solutions, so finding what you are looking for shouldn’t be too hard.


In terms of current trends in software development, the forecast is that these two frameworks will only become more popular.

Omnichannel Customer Experience Comes Standard

Among the latest trends in software development is that omnichannel customer experiences will become the norm not the exception.  “Omnichannel” means having a consistent and connected user experience across multiple channels such as mobile apps, websites, physical stores, and social media.

This approach can reach more customers, boost traffic and sales, and offer maximum availability and flexibility. With omnichannel experiences, customers also benefit from integrated digital touchpoints while enjoying a seamless journey when shopping or making inquiries. Additionally, startups can deliver a consistent experience across different channels ensuring their prospects have all the information they need and a smooth buying process.

Mobile-First Approach Is King

In 2010, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt predicted that mobile would become the way users would provision services. Fast forward 12 years later, with an estimated 7 billion smartphone users in 2022, and it’s incredibly clear that he was right.

Having a mobile-first approach means prioritizing applications and programs that work well on mobile devices before any other platform. It’s all about giving users a quality experience right away, even when using their phones.  No surprise then that mobile-first is a top trend in software development.

A mobile-first strategy also simplifies and compresses information into more manageable chunks, increasing engagement with your brand, which leads to higher conversion rates on mobile devices. It’s also a great way to improve customer retention.

No. of Smartphone Users Worldwide (2016-2026) | TurnKey

Source: Statista

The API Economy Just Keeps Growing

The API Economy is here and it’s changing how organizations do business. APIs are revolutionizing the way we interact with our data, making integration easier than ever before.

With APIs, businesses can add new services and products to their offerings without investing in building them from scratch. By leveraging existing solutions delivered through simple APIs, organizations of all sizes can quickly incorporate new technologies into their operations, significantly saving time and money. The end result is improved agility for businesses to adapt and stay competitive in today’s age of digital disruption.

Attractive Opportunities in API Management Market

Source: MarketsandMarkets Research

New Technology in Software Development

In 2024, the software development world keeps pushing forward, introducing new and new technologies. 

The hottest development technologies include:

  • AI in different forms and roles; a lot of teams adopt AI and use GenAI to streamline their work, while others incorporate AI features (NLP, computer vision, reinforcement learning) into their software products, riding the hype;
  • Flutter, an open-source UI software development kit from Google, gains momentum, as more companies opt to use it for cross-platform development;
  • VR and AR expand their reach, especially after the surge in attention the market received after the release of Apple Vision Pro created at the beginning of the year;
  • now is the finest time for Rust, as Stack Overflow Survey 2023 showed that it is the most admired programming language — 84% of responders have used it in the past year and want to continue using it! So, we can expect it only to grow in popularity;
  • DevOps transform into DevSecOps, emphasizing security testing as an essential part of the development process;
  • Platform engineering, a practice of creating robust and scalable infrastructure that accelerates and simplifies the deployment of applications, becomes another popular direction for software development companies;.low-code and no-code platforms become even more important, as they democratize the development process and empower non-tech specialists to take part in it.

*Bonus: TurnKey Can Help You Capitalize On All The Top Software Development Trends

Working in a rapidly changing environment means that it’s hard to stay on top of the current software development trends, especially when it comes to offshore software development.  That’s where an expert like TurnKey comes in.

We are a trusted partner with years of experience building high performing offshore software development teams for tech companies.

When it comes to choosing an offshore software development partner, TurnKey Tech Staffing ticks all the boxes. We custom build development teams that are 100% dedicated to you and you have full control over what they work on and when. 

Here’s a real-life example. MiResource, a groundbreaking mental health marketplace, embarked on a mission to simplify access to mental health care for health institutions and their patients. As a venture-backed startup, they faced the dual challenge of building and expanding their engineering team while ensuring seamless integration between onshore and offshore teams. MiResource turned to TurnKey for helping with tech staffing.

We swiftly filled key roles, including a Product Manager, Full Stack Tech Lead, UI/UX Designer, Frontend and Backend Engineers, QA Engineers, Dev Ops Engineer, and Support Specialists. This comprehensive team was onboarded seamlessly, enabling MiResource to deploy weekly with a remarkable 7-day lead time from submission to release. Automation was key, as the team built a robust CI/CD delivery pipeline with hundreds of tests, resulting in over 70,000 lines of code written annually.

MiResource’s ability to rapidly recruit high-quality engineering talent proved to be a game-changer for this early-stage startup, thanks to TurnKey. This partnership exemplifies the transformative potential of strategic talent acquisition, helping MiResource make mental health care more accessible and effective through innovative technology solutions.

Being able to hire high quality engineering talent quickly is a game changer for any early stage startup. TurnKey has made that possible for us and we are proud that it is one of our company’s strengths.
Mackenzie Drazan Co-Founder & CEO of MiResource

With our best-in-class developers and retention program, you can be sure that the code you get is of the highest quality and built to last. Plus with our highly scalable approach, you can spin up or spin down new teams in no time – giving you agility and flexibility to weather any type of circumstance. 

So take the guesswork out of your software development needs and allow TurnKey Tech Staffing to deliver you a fully custom offshore tech hiring solution that is built entirely around your specific needs.

TurnKey helps you win. Partner with us and get the very best offshore team that is completely customized around you.

*FAQ

What is the biggest trend in the software development industry?

Automation through artificial intelligence is the biggest software development trend today, with many sectors are already reaping the rewards of such automated processes. Accounting, banking, data processing, tech development, and customer service are just some of the top contenders that have jumped on board. It's predicted that the AI software adoption wave will give birth to a multitude of new AI companies, which in turn will fuel even greater growth.

What should software developers learn in 2024?

As key software development trends emerge, developers must keep up. Key to staying on top of their game include understanding open-source software and frameworks such as Node.js and React, gaining cloud computing experience with cloud services such as AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Azure, and mastering Docker container technology for deploying multi-component applications quickly in production environments. With these skills, software developers can stay ahead of the curve while providing maximum value to their teams.

What will the top three software development trends be in 2024?

There are a few big ones on the horizon. For startups and high growth companies, software development is likely to become much more AI-driven, with software developers relying heavily on automated software solutions and predictive analytics. We also expect software development to speed up significantly due to the emergence of low-code/no-code platforms. Finally, third-party API integrations are likely to become even more essential and commonplace as companies increasingly use toolkits and frameworks that can be integrated and customized easily.

Which software will have the most demand in the future?

The software that is most likely to dominate headlines for the next five years (or more) include AI-driven software, mobile-first applications, and APIs that seamlessly connect disparate systems.

September 12, 2024

TurnKey Staffing provides information for general guidance only and does not offer legal, tax, or accounting advice. We encourage you to consult with professional advisors before making any decision or taking any action that may affect your business or legal rights.

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