Programming languages
COBOL
COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) is a high-level programming language designed for business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments. COBOL is known for its clear syntax, which was designed to be readable by non-programmers.
- Created by
- CODASYL , Jean E. Sammet
- First appeared
- 1959
- Official resource
- Visit the main website
Your first program
Hello, World!
IDENTIFICATION DIVISION.
PROGRAM-ID. HelloWorld.
PROCEDURE DIVISION.
DISPLAY 'Hello, World!'.
STOP RUN.Keep learning
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Official resource
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Teach me the basics of COBOL. Use https://code.study/cobol as the starting point. Explain what COBOL is best suited for, when I should not choose it, how to install or try it, and then walk me through its Hello World example step by step.
Content reviewed August 2026 · Start with primary sources and verify version-specific details.