Quantum programming languages are essential to translate ideas into instructions that can be executed by a quantum computer. Not only are they crucial to the programming of quantum computers at scale but also they can facilitate the discovery and development of quantum algorithms even before hardware exists that is capable of executing them. Quantum programming languages are used for controlling existing physical devices, for estimating the execution costs of quantum algorithms on future devices, for teaching quantum computing concepts, or for verifying quantum algorithms and their implementations. They are used by newcomers and seasoned practitioners, researchers and developers working on the next ground-breaking discovery or applying known concepts to real-world problems. This variety in purpose and target audiences is reflected in the design and ecosystem of the existing quantum programming languages, depending on which factors a language prioritizes. In this Review, we highlight important aspects of quantum programming and how it differs from conventional programming. We overview a selection of several state-of-the-art quantum programming languages, highlight their salient features, and provide code samples for each of the languages and Docker files to facilitate installation of the software packages.

量子编程语言对于将思想转换为可由量子计算机执行的指令至关重要。它们不仅对大规模量子计算机的编程至关重要，而且即使在存在能够执行量子算法的硬件之前，它们也可以促进量子算法的发现和开发。量子编程语言用于控制现有的物理设备，估计未来设备上量子算法的执行成本，教授量子计算概念或验证量子算法及其实现。新手和经验丰富的从业人员，研究人员和开发人员都在使用它们，以进行下一个突破性发现或将已知概念应用于现实世界中的问题。目的和目标受众的多样性反映在现有量子编程语言的设计和生态系统中，具体取决于语言优先考虑的因素。在这篇评论中，我们重点介绍了量子编程的重要方面以及它与常规编程的不同之处。我们概述了几种最先进的量子编程语言的选择，突出了它们的显着特征，并提供了每种语言和Docker文件的代码示例，以方便软件包的安装。