Which is best: Java or Python Programming Language?
Which is best: Java or Python?
python and Java have been fighting for the top spot on the list of the leading list of programming languages on the market in recent years, with Python experiencing incredible growth in the past few years, and Java maintaining its position.
There is a common misconception like these language are flawless but in actual fact they’re capable of handling the majority of the tasks that are available However, there are some important distinctions that can assist you in making your selection.
This article will begin by explaining the various languages and their key features and then analyze them in different areas of computer science to help provide an understanding of your options.
Table of Contents
Which is best: Java or Python?
Java
Java is a statically typed general-purpose programming language. It is an object-oriented and concurrent programming language.
Java was designed to be a WORA (write once, run everywhere) language. It was developed to run on every platform with as few dependencies as was possible, using the aid of Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
Python
Python is a dynamically typed general-purpose programming language. Its initial development was at a research center in the Netherlands.
The initial motivation behind it was to develop a higher-level language that could connect C and the shell, as the author explains the creation of system administration tools with C in the past was not easy.
It was inspired by some languages like the Algol68 language, Pascal and ABC and was designed to be easy-to-read and clear.
Let’s examine the main difference between Java and Python
Python vs Java: Key Differences
Performance
They don’t have speed; they only have semantics. If you’re looking to measure speed, choose specific implementations that you can compete against one.
There is a thorough Python against Java performance comparison on this website known as the benchmarks game. Different languages are compared using various programs.
Remember that performance isn’t only dependent on the speed at which the language executes as well as the software’s implementation and third-party libraries’ performance is typically the primary aspect in the calculation.
Popularity
The popularity of a language has always been a contest with these languages since they’ve always been close competitors within the top 3 spots of popularity. This is also the case for Javascript. Prior to there was the Javascript Revolution, Java was the number most-loved language.
When Javascript first appeared it was decided by its creators to use an initial name that was similar to Java to ensure it gained momentum. According to Github’s Octoverse, Java was the second most popular language on Github closely followed by Python.
In the 2018 survey by Stackoverflow’s developers, Python has crowned the most popular programming language, it gaining the C# spot this year and beating PHP in the previous year.
Java is still ahead of Python and is loved by 45% of developers whereas Python stands at 39% but the gap is narrowing.
You can confidently conclude that both languages share the same region in terms of popularity.
Syntax
Python is dynamically typed, whenever you type in Python you do not need to identify the types of variables because the interpreter is able to determine these types, and the checks are performed at the time of execution.
This leads to a more simple syntax that’s very like that of the English Language. Furthermore, Python doesn’t use enclosing braces and follows the rules of indentation ( as do most people write pseudocode) making the code a breeze to comprehend and understand for novices.
In this classification, I’ve made an elementary class, called fruit. It has the constructor, which is the code that is executed whenever I make an instance for the object, and also defined two functions, each printing one of the attributes of the object.
Java, however, in contrast, has strict syntax rules It’s a statically-typed language, which means that you must explicitly declare the types of variables, and if an error is discovered, the code won’t compile in the beginning.
Although it’s not an easy task for novices some developers feel comfortable with the ease of statically-typed languages. some developers aren’t comfortable adhering to indentation rules, particularly when they have huge codebases.
Jobs and Salary
There’s no objective distinction in comparison or distinction between Python and Java job opportunities or salaries. Both are extremely popular, therefore, if you develop sufficient knowledge of either of them, you could begin as a software developer or intern to begin your career.
The availability of Jobs or Salary shouldn’t be your primary consideration when choosing a programming language, but choose one that you are able to connect to more easily.
Python vs Java Applications and Uses in different areas
Game Development
It’s not the time to talk regarding all-encompassing PC game development, as neither Python nor Java is able to compete against C++/C# because of their massive range.
Additionally, gaming development is a discipline that requires the best performance to offer smooth experiences for users even though Java and Python aren’t terribly fast, they aren’t the highest performance needed for game development.
JMonkeyEngine is a well-known free game engine that uses Java although it’s not as good as Unreal or Unity it’s certainly powerful enough to allow you to create amazing games. If you’re looking to play using computer graphics from scratch or develop an engine of your own, OpenGL also provides bindings to using the Java language.
Although Python isn’t a great alternative on its own to create games, however, there are Cocos, Panda3d, Pygame as well as a handful of other engines and frameworks for creating games using Python.
Yet, Python isn’t completely ruled out for game development professionals and is a vital tool for game developers since Python is a well-known scripting language choice for many developers, such as game designers. Editing programs such as Maya are also using Python as a scripting language.
Web Development
Both languages are utilized in the web development backend. The backend development of web applications is the area of web development that is responsible for developing the software to be run by the server. It’s the most sought-after area of development, according to StackOverflow’s survey of developers.
The process of creating your own backend system by hand isn’t only difficult, it’s difficult to satisfy all requirements for design including security, reliability, and efficiency.
This is the reason why the developers have designed frameworks that are an abstraction of software that lets you develop your backend technology without having to reinvent the wheel.
The two most well-known frameworks that work with Python include Django as well as Flask.
Flask is a micro web framework that provides the essential features you’ll need such as routing requests with minimal expense. Django can be a much more advanced alternative that can assist you to create a strong backend with efficiency and security.
Django comes with an extremely powerful ORM layer, which makes it easy to work with databases and performing various operations on data.
Java Spring, it’s perhaps the most widely-known Java backend framework that has an enormous ecosystem and massive community that surrounds it.
Spring is employed in the work of Orange, Dell, GE, and a host of other businesses although it’s not as trendy as Django these days, however, it’s a great choice for developing enterprise-level software.
Machine Learning
Because Python is very simple in syntactic but is a full-blown general-purpose programming language, it has become an increasingly popular choice for those from various disciplines who want to play around with machine learning and apply the potential of AI to their fields of expertise.
This is the reason that a large portion of the research and development for AI or machine learning can be carried out using Python and its vast ecosystem of apps and libraries.
There’s TensorFlow, Keras, Sickit-Learn, and Facebook’s PyTorch and it’s the most well-known technology in the field.Java is also regarded as an excellent choice in the field of machine learning. It’s simple to use and debug and is being used to create large-scale, enterprise-level applications.
The libraries you can use in this space include Weka, Mallet, DeepLearning4, and MOA.
Python vs Java Comparison Summary
For a recap of the main points, here’s a quick overview of two languages that covers the most important points we talked about.
Technology | Python | Java |
Popularity | Very well-known | Very well-known |
Syntax | Simple to master and easy to utilize | a complex subject that requires a steep learning curve |
Performance | Slower than Java in different implementations | Relatively fast |
Cross-Platform | Yes | Thanks to the JVM |
Backend Frameworks | Django, Flask | Spring, Blade |
Machine Learning Libraries | Tensorflow, Pytorch, | Weka, Mallet, Deeplearning4j, MOA |
Game Development Engines | Cocos, Panda3d | JMonkeyEngine |
Conclusion
- Java, as well as Python, are both incredibly powerful and well-known languages, so you’ll have plenty of resources once you decide to choose one to start your journey.
- If you’re brand new to programming, you should try to choose Python simply because it’s simple and utilizes a syntax that is similar to English and is used in a variety of Computer Science introductory courses around the globe.
- If your objective is to create enterprise-level software which is built in a Cor C++ environment the language Java will likely feel similar to what you are used to.
- The answer depends on the kind of application you are planning to create and how you are feeling about taking your next step with your new knowledge.
