Python vs Java
There are a lot of programming languages out there, and every day, a new programming language is developing in some parts of the world. Each programming language is a mixture of new features and derived features from old languages. From language to language, the interface gets more programmer-friendly. Python and Java are the two most famous and most used programming languages. This article will discuss the differences between these two languages and compare them.
| PYTHON | JAVA |
| Python is found in the year 1991 by Guido Van Rossum. It is a high-level programming language and supports the OOPs paradigm. | Java is released in the year 1995 by James Gosling. It is also a high-level programming language and supports the OOPs paradigm. |
| Python is an interpreted language which means the interpreter executes the code directly. There is no separate step of compilation. | Java is both compiled and interpreted. The code we write is first compiled into byte code and run on the JVM, which is an interpreter. |
| Python syntax is simple and very user-friendly so that even a beginner can understand the basic idea of a program. | Java syntax is derived a bit from low-level languages like C and C++, and there are some low-level difficulties that a programmer might face. |
| Both Python and Java are platform-independent, which means the code we write once can be run on different platforms without making any changes.WORA – Write once, run anywhere | |
| The length of the code is very less and so efficient and simple. | Compared to Python, Java programs are lengthy due to complex syntax. |
| Python has less number of frameworks. Eg: Django, web2py, CherryPy etc. | Java consists of many frameworks that help the programmer in different scenarios. E.g., Grails, Vaadin, Apache Struts, etc. |
| Python is a dynamically-typed language. We need not to specify the data type of variables before we use them. | In Java, we need to specify the data type before using the variables. It is statically coded. |
| Because of its interpreted nature and the additional task of determining the data type of the variables, Python programs are slow. | Compared to Python, java programs run faster as there is a compilation phase, and also user specify the data type. |
| To access databases, Python's access layers are weak. Hence, Python is not preferred for DBMS in large enterprises. | JDBC (Java database connectivity) is very strong, and hence it is the most used and most popular database language. |
| Simple and succinct | Quick and more portable |
| Python provides a vast number of functions for string operations to deal with any problem. | Compared to Python, Java provides a limited number of functions for string manipulation operations. |
| Python provides single and multiple inheritances, meaning a class can be inherited from one or more classes. | Java does not support multiple inheritances. It is partially implemented using interfaces. |
| To separate blocks of code and to make the code readable, Python uses indentation, which means spaces. | Java uses curly braces for separation blocks of code, functions, and classes. |
| An interpreter must be installed on the target machine to run a Python program on any device. | Any device that has the JVM can run a Java program. Hence, compared to Python, Java is more portable. |
| To work with a file, 2 lines of code is enough to read the entire file in Python. | To read a file, almost 10 lines of code are needed. |
| Python is the best choice to work with machine learning apps, AI technology, and scientific and numeric calculations. | Java is the best choice to work with GUI apps, embedded systems, website development, etc. |
| TIOBE rating: Stands for “The Importance of being earnest”. It is the index or ranking given to different programming languages based on the number of search engine queries with the name of the language. It is updated every month. | |
| As of May – 2022, The TIOBE rating of Python is Number 1 | Rank 3 as of May - 2022 |
| In Python, we can write a code just like that; there is no necessity to create a class. | In Java, even to print a character, we need to define a class first, then a main () method. It is like the signature of a valid java program. |
| ML libraries | Game development libraries | Companies using language | |
| PYTHON | NumPy, Scipy, Theano, TensorFlow, etc. | Pygame, Pyglet, Kivy, Panda3D, etc. | DropBox, Google, Uber app, etc. |
| JAVA | Apache Mahout, Mallet, Spark MLlib, etc. | JMonkeyEngine, Libgdx etc. | Netflix, Spotify, Instagram, etc. |
Let's write a program to print "Hello World":
Python:
print "Hello World." Let us see the example codes to see the length and syntax difference between the two languages:
Java:
class Sample {
public static void main (String [] args)
{
System. out. println (“Hello World”);
}
}
- The output for both the codes is "Hello World". In Python, it is one line, and in Java, it is about 3 lines if we keep the braces at the end of the line.
- In Java, every program must start with a class definition, as you can observe. In Python, it is not necessary. But, if we want, we can create classes in Python, too, as it supports OOPS.
Now, let us see the advantages and disadvantages of using both these languages:
- Advantages:
| JAVA | PYTHON |
| FastMore portableExcellent Toolkits.More frameworksFamous and widely usedBest for app and web development applicationsStable connectivity with databases. | Simple syntaxLess number lines of codeMore readable codeNo need to specify the datatypeNo specific signature to write code.Best choice for AI and MLMore string operations and a vast collection of libraries. |
- Disadvantages:
| JAVA | PYTHON |
| Complex syntax derived from low-level languages, more number of lines.Hardware costs more because of more memory requirements.Does not support pointers.The programmer will not be able to control the garbage collection due to a lack of functions like free () etc.It provides no facilities to backup the code. | SlowNot preferred in app development.Because of the interpreted nature, errors occur at run-time.Unstable connectivity layer to connect with databases.Not much portable, an interpreter is necessary for the system. |
Conclusion
- Based on the application and the scenario, the programmer has to decide whether to use Python or Java based on the efficiency, advantages, and disadvantages.
- Python is an ideal language for a beginner because of its simple syntax, readable, and beautiful exhibition of the code.
- In Java, we can run into several errors because of the complex and naïve syntax, like when we miss a ';' and when we miss a {}.