For a programmer or a software developer, programming languages are the most important tool. Before they begin working on a new project, programmers have to decide on which programming language they have to use. This one is a bit of a tedious task as there are different choices for them to choose from.

However, in this write-up, we will take a look into two of the widely popular programming languages - Python and Java. Before we do a comparison between the two programming languages, we'll first take a look at each programming language separately.

Python

This is a general-purpose, dynamically typed programming language. The original intention behind developing Python was to create a programming language that bridges the gap between two other programming languages - C and Shell.

Java

We all would have heard about Java programming language. It is surely one of the oldest and most widely used programming languages. It is a concurrent and object-oriented language that was meant to have an efficient feature of write once, run anywhere (WORA). This language was designed and developed to run on any platform with minimal or as few dependencies as possible.

Python Vs. Java: A Comparison

Programming languages do have the speed that can measure their performance. But a whole different set of parameters that determine the programming language's performance. These include the program's implementation and third-party library performance. Not to point out which of the two is better in performance, but Python is a more productive language than Java. When compared to Java, Python is a very good choice for scripting and allows for rapid application development.

The two programming languages have always been in close competition when it comes to popularity. The two languages have been in close competition among the first three most popular programming languages for quite a bit of time now. According to Github's Octoverse, Java was the second most popular programming language, followed by Python in the third place. JavaScript was ranked first as the most popular programming language. In most surveys, Python still follows Java, when it comes to popularity. Hence, it is safe to say that both Java and Python are in close competition and resides around the same area.

Python is a dynamically typed language. When you write a program using Python, you need not declare the variable types. These will be determined by the interpreter and, appropriate checks will be made at runtime. This makes its syntax quite easy and similar to that of the English language. On the other hand, Java follows strict syntax rules. Hence, it is not quite the easiest programming language for beginners, there are developers who find this language within their comfort zone.

Conclusion

Both Python and Java have their own pros and cons as a programming language. Therefore, one cannot be concluded as a better programming language than the other. And, the application of both these programming languages depends on the project's requirement. So when a project comes in, the programmer has to sit down, perform research on the two programming languages and then decide on one based on the project requirement.