The arena of software development is now replete with a wide variety of programming languages and corresponding frameworks to help developers build applications with little downtime, while also ensuring accuracy through tried-and-tested templates and automated testing.
Within this abundance that constantly sees new entrants into the development marketplace, Java and Python still stand out as reliable programming languages for a wide variety of use cases. Owing to their popularity, numerous Java and Python frameworks now also exist – while more continue to mushroom, thereby giving software companies in Sri Lanka and their developers an endless range of framework options to choose from.
As a software outsourcing company ourselves, our development teams here at EFutures have hands-on experience working with Java and Python alike. In this article, we break down the differences between Java and Python, as well as how each of these programming languages can be used for meeting specific business requirements. Read on to know more!
Although Java web development is praised for its ease owing to simplicity in comparison to programming languages such as C and C++, it is relatively more complex than Python. Being more complicated out of the two, Java still offers a cross-platform capability, which therefore makes it versatile for building applications for any device or browser.
Java is a statically typed language, which means that data types (the nature of data values) need to be explicitly declared beforehand. Additionally, type checking (the process to verify whether variables have been assigned their correct data types) is completed during compile time i.e. when code is converted into a machine readable format.
Python, on the other hand, is simpler; data types need not be manually declared, as these can be automatically detected by the programming language. Type checking is also done during runtime, thereby making Python comparatively faster. However, there is a caveat – Python can be more prone to errors compared to Java, as the wrong data types can be assigned to variables.
Java, even though slower as all this groundwork needs to be done in advance, is likely to have less errors during application runtime, as a result.
Being a programming language that has been well established for decades, Java is ideal for building web and software applications that are larger and more intricate in nature. This makes Java highly scalable too. However, increasing complexity pertaining to larger (especially legacy) applications can still cause problems, owing to resource crunches and outdated services. As a result, Java-based applications need to be closely monitored for performance lags and technical debt – something which can be done by outsourcing Java developers for your project.
Python, on the other hand, can offer greater simplicity to build, test and run applications owing to its easy syntax. This also makes it a good starting point for developers who are new to the field, thereby offering greater reliability when it comes to scaling – even in the wake of a high runtime error rate.
Whether it’s the best Java frameworks or the best Python frameworks, communities surrounding both programming languages offer extensive support for novice and expert developers alike to build code from templates that have been well tried and tested, while also discussing issues with well experienced peers. In turn, this makes Java and Python both well supported by developers from around the globe.
Owing to their unique strengths and weaknesses, Java and Python each have a set of use cases they are best for. Additionally, they can also be used together for the same project, with different components built from different languages in order to optimise performance. Java is ideally suited to larger web application projects, while Python, thanks to its easier syntax, is great for any kind of data analytics and machine learning project, ranging from data science to business intelligence.
IT outsourcing companies that consist of teams of specialist developers can ascertain which skill sets shall work best across each individual use case. This way, businesses can be assured that the right resources are put to task, while staying within budget and timeframe limitations.
While there is no confirmed answer as to whether Java or Python is better for your business’s unique needs, ascertaining, rather, which language is better suited to which area of your project is a far more worthwhile discussion to have with your teams. In turn, this enables your software development teams, be they in-house or outsourced, to decide whether to hire Java developers or Python developers, so the right balance of skills can be sought for your custom project.
In order to make better sense of the Java vs Python debate, the following steps will help:
Java and Python are both well established programming languages that have long since proven their resourcefulness across a range of customised use cases. Java, being the older of the two, serves a strong presence in the field of building large and complex web applications. Python, on the other hand, is simpler, lighter and therefore a great option for numerous machine learning applications, for uses such as data science, sentiment analysis and business intelligence.
While Java and Python each have their strengths, they also have certain limitations which make them more suited to one use case over another. Although Java is highly compatible for building larger applications, it can also get clunky over time, thereby making it harder to maintain – especially where legacy code is involved. Conversely, Python may be faster out of the two programming languages, but it is more susceptible to errors as type assignment and checking aren’t done beforehand – compared to Java, which does the same during compilation itself.
Ultimately, deciding which programming language is better for your business needs is something that is best discussed with your software development team, as they have the technical expertise as well as access to resources in order to make a well informed decision. Business leaders nonetheless should always stay at the forefront of operations, so direction can be provided for meeting KPIs better and enhancing CX, while staying within constraints surrounding time and budget.
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