People often confuse themselves between Java and Javascript. Most coders would be rolling their eyes at this moment. However, the confusion between these two is fairly common. People commonly use the wrong term which has led to immense confusion. The common word Java between the two is the culprit and can be blamed for the confusion.
Java and javascript are both programming languages which can work in browsers and servers. This is where the similarities end. In reality, Java and Javascript are two entirely different languages which have completely different applications.
Both of them are very popular in their fields of work among coders and have evolved immensely since the early days. Every aspiring software developer should be familiar with both the language. So let’s find out more about these two and get an idea on how they differ from each other.
Java vs Javascript
The differences between Java and Javascript are given in the table as shown below.
| Java | Javascript |
| The object-oriented programming language used primarily for server-side programming. | The scripting language used specifically for client-side programming. |
| Compiled | Interpreted |
| Developed at Sun Microsystems in 1995 | Developed by Netscape in 1995 |
| Concepts of class and objects are used | No such concepts are available |
| Reusability of code is possible | Reusability of code is not possible |
| Java exhibits properties like polymorphism, abstraction, inheritance etc. | Javascript has no such properties |
| Uses a .java extension | Uses a .js extension |
| Two-stage debugging | Run-time debugging |
| Java is a standalone language | JavaScript code is maintained inside a web page |
| Requires a Java virtual machine to execute the code | Requires a web browser to execute |
| Java programs require more memory | JavaScript is lightweight as it has limited functions |
| It has multithreading capabilities | Has no multithreading support |
| Java is strongly typed i.e. it requires all variables to have a declared type | JavaScript is weakly typed i.e. it doesn’t require all variables to be defined |
| Java code needs to compiled into byte-code. | Requires no compilation prior |
| It is more powerful and much more secure | Provide very less security |
| Java objects are class-based | JavaScript objects are prototype-based |
| Static language | Dynamic language |
What is Java programming language?
Java is an object-oriented programming language developed by Sun Microsystems in the 1990s and has its roots from C/C++. Java code is written in an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and can be run on any Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
Java is compiled before it can be run, any problems or errors with the code quickly becomes visible and can be corrected. This makes Java extremely robust. Java is mainly useful for programming real-time scenarios and developing such applications. It can be used to develop high-performance parallel and distributed systems.
Java is highly portable and one can find many skilled developers in this language. It allows one to form reusable code and standard programs.
Java is open-source and thus available for free to users. Its popularity has contributed many skilled coders to society. If any coder would ever get stuck while coding he/she could receive help from many fellow java coders. Java provides the best security to data as compared to other open-source programming languages.
Java has automated memory management, thus ridding us from the time consuming manual memory management. However, programmers tend to complain about the memory space it takes.
Though java can be used for web applications it is mostly popular for the server-side applications. Java is extremely user-friendly and can be used for almost coding almost anything.
What is Javascript programming language?
JavaScript was developed by Netscape in 1995. It is a light-weight language used for dynamic programming of web pages.
Javascript can be programmed on any text editor, such as notepad, and requires no special program to run. They require no special tools and are easy to learn. Javascript is not fast and can’t access a database directly. It can not be used for networking applications as there isn’t support present.
Javascript is used as an add-on on HTML and CSS. Javascript has to be written inside the HTML script tag and is not a standalone language. It is used to add an element of dynamic and interactive nature to the web pages. They help create a lavish interface for the users.
Modern-day servers have Javascript built-in and by default enabled on browsers. However, it is important to know that JavaScript-based web pages can run only if JavaScript is enabled on the web browser. It is executed on the client-side servers.
JavaScript can now also be used with other technologies like REST APIs, XML, and NodeJs. It can extend to write large apps and doesn’t require much memory. It can be used as an alternative to Flash and adds all the functionality to a webpage that HTML and CSS cannot.
Author
Shriya Upasani
MIT World Peace University
