Golang vs Java: programming languages ​​compared and how to choose

There are countless programming languages ​​to choose from when planning a project. But selecting the right language early on is critical to a successful launch or delivery. Select the wrong language and the project won't work or will be challenging from the start.

Of course, depending on the type of project you are building (such as front-end or back-end), the appropriate languages ​​available will be fewer. This can be confusing, especially when two different languages ​​can be used for similar purposes. This is the case of Golong vs. Java, where both languages ​​are general-purpose. Golang and Java are statically typed, multiparadigm, and compiled, so they have many similarities.

This does not mean, however, that these two languages ​​are interchangeable. In fact, both Java and Golang excel at different use cases, so they are not as interchangeable as you might think. While Java is an excellent choice for portable front-end applications, Golang is superior for highly scalable backend applications. However, that doesn't mean you can't use Java for backend and Golang for frontend. You will find, however, that forcing these languages ​​to do something they are not optimized for can cause problems in the end. Let's take a look at these two languages ​​so you're better prepared to choose one over the other.

What is Golang?

Golang was created by Google in 2007 as a replacement for heavier languages ​​such as C++. In fact, it was the antipathy towards C++ that inspired the creation of Golang. The goal of Golang was to improve productivity and address many of the criticisms of other languages ​​employed by Google, while maintaining a number of features. To this end, the creators (Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson) adapted the static typing and runtime efficiency of C, and the readability and usability of Python and JavaScript. The creators wanted to build a language that provided high-performance networking and multiprocessing.

The initial public announcement of Golang occurred in November 2009, with the first version being released in March 2012. To this day, Golang (also called “Go”) is widely used at Google and by companies around the world that rely on open code. technology for creating powerful back-end applications that can do just about anything.

The problem that Golang originally sought to overcome was to enable tooling, automate routine tasks (like code formatting), and remove many of the obstacles associated with working on larger codebases.

Think about Golang by following these two simple ideas:

• Keep it simple.
• Code, build, and deploy quickly.

Although Golang is a newer language than Java, it has been quickly adopted by many companies and projects, so finding a Golang development company to help launch your business or project shouldn't be much of a challenge. Additionally, you will find many supporting tools such as libraries and frameworks that help extend Golang's feature set. Additionally, Golang makes it easy to build executable binaries for individual platforms. Because of this, you can use Golang to create backend applications for Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Benefits

Given that Golang was created to avoid many of the headaches associated with languages ​​like C and C++, you can bet it has a number of important advantages, such as:

• Speed: Golang is a compiled language, so code is written in languages ​​that processors already understand.
• Simplicity: Golang is considerably easier to learn than many other general-purpose languages.
• Scalability: Golang supports concurrency and includes Goroutines, which are functions that can be executed simultaneously and independently.
• Support: Since Golang is open source, there are many tools that work with the language.
• Community: Golang has a very large and active community that can be helpful in seeking support.
• Garbage collection: Golang offers superior garbage collection than a number of other languages, which makes it better able to work with massive codebases.
• Fast compilation: Golang compiles very quickly regardless of the amount of data involved.
• Backwards Compatibility: Even as the language evolves, it remains backwards compatible and produces executables without dependencies.

Disadvantages

Golang has some disadvantages (although none that would be considered deal-breakers), such as:

• It's not that easy: Golang is not as simple as languages ​​like Python.
• No generic functions: Golang does not support generic functions, which means programmers will have to create their own specific functions, which can decrease the efficiency of the development cycle.
• Less Popular: Golang is not as popular as Java. Although there is a lot of support for the language, it is nowhere near that of older languages.
• Fewer libraries and frameworks: When compared to more mature languages, Golang doesn't have nearly the same number of libraries and frameworks, which means more boilerplate coding will be required.

Which companies use the Golang programming language?

There are several very large and important companies that use Golang. This list includes things like:

• Google
• Uber
• Muscular contraction
• Daily Movement
• SendGrid
• Dropbox
• SoundCloud

What tools integrate with Golang?

While Golang may not have the wide acceptance and community found in Java, it still has many tools that work with the language, such as:

• GoLand : a complete IDE.
• Visual Studio Code : A full-featured, open-source IDE created by Microsoft.
• LiteIDE : A lightweight IDE with built-in Golang support.
• GoAudio : Native Go audio processing library.
• authorization chief : a modular authentication system that can be easily employed on the web.
• Gothic : Provides a simple, clean, and idiomatic way to use OAuth and OAuth2. Goth also deals with multiple vendors out of the box, so there is no need for additional tools.
• cosmos-sdk : a framework that facilitates the construction of public blockchains within the Cosmos ecosystem.
• robot : an aerial dependency Telegram Bot library that includes some additional UI components
• 1build : A command-line tool to help manage project-specific commands.
• asciograph : a Golang package that makes it easy to build lightweight ASCII line graphs in command-line applications and requires no other dependencies.
• cmd : Simple, useful and opinionated CLI package for Golang.
• configuration : simple, useful and opinionated configuration loader.
• CDS : Open source enterprise-grade CI/CD and DevOps automation platform.

What is Java?

Java has existed as a viable programming language for some time. Created by James Gosling (for Sun Microsystems) in May 1995, over time Java has become one of the most used programming languages ​​around the world. Java's original purpose was advertised as the “write once, run anywhere” language that could create small, reliable, portable, distributed, real-time applications to serve virtually any purpose.

One problem that Java had to endure for some time was the lack of security. In the early 2000s, there was a widespread attempt to kill Java due to its lack of security and speed. At the time, Java was slow, unreliable, and insecure. These days, however, Java doesn't have the same reputation (although Java applications can still be considerably slower than applications that don't rely on a virtual environment).

Eventually, Java would also become Android's official programming language. Although it is not the only language used by Google's mobile platform, it is one of the main programming languages ​​used for Android.

The ultimate goal of Java was to allow software engineers to write a single application that could run on any platform. To do this, Java relied heavily on sandboxing. By using this method, Java applications have been found to be safe to run in corporate environments. And as Java has become widely used, you will find Java development services spread across the world. Because of this, you should have no problem finding excellent Java developers to hire, or an entire team to bring into the mix, to create robust, reliable, cross-platform applications.

Today, Java is used for mobile applications, games, cloud native development, big data applications, artificial intelligence, and even IoT applications.

Advantages of Java

Java has many advantages that make it a solid choice for several use cases, such as:

• Simple to learn: Java was designed, from the ground up, to be easy to write, compile, and debug.
• Object-oriented: Due to its object-oriented nature, it is possible to create modular programs and codes that can be easily reused.
• Platform independent: Java programs run on any operating system.
• Stable: Both the language and applications written with it are very stable.
• Secure: Java avoids the use of explicit pointers to reduce security threats.
• Garbage collection: When an object is no longer used by a program, it will be automatically collected and removed.
• Multithreading support: Java applications can run more than one thread at a time to maximize CPU utilization.
• Distributed Language: Java is a distributed language and provides a mechanism to share data and programs with multiple computers to increase the performance of applications.
• Very large community: Java has a global community of developers, so there is never a shortage of help.

Java Disadvantages

Although Java is a widely used programming language, it has its shortcomings, such as:

• Slow speed: Since Java consumes a lot of memory, it is considerably slower than other languages.
• Old-School GUIs: Java GUIs can seem outdated compared to other languages.
• No Data Backup: Java does not provide any feature for data backup.
• It's not an easy read: Java code can be quite detailed and complicated to read.

Which companies use Java?

Java is used by a large number of very important companies around the world, including (but not limited to):

• Uber
• Airbnb
• Google
• Pinterest
• Netflix
• Instagram
• Spotify
• Amazon

What tools integrate with Java?

As you might expect, given Java's age, there are a number of tools that easily integrate with Java to expand its functionality and/or make it even easier to work with. These tools include:

• Jenkins : adds CI/CD integration in Java.
• Site24x7 : Helps you monitor your Java applications.
• ManageEngine : Helps you proactively monitor your Java applications as well as infrastructure performance.
• JUnit : Tests Java applications.
• NetBeans : A very popular IDE that includes built-in Java support.
• Apache Maven : a platform for managing Java projects.
• Mockito : A framework that helps Java engineers write cleaner code.

Main differences between Golang and Java

Although both are general-purpose languages, there are some important differences between the two, such as:

• Performance: Golang outperforms Java in almost all metrics.
• Usage: Golang applications are considerably easier to write than Java applications.
• Platforms: Java requires JVM to run applications, while Golang converts the code into a binary file that can be run on any platform. The downside is that binary files for each platform can take some time to build.
• Popularity: Although Golang is just behind Java, Java is still one of the most popular programming languages ​​on the planet.
• Garbage collection: Golang has superior garbage collection compared to Java, which means it is better at managing memory leaks.

The most important thing to consider is the use case. Java suits front-end applications better, while Golang does a great job on the back-end. This doesn't mean that both languages ​​are relegated to just these applications, but for ease of use, consider how you will use the resulting applications before making your choice.

What will the future be like?

Neither Golang nor Java are in danger of losing popularity in the coming years. As Java is used for Android development and Golang has developed widespread use, both languages ​​have a very bright future ahead.

Golang vs Java: who wins?

Given that these two languages ​​are general purpose, they can be used for similar applications. However, there is a big difference that puts one over the other in the long run. Java has moved from back-end to more front-end usage, while Golang has become very popular as a scalable back-end programming language. So, if you want to build highly scalable and high-performance backend applications, Golang is the language you want. If, however, you want to create front-end applications (such as web applications), select Java as an option.

When to use Golang

Golang is great for cloud-native development, like that found in Dropbox. If you want to build a platform for sharing data/files in a cloud environment, Golang is a great choice. And because you can create Golang binaries for virtually any platform, the language is very flexible.

When to use Java

Java, on the other hand, is a great option for building front-end applications such as mobile apps, chatbots, web apps, AI apps, and IoT support. The only thing to keep in mind is that Java requires the JVM to run. You can't just build executable binaries like you can with Golang and expect them to run. However, to your benefit, Java applications can run in any modern web browser because they include a built-in JVM to run the applications.

Either way, you can trust Java and Golang to empower your teams to build useful applications that can help take your business to the next level.

Common questions

What's better than Golang?

Node.js is a language that can easily compete with Golang and has a much larger community and more support tools.

Is it still worth learning Java?

Very much so. If you are creating mobile apps, web apps, or need to integrate them with AI apps or IoT devices, Java could very well be your best bet.

Should I learn Golang or Java?

If you want to build backend applications that scale well and can run anywhere, choose Golang. If, on the other hand, you want to create front-end applications that can run anywhere and don't rely on a lot of speed, you can't go wrong with Java.

If you liked this, be sure to check out one of our other Java articles:

• What is Java?
• What is serverless Java and why should it be part of your company's development process?
• What skills do Java developers need?
• What's new in Java 19? Should you take the leap?
• 3 reasons why Java is the king of enterprise software