JavaScript vs Python: Which language is better? Our comprehensive guide covers the key differences in syntax, performance, and popularity to help you choose.
JavaScript versus Python. Both are incredibly popular languages and each serves a very different purpose. According to the TIOBE Index , Python is currently the number 1 language and JavaScript is number seven. If your company is serious about creating rich, effective applications and services that can be used internally or by the general public, chances are good that you are considering these two languages.
But what are these languages for? Anyone who has worked with them knows that the difference is considerable. If you've never read or touched Python or JavaScript, you're in for a surprise.
Let's dive into JavaScript and Python to see what they're used for and how you can choose which language to work with.
What is JavaScript?
Simply put, JavaScript is a front-end programming language. What does that mean? Front-end means user-facing. In other words, a front-end application is one that users actually see and use. It's an app with buttons to press, fields to type in, animations to enjoy, and menus to select.
To be more specific, JavaScript is a programming language that allows you to implement easy-to-use and even complicated features for web pages. For example, you might want an animated menu so that when a user hovers over an entry, the menu automatically appears with a unique or fun animation to give your site some flair. After all, a boring website is a quick way to turn users off. If you want to truly compete with other sites, you'll want to add features to your site to give it a more modern feel (while still remaining highly functional).
JavaScript can do this for you.
JavaScript was created by Brendan Eich and first released on December 4, 1995. At that time, web pages were static, so the content did not change unless the page was reloaded. In 1995, Netscape added a scripting language to the Navigator browser. To do this, they hired Eich, who then incorporated the Scheme language into the browser. That wasn't enough, so Netscape decided to have Eich create an entirely new language, initially called LiveScript. The name was then changed in December to JavaScript.
Now, JavaScript has become an extremely important scripting language for websites. Without JavaScript, most websites would be very boring and much less functional. And because the language is so widespread now, it's very easy to hire developers or even a JavaScript development company to help you design and build a modern, highly functional website.
Benefits
The advantages of JavaScript are many, including:
- Easy to learn – JavaScript is a very easy to use language, with a simple and friendly syntax even for beginners.
- Client-side execution – JavaScript runs in a web browser, which means it does not require many server resources.
- Client-Side Validation – JavaScript validates user input on the client-side, so there is no chance of invalid data being sent to the server.
- Vast community – JavaScript is so popular that it has a very large community, which means a lot of support.
- Lots of libraries/frameworks – With so many libraries and frameworks available, your developers won't have to constantly reinvent the wheel, saving time and money.
- Built-in browser debugging – Most modern browsers include developer tools that make it easy to debug JavaScript.
- Full-stack applications – JavaScript is also useful for building full-stack applications and can be integrated with other stacks such as MERN and MEAN.
- Speed – JavaScript is an interpreted language, which makes it very fast.
Disadvantages
Although JavaScript has many advantages, it has some disadvantages to consider, such as:
- Security – JavaScript is visible to the user, which means the source code can be copied and used for malicious purposes. Additionally, because execution occurs client-side, you must depend on the user to have a secure environment (such as an up-to-date browser).
- Single Inheritance – JavaScript only supports single inheritance, which means that a class inherits its properties from a single class. This can be limiting.
- Easy failure – A single error in your code can cause the entire JavaScript stack you created to fail.
Which companies use JavaScript?
Since JavaScript is so popular, it should come as no surprise that many large companies use the language. You'll find that companies like the following are using JavaScript today:
- Microsoft
- PayPal
- Wal-Mart
- Uber
What tools integrate with JavaScript?
You will find many tools that work well with JavaScript, such as:
- Visual Studio Code – a widely popular open source IDE that has built-in JavaScript support
- React – a JavaScript library, created by Facebook, that offers new, modern ways to render dynamic, high-performance UIs for websites
- Angular – another JavaScript framework that is capable of writing client-side applications and supports HTML
- Electron – makes it possible to create cross-platform desktop applications with JavaScript, HTML and CSS
What is Python?
Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language that was designed to make code easier to read and learn. For this reason, Python is one of the easiest programming languages to learn on the market. But just because it's easy to learn doesn't mean it's not powerful and flexible.
Python was created by Guido van Rossum and first released on February 20, 1991. Python was intended to be the successor to the ABC programming language. Rossum continued to serve as lead Python developer until 2018. Python 2.0 was released on October 16, 2000, followed by Python 3.0 taking over in 2020.
Python is a multi-paradigm language, therefore, it supports object-oriented, aspect-oriented and structured programming. The language uses dynamic typing, reference counting, and cycle-aware garbage collection. Python's core philosophy can be summarized in the following principles:
- Beautiful instead of ugly.
- Explicit over implicit.
- Simple over complex.
- Complex upon complicated.
- Readability over everything.
Python is used everywhere, for all types of applications, including artificial intelligence, so it's not even remotely challenging to find a Python Development Service to help your company create the perfect application.
An important aspect of Python is that although it is possible to create client-side applications, it is considered a back-end language.
Benefits
Python has a series of very important advantages, such as:
- Easy to use – Python is one of the easiest languages to learn.
- Cross-platform – Python can be installed and run on virtually any platform.
- Extensive Libraries – Python has a large number of libraries and frameworks for almost every purpose.
- Concise syntax – This means your development teams can do more with much less code.
- Big data – Python has several libraries that can be used with big data.
- AI/ML – Python is also one of the most popular languages for working with artificial intelligence and machine learning.
- Large and active community – Python is open source and has a very large community base for support.
- Prototyping – Python is a great language for creating quick prototypes.
Disadvantages
Although Python is full of advantages, it has some disadvantages, including:
- Slow – Python is slow and can use a lot of system resources in larger applications.
- Lack of mobile support – You won't develop mobile apps with Python.
- No multithreading support – Python does not support multithreading, which can be a problem with large-scale, high-demand applications.
Which companies use Python?
Python is used by several major companies such as:
- Information
- IBM
- NASA
- Pixar
- JPMorgan Chase
- Spotify
- YouTube
What tools integrate with Python?
Given Python's flexibility and different use cases, it should come as no surprise that there are many tools that integrate with the language, such as:
- Jupyter Notebook – a web-based IDE that makes code experimentation easy
- Pip – a package manager for Python
- Visual Studio Code – one of the most used IDEs and has built-in support for Python
- Torn – an open source collaborative framework for web scripting
- Flask – an open source web framework for building web applications and REST APIs
- Pandas – a tool to make working with data science easier
Main differences between JavaScript and Python
| JavaScript | Phyton | |
|---|---|---|
| Year of Creation | 1995 | 1991 |
| The creator | Brendan Eich (Wikipedia) | Guido van Rossum (Wikipedia) |
| Documentation | JavaScript Documentation (MDN) | Python Documentation |
| Language type | Interpreted Language | Interpreted Language |
| Typing | Dynamically typed | Dynamically typed |
| TIOBE Classification | 7 | 1 |
| Popularity | Extremely popular and widely used in web development and more. | Very popular and widely used in various domains including web development, data science, and automation. |
| Forms | Web development, front-end, back-end, mobile apps (React Native), game development (Unity), IoT | Web development, data analysis, machine learning, artificial intelligence, automation, scripting, scientific computing |
| Performance | Fast execution in modern browsers can be slower than low-level languages. | Generally slower than low-level languages, but has excellent libraries for optimization. |
| Stability | Stable and constantly evolving with ECMAScript updates. | Stable with regular updates and backward compatibility. |
| Learning curve | It's relatively easy to get started, but mastery requires understanding asynchronous programming and various frameworks. | Easy to learn and easy to use, suitable for beginners and experienced developers. |
| Community support | Vast and active community with extensive documentation and numerous online resources. | Large, supportive community with rich online resources and active forums. |
| Development time | JavaScript can have a shorter development time due to its flexible and dynamic nature. | Python's clean and concise syntax can lead to faster development time. |
| Main advantages |
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| Main disadvantages |
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| Companies that use this technology | Google, Facebook, Netflix | Google, Instagram, Spotify, Dropbox |
| Cross-platform support | JavaScript offers cross-platform support, allowing developers to create applications for web and mobile platforms. | Python offers cross-platform support and is available on multiple operating systems, making it versatile for different platforms and environments. |
There are several important differences between JavaScript and Python, including:
- JavaScript is a front-end language while Python is a back-end language.
- Python is a high-level programming language while JavaScript is a scripting language.
- Python requires an interpreter, while most web browsers include the ability to run JavaScript.
- Python is encoded as ASCII, while JavaScript uses UTF-16 encoding.
What will the future be like?
Neither JavaScript nor Python are going anywhere. In fact, with the rise of AI and the continued prevalence of dynamic websites, both languages will flourish in the coming years.
JavaScript versus Python: who wins?
As they serve such different purposes, it is difficult to say that one is the winner over the other. However, due to the increasing popularity of tools like ChatGPT, Python could easily rise to the top in the near future. However, if these services start to require more modern and easy-to-use interfaces, JavaScript will be necessary.
When to use JavaScript
The most obvious use case for JavaScript is creating dynamic, interactive, and interesting user interfaces for websites. However, JavaScript also lends itself perfectly to web and mobile apps and games.
When to use Python
Python is a great language for website backend services, task automation, data analysis/visualization, AI/ML, language development, game development, and financial applications.
If you liked this article, check out one of our other Python articles.
- What can a good Python developer do to help your company?
- How to hire a Python programmer
- Is Python good for software development?
- Is Python the language of the future?
- Comprehensive guide to Python list objects with examples and built-in functions
Source: BairesDev
