Difference Between Java and JavaScript

Jacob Harris 31 March 2023

Java and JavaScript may sound similar, but are they anything alike? This blog will explain the Difference Between Java and Javascript programming languages.

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What is the Difference Between Java and JavaScript

There are multiple programming languages for a developer to choose from and work with in this day and age. Each of these languages has its respective uses across various fields, two being JavaScript and Java. While it is common for novice programmers to mistake them for similar languages, the Difference Between Java and JavaScript is vast. Both of these languages are extremely popular with professional developers.

According to a survey by stack overflow Java is the sixth most popular language, as 33.27% of people use it worldwide. Meanwhile, JavaScript is the most popular programming language, with 65.36% of people using it. If you wish to learn how these languages differ from each other, this blog is for you. This article on Java vs JavaScript (two popular programming languages) will help you understand the key Differences Between Java and JavaScript. Read further to know more.

Table of Contents

1) Difference between Java and JavaScript

a) Java as a language

b) JavaScript as a language

2) Java vs JavaScript: Advantages

3) Java vs JavaScript: Disadvantages

4) Conclusion

Difference between Java and JavaScript

It is easy for novice programmers to mistake JavaScript and Java as similar languages. And while there is an affiliation between these languages, they are vastly different in how they are written and their usage. Let's understand how both languages differ from each other.

Difference in Java & JavaScript

Java as a language

Java is a programming language released by Sun Microsystem in 1995. It follows the Object-Oriented Programming (OOPs) concept, allowing it to use all OOPs-based functions. Some such functions are Classes, Methods, Encapsulation, Abstraction, Inheritance and Polymorphism. It is dominantly used in many enterprises due to its Dynamic interface.

It is a static language, which means any variable or data declared in it needs its data to be specified. This makes it extremely verbose in nature, giving it a somewhat difficult learning curve. This also means any object declared within it needs a Class, or the program will throw an error. Alternatively, this gives you the benefits of Data hiding like all OOPs languages.

It is commonly used in backend work for web development and cross-platform development. Java was also considered the most popular server-side language for a significant time until it gained popularity. It is still mainly used for backend work and software development. It was used to develop popular projects such as Google, Netflix and Uber.

JavaScript as a language

JavaScript (JS) is a popular scripting language commonly used for web development. It is a common misunderstanding that JS is an offshoot of Java; however, that isn’t the case. This name choice was a marketing strategy to encourage its popularity. JS has a prototype-based object as a scripting language.

JavaScript is a dynamically typed language, so it does not require you to declare data types for it. JS is considered a loosely typed language which means it has less strictness with its syntax, compared to Java. JS is normally used with Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), unlike Java which is a standalone language.

JS is used with both backend and frontend work. It is mainly used to develop web applications; however, it is frequently used to work on the server side with the help of NodeJS. NodeJS is a run-time environment for JS, allowing you to work on both the frontend and backend without switching languages. Websites like Reddit were made on JS.

Syntax Comparison

JavaScript and Java are far apart when it comes to their syntaxes and their typing style. Java is verbose and strongly typed, with each object declaration only occurring after the Class declaration. Even a simple print statement in it will require you to follow its Class declaration.

Example 1 Program to print “The Knowledge Academy”
Java	JavaScript (using Node.js)
import java.util.*; class TKA { public static void main(String args[]) { System.out.println("The Knowledge Academy"); } }	console.log("The Knowledge Academy")
Output:	The Knowledge Academy

JavaScript can also be used without the Node.js framework, but the resulting output would be displayed in a window generated from your browser. The contrast between how Node.js framework and JS programming behave differently with essentially the same program shows how it's used for both Backend and Frontend.

Example 1.1 Program in JavaScript to print The Knowledge Academy, without Node.js.

alert("The Knowledge Academy")

Output:

Window

The Knowledge Academy

The largest variation in both languages comes from their datatype declaration methods. As you would notice JS doesn’t force you to use Datatype beforehand, unlike. Giving you flexibility in how you approach variables and integer values within your program.

Example 2.1 Java program to add two numbers

import java.util.Scanner;

public class Addition {

public static void main(String[] args)

{

int num1, num2, sum;

Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);

System.out.println("Enter the first number:");

num1 = scanner.nextInt();

System.out.println("Enter the second number:");

num2 = scanner.nextInt();

scanner.close();

sum = num1 + num2;

System.out.println("The sum of " + num1 + " and " + num2 + " is " + sum);

}

Output

Enter the first number:
>>>5
Enter the second number:
>>>10
The sum of 5 and 10 is 15

Example 2.2 JavaScript (Node.js) program to add two numbers

const readline = require('readline').createInterface

({

input: process.stdin,

output: process.stdout

});

readline.question('Enter the first number: ', (num1) =>

{

readline.question('Enter the second number: ', (num2) =>

{

const sum = parseInt(num1) + parseInt(num2);

console.log(`The sum of ${num1} and ${num2} is ${sum}`);

readline.close();

});

Output:

Enter the first number: >>>5
Enter the second number: >>>10
The sum of 5 and 10 is 15

Example 2.3 JavaScript program to add two numbers without Node.js framework

let num1 = parseInt(prompt("Enter the first number:"));

let num2 = parseInt(prompt("Enter the second number:"));

let sum = num1 + num2;

alert("The sum of " + num1 + " and " + num2 + " is " + sum + ".");

alert("The Knowledge Academy")

Output:

First Window

Enter the first number: 5

Second Window

Enter the second number: 10

Third Window

The sum of 5 and 10 is 15

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Java vs JavaScript: Advantages

JS and Java, both languages, have enjoyed their fair share of popularity over time. This was possible due to their respective features and advantages over competing languages. Let's discuss the advantages both languages have over other conventional programming languages.

Java

It is a platform-independent language which runs on Java Virtual Machine (JVM) as its platform. This allows you to run it on essentially any Operating System possible as long as you know it's compatible with JVM. It is also capable of multithreading and it's one of the few languages that are compiled and interpreted.

This makes it extremely fast, a fair trade for its verbosity in the long term. It is also extremely robust thanks to most of its syntactical errors detected in earlier stages. This results in resilient codes, combined with error-handling methods, making it one of the most resilient languages.

It is also one of the few languages that have malware and virus testing features inbuilt into it. Java’s bytecodes are naturally safe from viruses. However, it still takes additional measures to protect the resources provided to it (images and other files). Combined with its digital signatures, this makes it one of the safest, most secure programming languages.

JavaScript

Where Java’s strength lies in its rigid structure, JavaScript’s strength lies in its flexibility and the freedom it brings you. It doesn’t require a compiler to execute; being a scripting language, it can run on a browser. This makes it possible to run it across various platforms as long as it has a browser.

It is used for client-side and server-side development processes with the help of Node JS. Additionally, unlike most languages, you don’t need an Integrated Development Environment to run JS. You can easily use any text editor, such as Notepad, to type JS with HTML if need be.

Additionally, JS has large support from various frameworks, such as Angular JS, React JS and Vue JS. This makes it extremely versatile, allowing it to work with different development processes, and this makes it an ideal choice for the Full stack Developers.

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Java vs JavaScript: Disadvantages

As with all programming languages, Java and JavaScript have shortcomings, if not flaws. These may be their syntax's complexity or their scope's limitation. But understanding them will allow you to prepare and troubleshoot potential errors in the future. Here are some of their disadvantages:

Java

While Java is considered one of the fastest programming languages, some languages are faster than others; for instance, C is much faster. Other OOPs-based languages like C++ keep all the features of OOPs-based languages while being significantly faster. Additionally, it doesn’t allow you to collect garbage like C manually.

It also consumes almost too much memory compared to alternative programming languages. This results in investing in decent hardware if you wish to make the best out of the language, making it expensive. It cannot support any low-level programming construct, so you lose the ability to use pointers.

JavaScript

The biggest disadvantage of JS is its lack of support for multithreading, as it is an event-based language. While languages like Java can support multi thread and multitasking, JavaScript has no such ability. It is also poorly suited for networking applications due to insufficient support. You also don’t get to perform Read or Write functions on the Client side in JS.

Lastly, unlike Java, JS depends on browser engines to be interpreted. However, where JVM has varying versions on all platforms that enable it to be completely independent, JS doesn't. This means it will behave differently based on the browser you use to run it due to varying engines.

Conclusion

JS and Java are both extremely popular programming languages among developers. They have their respective strengths and weaknesses and their special uses in development. With this blog, you’ll know the key Difference Between Java and JavaScript, their advantages, disadvantages and use cases.

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Difference between Java and JavaScript

Java as a language

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