Types Of Programming Languages And Differences Between Them

There are different types of programming languages. The most common ones include Java, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, and C++. The right type of programming language to be used is determined by what the developer is planning to build.

With tons of programming languages available to us, it might get a bit confusing as to what each of these languages does. Here’s an easy guide to the various types of languages and the differences between them.

Main Types Of Programming Languages

Firstly, the programming languages are divided into two major categories namely high-level and low-level languages.

High-Level Languages:

High-level programming languages offer a higher level of abstraction meaning they are farther from machine code and closer to human language. The instructions for the program are written in English. For example, print, input, etc.

Advantages Of High-Level Languages:

• Simple to use and understand: High-level languages use words closer to the natural language and thus are easier to learn and understand. 
• Machine independent: Programs written in a high-level language are compact and can be executed on any kind of computer with slight or no alteration of code at all.

• Easy debugging: The use of these languages makes it easier to write a program and debug it while giving the developer some time to go over the entire logic of the program than just thinking about the code. The errors can be detected easily as these languages use compilers and interpreters. 

Disadvantages Of High-Level Languages:

• Poor control on hardware: Accessing and controlling the hardware is hard since high-level languages are away from the hardware.
• Slow execution: Programs written in high-level language should be translated to machine language. The process of translation increased the time of execution.

The High-Level Programming Languages Are Further Classified Into:

• Procedural languages: Procedural programming is based on the concept of a set of procedure calls. A programmer writing program in this language can precisely define a series of actions in order to perform a specific job. Languages that display step-by-step algorithms written to work a problem are identified as procedural languages. 

Examples of procedural languages are FORTRON (formula translation), COBOL (common business-oriented language), C language, Pascal, and BASIC (Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Language).

• Non-procedural languages: Non-procedural languages also known as declarative languages do not require writing traditional program logic. The instructions aren’t written in a specific order hence writing large programs is easy. 

Examples of non-procedural languages are SQL, PROLOG, and LISP.

• Object-oriented programming languages: Object-oriented programming languages use objects that include both code and data. It includes logical classes, objects, methods, relationships, and other processes for building software and applications. 

Popular object-oriented programming languages include Java, C++, Python, and Smalltalk.

Low-Level Languages:

Low-level languages are the opposite of high-level languages. They provide low levels of abstraction i.e., binary code. These programming languages are more difficult to learn and use, but contribute more functionality and direct command over the machine. 

Advantages Of Low-Level Languages

1. Fast to run as a specific translator isn’t required.
2. They are simple and machines can understand as they are related to hardware.
3. The programmer has unrestricted access to the functioning of a computer system.

Disadvantages Of Low-Level Languages

1. It is nearly impossible to find and rectify issues.
2. Time taking.
3. Costly.
4. Difficult to program.

The Low-Level Programming Languages Are Further Classified Into:

• Machine languages: Machine language is the closest language to the hardware. It comprises a collection of instructions that are performed directly by the computer. These instructions are a series of binary bits i.e., 0’s and 1’s. Every instruction performs a very particular and minute task. Instructions written in machine language are machine-dependent and differ from computer to computer.
• Assembly languages: Assembly language is an advancement over machine language. Alike machine language, assembly language also communicate straight with the hardware. Rather than using raw binary bits to denote an instruction, assembly language uses mnemonics. Mnemonics are short abbreviated English words used to name a specific instruction given to the computer. Each instruction in binary has a unique mnemonic. These mnemonics are architecture-dependent. Hence, there is a list of separate mnemonics for each computer architecture. Assembly language uses a special program called assembler that translates mnemonics to particular machine code.

Examples Of Mnemonics Are – ADD, MOV, SUB, Etc.

Difference Between High-Level And Low-Level Languages

Types Of Programming Languages By Use

Front-End Programming Languages

Front-end development is the most important aspect of building user-friendly applications for the web and mobiles. At present, there is a wide variety of choices when it comes to picking a language for front-end development all with its own set of pros and cons.

Some top programming languages for front-end development are:

• HTML: HTML, an abbreviation of Hypertext Markup Language, is a programming language used for generating electronic documents known as pages highlighted across the web. Each page has several connections to other pages. 

All web pages over the internet have been built by the adoption of some sort of HTML. It is a crucial element for browsers to determine how to represent texts or perform the loading of various elements.

Advantages of HTML:

• Easy to learn and use
• Free
• Offers support to multiple browsers

Disadvantages of HTML:

• Not enough for dynamic pages
• Limited for displaying content

• CSS: CSS is used for stating how documents are presented to users in terms of style and layout. A document usually refers to a text file structure using a markup language like the popularly used HTML and others such as SVG or XML. 

CSS is used for transforming a document into a usable form for users. This is specifically important for browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, and Edge developed to deliver documents visually onto screens, projectors, and printers.     

Advantages of CSS:

• CSS saves time
• Easy maintenance
• Changing web standards

Disadvantages of CSS:

• Cross-browser issues
• Multiple levels lead to confusion

• JavaScript: JavaScript is a commonly used programming language that allows users to perform advanced features on web pages.

It can be brought into action anytime a page is working a dynamic behavior, such as displaying periodical content updates, animated two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics, interactive charts, video boxes, and much more.

Advantages of JavaScript:

• Server load
• Rich interfaces
• Extended functionality

Disadvantages of JavaScript:

• Client-side security
• Browser support

• React: Developed by Facebook, React is a programming language used for building fast and cutting-edge web user interfaces. It is at present one of the most extensively used JavaScript libraries for frontend development.

It is suitable for the creation of visual user interfaces and data rendering for browsers. 

Advantages of React:

• Easy to learn
• Virtual DOM

Disadvantages of React:

• Dynamic technology
• Poor documentation 

• Vue: Vue is a framework used for the making of user interfaces and differs from most monolithic frameworks as it has been designed to achieve optimal adaptability.

The main Vue library is centered on a view layer and can be used efficiently, apart from being easily combined with other existing project libraries.

Advantages of Vue:

• Flexibility 
• Two-way communication
• Great tooling

Disadvantages of Vue:

• Language barriers

Back-End Programming Languages

Back-end development applies to server-side programming. It centers around scripting, databases, and website architecture. It helps users communicate with the information present in the database.

The few best programming languages for back end development are:

• Python: The open-source language has risen as one of the most widespread and influential languages for developers across the world. Python’s increasing reputation has made it a necessary programming language to learn these days. Because of its easy syntax, Python is an apt programming language even for non-programmers to get started with.

Advantages of Python:

• Versatile, easy to use, and fast to develop
• Open-source with a vibrant community
• Great for prototypes – You can do more with less code

Disadvantages of Python:

• Speed limitations
•  Problems with threading
• Memory consumption

• Golang: As per last year’s report of Stack Overflow – Golang also known as Go was one of the top 5 most loved programming languages by developers globally. Go is a statically typed programming language that is created by Google and has syntax quite similar to the C language. The language allows developers to build scalable and secure web applications more efficiently. One of the important benefits of using Go is that it provides outstanding support for multithreading and also has the garbage collection characteristic for automatic memory management.

Advantages of Golang:

• Easy to learn
• Static typing
• Garbage collection
• Easier concurrency model

Disadvantages of Golang:

• Interfaces are implicit
• Poor library support
• Small community

• PHP: Web development is becoming popular day by day with the increasing demands of wondrous functioning websites for the company and personal needs. One of the languages that you can use for building the backend is PHP. It is a server-side scripting language that does not require a compiler to run, making it operate on nearly every operating system.

Being open-source, it also interests a lot of programmers. As a Backend development language, it carries many features associated with the development experience and performance of the application. Some of these features include cross-platform nature, easy usage, and a large developer community working on it.

Advantages of PHP:

• Open-source
• Easy to use
• Powerful library support
• Built-in database connection modules

Disadvantages of PHP:

• Not suitable for large applications
• Poor error handling method

• JavaScript: JavaScript is one of the most liked and leading programming languages in the tech industry. One of the significant reasons behind it is that this language can be used for both – front-end web development and back-end web development. Viewing various trends and stats of the past, it can be stated that the demand for Node.js has enhanced the practice of JavaScript as a back-end language for web development.

Advantages of JavaScript:

• Speed
• Rich interfaces
• Extended functionality
• Versatility

Disadvantages of JavaScript:

• Client-side Security
• Lack of debugging facility

• Java: Whenever there is a requirement for enterprise-grade software, one language is always thought of, and that is Java. It is a language used for building applications for desktop systems, android, and many more. One of the greatest things about using Java is that it works on the principle WORA (Write Once Run Anywhere) making it compatible with many platforms while compiling it on one. 

Advantages of Java:

• Simple
• Object-oriented programming 
• Cheap
• Platform independent

Disadvantages of Java:

• Sow and has a poor performance
• No backup facility
• Requires significant memory space

How To Learn To Code?

Learning to code can be a challenging task. But, the job opportunities for this skill are boundless since it is the future. 

The best way to get started with this is by registering yourself in a coding Boot camp which teaches everything you need to know. When done right, online coding boot camps teach you some of the essential syntaxes of a language and how it is used. Generally, these boot camps are taught in a fun, engaging manner while allowing you to write code directly on the browser giving you the practical knowledge you require. 

Wrapping Up

Currently, a programmer has many choices to choose a programing language based on its ability and implementation. So, choose the language based on your needs and excel in it! All in all, it can be said that all programming languages have their own specialties and functions that vary depending on the needs of users.

Author Bio

Amani is a Content Writer at Crio Blog – an author by day and reader by night. Her desire for writing began with the art of story-telling in books and movies. Learning new stuff and coffee is what she loves!