Java and C are both used to power some of the most powerful platforms now available on the market. They offer comparable support, OOP, and syntactical capabilities as well. Because of this, you might be wondering if Java or C is the superior programming language.
To answer your question, in this article, we will walk you through the primary distinctions that exist between the two of them so that you are aware of what to anticipate from each one.
Table of Contents
The 5 Key Differences Between C and Java
1. The Architecture
The C Programming Language operates at a level between machine and high-level language. Hence it can be referred to as a mid-level language. Because it is compiled, it alters the code so that it can be understood by machines. In addition to this, C is a procedurally oriented language and it is using a top-down approach.
On the other hand, Java is a high-level, object-oriented programming language. It compiles or interprets its source code in order to produce machine language. Java was developed by Sun Microsystems. In Java, codes are initially translated into bytecode, and then the bytecode is put through its paces by a virtual machine.
2. Paradigms
Since the beginning of the development of software, there have been a variety of perspectives when it comes to programming languages. As a direct consequence of this, each programming language possesses significant rules and principles. These are referred to as programming paradigms.
Multi-paradigm programming languages like Java and C both exist. For instance, the programming language C is characterized by its procedural, and imperative features. On the other side, Java is a programming language that is functional, generic, imperative, and object-oriented all at the same time.
You can go ahead with C, if you are developing an application and you want it to run quickly.
3. Declaration of Variables
Variables in C are declared at the beginning of each block. But, that is not the same in Java. In Java, they can be declared anywhere. To reiterate, the free() variable in C is used to free up any variable, which enables the deallocation of the memory block.
Java will set bits in memory for a particular data type once a variable has been declared, and it will also allocate a name for the variable. Because of this, Java needs to declare the data type so that it can be used and represented in the future.
Declaring a variable is a must before using it in programs written in the C programming language. In contrast to Java, the variable declaration process in C does not include any memory allocation.
4. Speed
The C programming language was built primarily with machine preference in mind. Therefore, its code is executed directly within the machines.
But, on the other hand, Java calls for the use of a Virtual Machine. It is responsible for converting bite codes into machine language and then delivering the language to the actual machine. It adds both time and another step to the process. In such instances, C is far quicker than Java.
5. Security
Memory corruption is the most important subcategory of high-security variables to consider in the context of security. Because of its type of system, Java does not have any analog rules. That is because Java is designed intending to prevent memory corruption. But, that is much more difficult to achieve in C.
The programming languages C and Java both have some rules that govern the escalation of privileges. Java has its own built-in privilege system while C does not support such a feature. You end up with private data hiding in Java and static data hiding in C as a direct consequence of this.
Conclusion
Let’s suppose that you are thinking of learning a programming language. Because the syntaxes of modern languages are derived from those of early languages, it is a good idea to begin with one of the early languages. Similar to C and C++, Java has derived its syntax as well as some features from Java’s parent languages, C and C++.
It is in your best interest to become proficient with C programming initially because the language has fewer features, is simpler to learn, and is less likely to produce errors.
