Golang Vs. Java: Choose the Right Programming Language for Web Development

Both Golang and Java are familiar faces in the realm of software development compared to other languages. These two languages are always listed as the top popular programming languages (By PYPL) despite their big gaps in terms of time of existence and evolution.

When it comes to modern web development, Java and Golang are both viable options to consider, not to mention many other ideal languages, such as JavaScript, PHP, Python, Ruby, or C#. However, in the context of this article, we are going to discuss the differences between Golang and Java and why you might want to choose one over the other for your software development project.

A Brief About Java

Years after years, Java has been deemed a powerful tool for modern software development of various types (Such as desktop and web app development, mobile app development, Android app development, data science, machine learning, etc.) Java was conceived by James Gosling and his dedicated team and brought alive by Sun Microsystems in 1995. Now, it is owned by Oracle Corporation.

Java is a statically typed, general-purpose, and object-oriented programming language (OOP). This coding language is renowned for its robustness, versatility, and especially the principle of “Write Once, Run Anywhere” (WORA) - which means Java code is compiled into bytecode that can be run on any platform that includes a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). This enables Java programs to be compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, Solaris, etc.

Java used to be a popular server-side programming language as well until Node.js appeared on the scene (Introduced in 2009) and brought a significant shift. Still, Java is a widely used programming language for complex, web-based, highly concurrent web apps. Also, Java has been the cornerstone of enterprise software development.

In the domain of building web applications, Java holds its ground as a great option against many other languages, like Ruby, Python, and, of course, Golang.

A Brief About Golang (Google Programming Language)

Google created Go or Golang in 2009, yet officially released it to the public in 2011 as an open-source programming language. It was created by Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson at Google, and its design was focused on simplicity and efficiency.

Go is a statically typed, compiled programming language that can support concurrent programming. Go is often described as having aspects of both procedural and object-oriented programming; still, it does not fully fit the traditional mold of an object-oriented language.

Compared to Java, Golang is a relatively new programming language that has gained quite a bit of traction in recent years. It is known for its simplicity, high performance, and concurrency features. Many software developers have praised Golang for its intuitive syntax, garbage collection, and built-in support for concurrent programming.

Golang Vs. Java: How to Decide the Right Web Development Language

Frankly, both Java and Golang are good choices for web development; however, the right language is decided by various factors. In addition, the final decision between Go and Java depends on your specific needs and requirements, so consider it case by case:

Features

The two languages provide their own ranges of features.

Java

Strongly Typed

Java lang is a strongly typed language. It means variables must be declared with a specific type and cannot be changed later. This feature provides increased code stability and reliability and reduces the risk of runtime errors.

OOP

Thanks to its object-oriented nature, Java follows the principles of encapsulation, abstraction, inheritance, and polymorphism. This allows for clean and organized codebases when it comes to maintaining or extending.

Cross-platform Compatibility

Java is platform-independent and runs on any operating system that has a JVM. This enables more flexibility in terms of deployment options. In contrast, Go compiles binary files specific to each platform.

Garbage Collection

Automatic memory management is a significant benefit of Java. The garbage collector takes care of managing memory allocation and freeing up unused objects, making developers’ lives easier by reducing the risk of memory leaks.

Golang

Simplicity

Golang is syntactically less verbose than Java. The simplicity makes it less troublesome for developers to write and maintain code. It also contributes to faster coding and debugging processes.

Concurrency Support

Golang is built for concurrency. It uses goroutines, which are lightweight threads, to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. That’s why Go is often trusted for building highly scalable and efficient web applications. Java also supports concurrency but requires more effort and expertise to implement.

Compiled Language

This means Golang can be compiled into a single binary file, eliminating the need for runtime dependencies. This makes it more suitable for deploying microservices or performing tasks requiring high performance.

Garbage Collection

Go also has garbage collection; however, it is not as efficient as Java’s. This can result in higher memory usage, which may affect application performance.

In regard to features, Java boasts a mature ecosystem with wealthy third-party libraries and frameworks that provide capabilities for web development. Go has fewer language features compared to Java.

Performance & Speed

Java and Golang are both high-performance languages. Generally, Golang outperforms Java in regard to raw speed, even though both of them are recognized as the fastest programming languages. This is partially due to the fact that Go offers quicker startup times and execution processes than Java does, as Golang compiles directly to machine code. Java’s just-in-time (JIT) compilation process can introduce some latency when starting up a web application.

Syntax

Java is deemed a beginner-friendly language due to its verbosity - you often need to write more lines of code than you do in other languages. This makes your code a breeze to read and correct, but it also slows down your coding process considerably. The syntax of Java is quite similar to C++, so anyone who is familiar with C++ or any other C-based language can quickly pick up Java. There is also a significant number of code editors and IDEs that support Java development. However, Java’s syntax is considered complex and requires a steeper learning curve for beginners when compared to Golang’s.

Less verbose than Java’s, Go’s syntax is designed to be much simpler and easier to learn, read, and write code with. This language also provides built-in extensive documentation so users can quickly get help while coding. Go’s simplicity is an advantage for teams looking to onboard new developers quickly.

Microservices

Microservices are indeed an architectural approach to developing web applications as a suite of small, independent services that communicate with each other and enable faster development cycles. However, it’s not entirely accurate to say that Go was originally designed for cloud-native applications (microservices).

While Go’s efficiency, simplicity, and concurrency support make it well-suited for microservices architectures, it was created to address certain inefficiencies in large-scale software development, and its suitability for microservices is not its only intended use. On the other hand, Java, while widely used for building large-scale enterprise applications, is also quite suitable for creating microservices with frameworks like Spring Boot.

In terms of efficiency in microservices, Golang’s compiled nature and static memory management can indeed make it more efficient for certain microservices architectures, but the choice between Go and Java often relies on the specific requirements of the project, including factors like team expertise, existing codebase, and specific performance requirements.

Popularity/Ranking & Community

In terms of popularity, both Java and Golang are worthy competitors to each other. You can refer to the list of the most popular programming languages (PYPL) for a detailed comparison. If we look at the number of years of existence, Java is a more mature language, while Go is a newer language by comparison.

Even though there is a time gap between them, both of these programming languages have a solid community of users and contributors, as well as an abundance of open-source libraries and resources. Therefore, you can find the same level of community support for both languages.

In brief, while Java and Golang are two different programming languages with their unique features and strengths, they both have a lot to offer their adopters. Choose Golang or Java. Either way, you are heading to a successful development journey in different yet exciting ways.

Come to Orient Software for the Best Go & Java Developers

At Orient Software, we have a full-fledged team of seasoned developers who specialize in Java, Golang, or any popular programming language. So, we are capable of assembling a technical team that meets your project-specific needs and helps you deliver quality software at a competitive cost.

In addition to IT staff augmentation or dedicated teams, we have diverse experience in a lot more outsourcing services, ranging from custom software development and QA testing to offshore development centers or UI/UX design.

All you have to do is leave us your request, and our experts will get back to you in no time. For further info about Orient Software, kindly refer to what we do and why you partner with us.