Golang Vs. Python Performance: Which Programming Language Is Better?

What Is Go?

First things first. Why is the Go programming language often called Golang? Back then, programmers chose to launch golang.org, a combination of Go and language, because “go.org” was not yet available. That’s why the terms Go and Golang are used interchangeably, but the official language name is Go.

With that out of the way, what exactly is Go?

Go is an open-source, statically typed, compiled programming language created by Google. The main aim of the Go inventors was to make programming easier and faster by combining the simplicity of interpreted and dynamically-typed programming languages with the speed and security of statically-typed and compiled languages.

What Is Go Used for?

Originally, Go was designed for networking and infrastructure applications. It was created to compete with the widely-used, high-performance, server-side programming languages such as Java or C++.

Today, Go can be used for a wide range of applications, including:

• Cloud-based applications
• Server-side applications
• DevOps/ Site Reliability Automation
• Command-line tools
• Micro-controller programming
• Robotics
• Games

Golang’s Unique Advantages

What makes Go special? Go was described as the “code that grows with grace” by Andrew Gerrand at the Strange Loop conference in 2012. This quotation still holds true to this day due to its strengths.

Simplicity

Many developers agree that Go’s learning curve is low. It is known to be an easy-to-learn language program. There is even a famous saying that states the entire Go spec can be read and understood in one afternoon.

Garbage Collection

The language includes effective garbage collection that does away with the hassle of manual memory management.

Suitable for High-performing Applications

Go makes it comparatively simple to create high-performing apps because it was created for automation at a big scale.

Speed

Go is well-known for its speed. For the vast majority of tasks, Go’s performance is on par with that of C. It is as quick as can be because it compiles directly to machine code. In relation to recognized programming languages for their development speed (e.g., JavaScript, Python, and Ruby), it is much faster.

Concurrency

Golang has the ability to juggle multiple tasks at a time. Goroutines are functions that run in the background while the rest of the program is running. Simply put, you can launch a goroutine, ask it to run, and it’ll keep running while thousands of other goroutines are running in the background. Goroutine will even take care of problems such as network timeout or database failure.

Golang’s Drawbacks

With all that being said, no programming language is perfect. Golang also bears certain drawbacks.

Limited Generics Support

For a long time, Golang didn’t provide any generics. In Go 1.18, however, generic types and functions were finally introduced. Still, the generics don’t have full support. For instance, generic argument methods are not implemented. Thus, the creation of specific data structures is hindered by the lack of generic support.

Too Simple

The simplicity of Golang can be like a double-edged sword sometimes. The language might not be able to provide you with functions like map or reduce.

Lack of Framework

Unlike other language programmers, Golang programmers don’t have access to any frameworks.

What Is Python?

Python is an open-source, interpreted, object-oriented, high-level, dynamically semantic programming language. The easy-to-understand syntax of Python emphasizes readability, thus reducing the maintenance cost of the program. It would help to break down the definition to better understand what Python is:

• Open-source: It is free and can be used for further enhancements, such as adding useful features or fixing bugs.
• Object-Oriented: It is based on objects rather than functions. It has defined attributes and methods.
• High-Level: It is more human-friendly than computer-friendly.
• General Purpose: It can be used to build any kind of program.

As a general-purpose language, Python can be used to make many various types of programs and isn’t tailored for any particular issues.

What Is Python Language Used For?

One major reason behind the rapid growth of Pythons’ user base is the fact that it is suitable for all forms of programming. Python is widely used in data science and others. Some of these include:

• Data analysis
• Data visualization
• Machine learning
• Software development
• Web development
• Task automation/ Scripting
• Database Programming
• Quick prototyping

Python has a variety of applications. However, you don’t necessarily need to be a software developer to use Python. Thanks to its robust network with powerful data-processing libraries, enabling data scientists to carry out complex numerical calculations.

Python’s Unique Advantages

Python programming language has one of the biggest user communities. This can certainly be attributed to numerous strong points during any given software development process.

Huge Community

As mentioned earlier in the article, Python has 15.7 million users worldwide. This in and of itself is a huge advantage, as there is always community support ready when you encounter a problem.

Easy to Learn

Even for beginners, Python is easy to learn, thanks to the features of a simple syntax that is similar to a natural English language.

Speed

Python is a dynamically typed coding language that is not designed to be written from the ground up but rather to facilitate the integration of components. These components are intended to be reusable, while the interface between components and scripts is well-defined. This allows to accelerate the development speed of software development, making Python highly concise and productive.

Large Libraries

Python libraries are extensive and provide a wide range of comprehensive additional libraries and modules. This well-documented resource makes coding much easier.

Python’s Drawbacks

Despite its versatile applications and extensive libraries, Python also holds certain disadvantages.

• Runtime Error: Python displays more at run time due to its dynamic nature.
• Speed: As Python is an interpreted language, its execution time can be slower compared to other languages. This can be an issue if a developer is working on a real-time application or high-level program.
• Weak Mobile Computing: Even though there are libraries that exist for the purpose of mobile application development, developers often prefer other languages other than Python.
• Underdeveloped Database Access Layers: Python isn’t applied in huge enterprises due to its underdeveloped access layers.