Python vs JavaScript vs Java: A practical comparison

As the landscape of expectation changes, so do the languages we use to meet those expectations. Programming languages generally have a core use, or purpose, and then features are developed to make our use of the language easier. I’m reminded of the change from Python 2 to 3, where ‘print’ became a function and it changed the interaction and output hugely.

There is no doubt that generally, what guides our language choices is down to what we are trying to build. Picking the language for the job, that’s the real challenge now. Where do you start? In a previous blog, I investigated which language was best to learn, and without any irony at all, I went for a full stack solution specialism.

While your ultimate solution will be made up of multiple languages, each doing their own role, it’s important to choose the right tools. Although you could, you don’t want to bang a nail in with a spanner. Some tools are designed to do specific roles and getting these right at the start saves a lot of trouble and heartache further down the road.

JavaScript, Python, and Java core uses

JavaScript is the language of the web. It’s for the front end, the part of the program the user interacts with. JavaScript is what makes our creations interactive. The search, the button press, the dragging of an item. It’s all possible with this language.

Python is described as an all-purpose language, but excels when applied to data science, automation and some back-end technologies. Python is that language which triggers actions in other programs or libraries. Whatever you want to do with python, there will be a library you can import which will make it easier for you.

Java is for large enterprise scale applications. It provides the back end for Android mobile apps and sits between the user and the data. When you request information from the webpage, it’s Java that receives the request and collects the information you are looking for. Often described as the business layer. Its role is the middle man.

Learning Python

It’s widely agreed that Python is easiest programming language to learn, and for the most part, this is true. Many Python coders use it as a functional language rather than as the OOP (Object-oriented programming) language it was originally designed to be. So I would say : easy to learn, harder to master. But if you have the underlying concepts of OOP, such as you would need for Java, Python is a beautifully clear and simple language to use.

Learning Java vs JavaScript

Java is not a fun language to start your coding journey with. There are so many things you have to understand before being able to get anything out of Java, however, it does set you up to learn other languages very quickly.

JavaScript is somewhere in the middle when it comes to the learning curve. For me, it looks beautiful when on screen but it’s an incredibly quirky language and will output seemingly nonsensical responses to what should be straight-forward inputs.

This is where Java has the edge. Statically typed code (as opposed to the dynamically typed language of Javascript) is far less likely to return logic or type errors, due to the checks and safeguards in place. Throw that in with the fact that Java is compiled, whereas the JavaScript and Python are interpreted in real-time, and you can see why Java is the language you want if speed is a determining factor.

Once you've decided which language to learn, check out our expert-led courses on JavaScript, Python, and Java