When it comes to programming languages, Golang or Go and Python are two options that stand out due to their versatility and power. However, before deciding which one to use for your project, it’s important to consider their respective pluses and minuses. Both languages have their unique strengths and weaknesses that should be taken into account when making a decision. Ultimately, the choice to hire Go developer or another developer will depend on the specific requirements of your project and your personal preference as a developer. Here is a comparison of both languages based on their performance, features, uses, etc.
What is Go?
Go is a procedural, statically-typed programming language launched by Google in 2009. It supports concurrency using channels, goroutines, etc. Moreover, it also supports environment-adopting patterns. Go uses its garbage collector feature to handle memory leaks. It is a developer-friendly language. Moreover, simplicity and frequent updates have made it the favorite of developers. So it is unsurprising that more and more programmers are choosing it.
What is Python?
Python is an object-oriented, high-level, and general-purpose language with built-in data structures. Python is older than Golang and was developed in 1991. Its design is focused on clarity and readability. This makes it a popular option for first-time programmers and beginners. It is one of the best options for rapid application development. It requires only a few lines of code making it one of the fastest programming languages.
Both Python and Golang are simple and suitable for beginners. They are popular and versatile but they have many differences. What are they?
Python vs Go
Performance
When it comes to performance, Go is the winner. Its performance is better than Python. Go is efficient in compilation and execution which makes it a powerful performer. Moreover, its statically-typed nature allows the developer to optimize the code to improve performance. Additionally, Golang’s concurrency feature helps to build programs swiftly.
Python offers various libraries and optimization techniques to improve performance but its dynamic-typed nature makes it slower.
Concurrency
Concurrency is gaining a lot of popularity because developers are looking for scalability and maximum performance.
Concurrency is the most significant feature of Go. Any function can run asynchronously with the help of Goroutines. It runs the function in its own thread.
Python also supports concurrency but it is not as integrated as Go because it uses threads. There are more steps involved. The first step is to import the threading library, Then, create a thread object, and lastly start on the thread object.
A concurrent Go program is more simple than an equivalent Python program. Goroutines uses its own lightweight threads managed by its runtime.
3. Ecosystem and libraries
A huge and mature ecosystem of libraries is one of the major strengths of Python. Python has a library for every domain including web development, machine learning, scientific computing, etc. Python’s vast wealth of resources helps to speed up the development process. Moreover, it simplifies complex tasks. Additionally, as it is 16 years older than Go, all types of programmers from beginners to experts are assured of support.
Go is a newer language and so, its ecosystem is younger and not as vast as Python. However, it is growing rapidly. Its libraries and frameworks help in building high-performing web applications. Its ecosystem is suitable for many niches and is also gaining traction in the distributed systems space and cloud-native.
4. Type system
Go uses a static type system. In this system, variable types are determined at compile time. This catches type-related errors at an early stage and enhances code reliability.
On the other hand, Python uses a dynamic type system. It allows more flexibility but can lead to runtime errors. You have to manage it carefully to avoid errors.
Error handling
Error handling is treated differently in the two languages.
Go boasts of explicit error handling. It does it through its multiple return values pattern. This approach helps developers to handle errors as soon as they occur and ensures the enhancement of code robustness.
Python relies on the try-except approach for error handling. This is not as effective as Go’s error-handling approach.
Community and learning resources
Python has an extensive community and abundant learning resources. So, it is one of the favorite choices for beginners. Beginners are assured of rapid learning and skill development because of the thriving community and online tutorials. Moreover, Python has an easy syntax making it a popular language.
Go has a rapidly growing community. Its emphasis is on building production-ready and robust software. The resources may be limited when compared to Python, but it has well-maintained documentation. The language is simple and focuses on effective problem-solving. This contributes to a unique and enjoyable learning experience.
Uses and strengths
Python’s strengths shine in data analysis, web development, scientific computing, machine learning, and scripting tasks. As it has an extensive library and a quick development cycle, it is a fantastic choice for developing projects that need rapid prototyping and where flexibility is crucial. Python is a great choice for beginners but it is not as developer-friendly as Go.
Go, on the contrary, excels in building microservices, network applications, distributed systems, and concurrent software. It is suitable in scenarios that need high concurrency. This makes it an excellent choice for developing backend systems that need efficient utilization of resources. Go is a better language for concurrent programs and can manage multithread functions fast. Its Go Command tool assists developers in writing, running, and testing the code. This is one of its strengths.
Conclusion:
Both Go and Pythom languages have distinct characteristics to cater to the programmer’s needs. If you are focusing on performance, concurrency, and efficiency, you should go for Go. It is a magnificent choice for building high-performing applications. If you want to develop a powerful application with Go, contact a Go development company to bring your ideas to life.
