Developers often compare Go and Java when choosing the best language for backend development, microservices, and high-performance systems. Both languages are powerful, but they follow different philosophies and offer unique features.
What is Java
Java is a class-based, object-oriented, general-purpose programming language created by Sun Microsystems in 1995. It runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which makes it platform-independent through the principle “Write Once, Run Anywhere (WORA)”.
Example: Print Hello from Java.
class Hello {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Hello from Java!");
}
}
Output
Hello from Java!
What is Go (Golang)
Go, commonly called Golang, is a statically typed, compiled programming language created by Google in 2007. It was designed for simplicity, high performance, and efficient concurrency.
Example: Print Hello from Go
package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
fmt.Println("Hello from Go!")
}
Output
Hello from Go!
Java vs GO
| Go | Java |
|---|---|
| Go is a procedural and concurrent programming language. | Java is an Object-Oriented programming language. |
| It does not support classes with constructors and deconstructors. | It supports classes with constructors and deconstructors. |
| It does not contain the concept of exception handling instead of exception handling Go has errors. | It contains the concept of exception handling. |
| It does not support implicit type conversion. | It supports implicit type conversion. |
| It does not support inheritance. | It supports inheritance. |
| It supports Goroutine. | It does not support Goroutines. |
| It does not support function overloading. | It supports function overloading. |
| Supported (from Go 1.18) | It supports generics. |
| It support channel. | It does not support channel. |
| It does not contain do-while and while statement. | It contains do-while and while statement. |
| Go language programs are more compact than Java programs. | Java programs are less compact than Go programs. |
| Threads in Go are cheap. | Threads in Java are expensive in comparison to Go. |
| It uses dependency injection. | It not only uses dependency injection but also allows modification. |
| It allows support for mobile devices like iOS and Android. | It allows mobile support only if the manufactures allows it. |