What is the

difference between
Java and JavaScript?

Home » FAQ » What is the difference between Java and

JavaScript?

Java and JavaScript are both staples of the

programming world. It’s impossible to take even a
cursory interest in coding and not come across the
terms. But they can also be easily confused. Some
might make the mistake of thinking that Java is
simply a shortened version of JavaScript. In truth,
though there is some overlap, these two languages
function very differently. So let’s break it down in
this guide to understanding the difference
between Java and JavaScript.

Java vs. JavaScript

According to the Java platform official website,
the main difference between Java and JavaScript
is that Java is an OOP programming language
while JavaScript is an OOP programming script.
JavaScript code is written completely in text and
need only be interpreted. Java, on the other hand,
must be compiled.

They are also used for different types of projects.

Java is used to make applications on devices or
browsers, while JavaScript is used primarily on
HTML documents and browsers. Different plug-
ins are used in order to use Java and JavaScript.

Java
Java has been a mainstay for connecting legacy
enterprise systems to highly dynamic web
interfaces, giving it broad use in the enterprise
world. It has the backing of a lot of major
corporations and is heavily used in their stack.
Companies that use Java include:

Airbnb uses Java primarily for their backend

development.
Google uses Java in many of their
applications, including their Web Toolkit,
Android-based apps, and Gmail.
Uber was built on Java and frequently
searches for Java developers.
Paypal was one of the first major payment
platforms to use Java. They have begun to
rebuild their platform with JavaScript, but
much of it still uses Java.
Tesla uses many programming languages,
but requires a knowledge of Java in their job
searches.
Twitter uses Java for a smooth digital
interface.
Minecraft, a popular video game, was
developed using Java.
NASA uses Java for their maintenance and
observation software
Spotify primarily uses Python, but a hefty
amount of Java is used in their backend
development.

JavaScript
JavaScript appears to be a natural disrupter
popping up in various places. While it was born to
serve the client side application needs within a
browser, JavaScript traveled to the server and
desktop through NodeJS and is clearly here to
stay. Excellent UI frameworks – like AngularJS –
can work synergistically with any kind of back-end
implementation.

A good number of mobile hybrid application

frameworks have entered the market. They are
cross-platform so they will work on many different
mobile devices without recompiling. They look
exactly like native applications and tie into
accelerometers, touch screens, and the rest of the
gamut of hardware available on mobile devices. A
number of game engines, such as Kiwi and
Bablyno, utilize JavaScript to customize their
gameplay.

Developer’s Perspective

Compiled vs. Interpreted

Compiled languages like Java checks the code of
an entire project while optimizing and converting
scribbles into byte code that can be read by the
Java Virtual Machine (JVM) at a later date. It
catches a healthy amount of syntactical errors and
alerts coders to that effect at the compile time.

From that point on, the coder operates with a

compressed package of byte codes like Java
Archive (JAR) or Web Archive (WAR) in case of a
web application. This package then can be
executed by a virtual machine or a web container
that opens it, loads it in memory, finds an entry
point, and brings it to life on somebody’s desktop
or server. This does not prevent you from making
programming logic errors, but at the very least you
have an opportunity to correct all of the
syntactical errors right out of the gate.

Security of the intellectual property is also an

issue solved by many compiled languages. Java
compilation does not intrinsically protect your
code from decompilation, but there are ways to
protect your output outlined in various resources
on the Internet.

Interpreted languages like JavaScript read

through your source code at run time and
interpret it as they go. Interpreters have become
so fast and powerful that the performance hit
from the action of interpretation is barely
noticeable.

On the one hand, it provides for many “creative”

solutions and dynamic manipulations of the
existing code base. On the other hand, it promotes
a culture of shortcuts, “duct taping,” clever code
and obscure solutions. It takes a great deal of
organizational culture and discipline to build and
maintain large projects in JavaScript.

As for security of intellectual property, there is

really no good way to make your code both
executable and inaccessible. There are “minifiers,”
“uglyfiers” and other obfuscation packages, but
none of them will scramble your code enough to
be ultimately unreadable. The reason for it is that
the interpreter needs to be able to read your code
at the time of execution. Obfuscation package can
get rid of all spaces, carriage returns and tabs, and
generally make it look like a chunk of mess; but
ultimately, it has to keep a lot of original elements
in.

Strongly Typed vs.

Dynamically Typed
Java locks all of its variables into a particular type.
If you define an object of a particular type or
create a variable of a set primitive type, that
variable is locked into its identity. If there are
mismatches, you can’t execute your code until you
fix the issue. This constraint forces good coding
habits and requires that intentions align
throughout any Java project.

One potential downside to this language feature is

that a good deal of ceremony surrounds strong
typing. Since new public methods and properties
for any object need to be a part of a public
interface, these elements often have to be defined
throughout the inheritance tree. This complicates
expansion of various object definitions throughout
the development process. It makes prototyping
harder and potentially slows down rapid
development at the early stages of product
creation.

Dynamic typing, as featured in JavaScript, allows

you to build cities in the sky as you float through
the air. It allows you to define variables, data
structures, objects, functions and arrays in line, at
the place where you need them. This makes for
some rather precarious looking code, but allows
for everything to be put in place at the scene. You
get to define the structure of an object within your
context.

The primary downside of dynamic typing is

uncertainty of what your variable actually
contains at any given moment. If you assign the
wrong content to a variable somewhere else in the
code, you will not discover it until a nonsensical
line actually gets executed. Your code will only
blow up when you try to execute “open the door”
only to realize that you are actually holding a
kitten.

There are a couple methods to remedy the

situation. You can define specific types and check
for those types, as well as properties and functions
related to particular objects before using them.
That, however, adds an overhead that is freely
handled by strong typed languages. You can also
use TypeScript, which is a precompiled
augmentation to JavaScript that introduces strong
typing to the language and acts similarly to a
compiler from that standpoint.

Object Oriented
Programming
Both Java and JavaScript are object oriented
languages. While Java necessitates use of objects
throughout the codebase, JavaScript is
considerably more forgiving, allowing for simple
linear programming without the use of objects.
Both languages allow for inheritance and
polymorphism – the main staples of Object
Oriented Design. JavaScript is more awkward
about it due to the dynamic nature of the language
and a relatively complex syntax that is required to
express such constructs.

Functional Programming
Functions in JavaScript are first-class citizens.
They are treated like objects, can be passed into
other functions, and can carry member variables
of their own if necessary. Such flexibility allows for
some very interesting solutions and design
patterns that are only available to languages that
support functional programming.

Java has its own answer to functional

programming. Java introduces lambdas in Java 1.8
(“Java 8”), which are a powerful way to filter and
manipulate collections of data. That being said, the
applicability of lambdas is restricted to data
manipulation and does not step much beyond that.

Libraries and Frameworks

Many languages are defined by the suite of
libraries that are available for them. Those
libraries make or break the language, no matter
the capabilities. The most elaborate, flexible and
well thought-out language in the world pales in
comparison to a language with wide support and
braintrust.

On this subject matter, both of the languages are a

pretty even match. Java had recently suffered a
blow in the browser as Google dropped Java
support from Chrome, citing lack of security. That
being said, Java has a very strong presence in the
device market – Android based and otherwise.
Java has a very strong presence in server side web
development, especially with Spring framework
and specifically its MVC offering. JavaScript,
however, comes in close on its tails with NodeJS
being a strong server side web solution and
AngularJS coming in as a fully client side MVVM
offering.

Both of the languages carry strong support for the

vast majority of data stores of every kind: SQL
databases, NoSQL document stores, block data
cloud stores, queues, etc. A variety of graphical
libraries have been developed for Java and later
ported to JavaScript like Processing that has been
ported to p5.js with full featured support.

Developer’s Workflow

Development Environments
In addition to library support, Integrated
Development Environments (IDEs) can make or
break the language. A good IDE helps developers
to rapidly traverse through the code base. It also
has to have helpful assistants like IntelliSense
(inline lookup similar to Google suggested search
terms), context highlighting, error highlighting
(underline code that needs correction before it is
compiled or sent for interpretation), and refactor
assist tools.

Java has a good plethora of offerings such as

Eclipse, NetBeans, and IntelliJ IDEA. Some of the
tools are free while others are reasonably priced
for the value that they offer. Just like Java, all of
these tools run on a variety of platforms.

JavaScript is supported by most text editors, as

well as the aforementioned IDEs. Text editors
favored by the author are: Notepad ++ for PC,
Sublime Text for Linux and Brackets for Mac. Many
of these solutions support a way to host your
JavaScript application, while others simply rely on
Grunt to host your solution and update on file
change. Excellent debugging tools are available in
most popular web browsers with Google Chrome
developer tools presently being in the lead.

Either one of these toolsets is very strong and full-

featured; however, Java has a bit better “canary in
the coal mine” IDE warning support in part due to
its strongly typed nature. In addition, common
JavaScript development toolsets might prove to
be challenging for a junior developer to configure
and master from the onset.

Test Tools
Testing, especially unit testing, is an essential part
of the software development process. In
dynamically typed languages like JavaScript, unit
testing can take the place of compile time type
checking. When all the functionality is properly
exercised, it will let the developer quickly
determine if she is trying to execute the “open the
door” method on a kitten.

In the testing realm, JavaScript comes in strong

with Jasmine, Mocha, and JEST. AngularJS also
commonly uses Protractor for end-to-end testing.

Java sports a great deal of tools – many well-

integrated with IDEs – which is great for test
development. JUnit is one of those frameworks.
You can review individual test results in a
dedicated window in an IDE of your choice, and
you can click through and debug each individual
unit test. If configured with Maven, the system will
also run all of your unit tests each time you
compile your project.

Build and Delivery

Automation
This toolset mostly comes at the final stages of the
software development cycle. It is important to
developers as it governs the portability of the code
base between computers of various developers on
the team, as well as continuous testing and
delivery of the software.

Individual developers can enjoy Bower for library

retrieval and Grunt for build management and
execution on the JavaScript side. With some
configuration, Bower will automatically pull new
library packages for you if they were introduced to
the project by other developers and you do not
have them installed. Grunt will process your
JavaScript and other resources into an execute
folder, run obfuscation on your source code if
necessary, and launch or refresh your content in a
web server.

On the Java side, Maven will perform most of the

aforementioned things. Maven integrates with
most Java IDEs and makes developer’s lives
considerably easier.

As for development and production server

delivery, the majority of continuous integration
tools will support both stacks seamlessly.

Conclusion
While you ultimately need to know both of the
aforementioned stacks, you are better off starting
with a strongly typed, compiled language like Java
that comes with an easy-to-configure, fully
integrated IDE. Strong typing and compilation will
let you focus on developing proper coding habits,
while a mostly auto-configured development
environment will get you writing, testing, running,
and – most importantly – delivering your code
quickly.

Walk before you run. Experience with JavaScript is

inevitable as you wander into web development,
but it is healthier to start your growth as a
software developer with a strong object-oriented
foundation. Learn one of the foundational
languages, then let your mind take you in any
direction that you find interesting and exciting.

Programs Outcomes

Intro to Web Development Student Outcomes

.NET/C# Bootcamp Student Spotlights
Java Bootcamp Career Outlook
Digital Coding Badges Career Support

Our Network About

Corporate Training Who We Are

Employer Network Press & News
University Partners Blog
Join Our Team
Admissions & Financial Software Guild
Aid Merchandise

Admissions Contact

Tuition & Financing

College Credit Program

About The Software Guild

At our coding bootcamps, we focus on the languages

companies want, with real-world curriculum taught by
experienced master instructors. Apprentices graduate
from The Software Guild with relevant, employable skills.
A choice of locations or online programs offer options
that are designed to help apprentices succeed.

© 2022 The Software Guild, a Wiley brand.

All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use
Cookie Preferences

! Ask a Question