It’s like Java and JavaScript, the programming languages are just bound to be pitted against each other forever. It starts with the name. JavaScript was doomed to be eternally confused as some extension to Java, and indeed it is confused with Java, a lot. Even to this day, in 2023.
Of course, we at CodeGym venture to hope that our esteemed audience is proficient enough to be well aware that Java and JavaScript are two different programming languages.
Although this doesn’t put Java and JavaScript out of the ring just yet. With more than 7 mln and 12 mln developers worldwide respectively, these two languages compete with each other (and with Python as the third contender) for the title of the most used and in-demand programming language in the world. So it is perfectly natural for beginners in programming to compare Java and JavaScript when trying to decide which language to learn as their first.
And that is not the decision to take lightly as the choice of the language would easily shape all your future career in software development, if you will have one or at least planning to. So understanding the differences between these languages, as well as similarities, is quite important.
But first, a quick introduction of both languages.

Java
Java has been the top choice in the enterprise and mobile sectors for a while now and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Being one of the most versatile programming languages in the world, Java these days is used almost everywhere in terms of platforms, technologies, and economy sectors. It is currently the most popular backend programming language in mobile development (Android, primarily), as well as very common in cloud-based solutions and in a number of other hot and trending tech niches such as IoT and Big Data. Today the total number of Java developers globally is over 7 mln (based on different estimates, there are 6.8-8 mln Java coders in the world), which puts it on the third spot behind only JavaScript and Python. As for the demand for Java developers, it stays at a very high-level year after year. According to a recent report by analytical company Burning Glass, Java Developer is one of the most common tech occupations in the U.S. Java is also one of the most requested tech skills overall. Interestingly, one study has found that Java developers are the least likely to leave their profession among all professionals in general, not just in the tech sector. Their career-switch rate is less than 8%, while for the software developer profession in general it’s 27%, and for database administrators, for example, it’s 35%. Even when offered a higher-level managerial position, the majority of Java coders just don’t want to give it up. This may be the best proof of Java programming being the right profession choice for the majority of coders.JavaScript
JavaScript is the king of modern-day frontend development. Initially released in early 1996 during the “first browser war" between Microsoft with its Internet Explorer and Netscape's Navigator, these days JavaScript is the most obvious choice for designing interactive frontend applications thanks to a number of strengths. JavaScript is a multi-paradigm, high-level, and dynamic programming language. It became especially popular in the late 2000s when NodeJS, which is a JavaScript-based run-time environment, was released. Node.js allows developers to use the same language for server-side and client-side scripts, making it possible to produce dynamic web page content on the server-side before it is sent to the user's web browser. AngularJS, which is a JavaScript-based web development framework, is another important technology that makes JavaScript so popular and common in web development these days. Today JavaScript is the most popular programming language in the world based on the total number of coders — over 12 mln.Java vs. JavaScript: a comparison of the common ground
As a perceptive reader should guess, Java and JavaScript have more differences than similarities. Although they do have some things in common. Here are the main similarities of these two programming languages.- Object-Oriented Programming (OOP).
- Frameworks and libraries.
- Applications in front-end development.
- Applications in backend development.
What is the difference between Java and JavaScript
But these two have a lot more contradictions in them rather than similarities. Let’s look at the most notable differences between Java and JavaScript.- Applications and usage.
- Complexity and learning curve.
- Execution.
- Standardization and documentation.
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