Python vs. Go: Which Language Is Ideal for Your Future Project

Programming is known as one of the most popular professions in today's advancing industry. It serves as the base of on-demand web development and web application development projects. While the prime purpose of such projects is to provide a seamless user experience, programmers always make sure of the coding language. When talking about the most popular coding languages, programmers become a part of the Python vs. Golang battle.

According to a survey of the most used programming languages, Python is used by more than 44.07% of programmers all over the world. Golang, on the other hand, is popular among 11.15% of programmers only. Regardless of the great difference between their numbers, one of them can still make the coding language of the future.

Due to this battle, beginners come up with a lot of coding questions – Which language makes an ideal choice for future development projects? Why is Golang less popular but still in the competition? Which of these languages is easier to learn? What are the advantages and disadvantages of choosing one language from the Python vs. Go battle? Read the article below to find answers to some of these questions. Also, it may help you to make an ideal choice for your future project.

Python vs. Go: A Brief Introduction About Both The Languages

Python, being one of the oldest coding languages, was developed in 1991 by a Dutch programmer, Guido Van Rossum. It is a versatile language preferred by most programmers for its countless libraries. Also, it is known for its flexibility and readability, which makes it supportive of front-end and back-end programming. Moreover, the lovers of this language are known as Pythonistas.

Golang, on the other hand, was developed in 2012 by Rob Pike, Ken Thompson, and Robert Griesemer. The trio disliked C++ and worked to create their own language to solve plenty of problems faced by Google a decade back. Regardless of being a freshly developed language, Golang is getting popular in the community. It is preferred by recognized names like Apple, BBC, Facebook, and most of all, Google. Finally, the lovers of this language are known as Goers.

To know which language is better for the future, let us have a look at their detailed comparison.

Python vs. Go: Detailed Comparison

Golang is primarily known for its speed, concurrency, and simplicity. Python, on the other hand, is popular for its flexibility and readability. It also has extensive library support that helps programmers to code. 

Both languages have a few parameters in common. These can be considered to go through a detailed comparison of Python vs. Golang.

Performance

According to experts, the easiest way to compare the speed and performance between 2 languages is to check their mathematical functions. When going through such tests, multiple results proved that Golang is more than 30 times faster than Python. Moreover, Go language has also outperformed Java, already faster than Python, in terms of speed.

For more, have a look at the coding example from Stack Overflow. It shows a 1 billion counter in Golang and Python. Here, go takes less than a second to complete the count. Whereas Python requires a few minutes to complete the task. It is because Python does not support static typing, but Go does. Hence, programmers looking for speed and performance must give attention to Golang over Python.

Framework

The framework is considered a necessary requirement for the development of apps and web solutions in a shorter span. When comparing both languages for this tool, Golang is a no-framework platform for software development. Whereas, Python is an extensive language with a variety of cross-platform and open-source frameworks.

Regardless of the absence of frameworks, the importance of a language depends on the client’s and project’s requirements. For this reason, choosing one of the two languages totally depends on the type of project you are working on.

Execution

Code execution is another important factor that determines the importance of a language. In this case, Golang is a statically typed language while Python is dynamically typed, which means by turn backs the ability to interpret statically typed variables. Statically typed languages like Go simplify debugging and make it easier to analyze code misinterpretations and errors.

Because Python shares the risk of missing bugs and introducing errors while programming, experienced coders prefer Golang over it. The language is set to directly declare variables to the compiler and make debugging difficult.

Scalability

Scalability is a major requirement for any development process regardless of its size, type, and target industry. Here, Python shares a few scalability limitations as compared to Golang due to parallelism. However, it is still preferred over the latter for high-scale and startup projects.

Due to parallel process channeling, Python language splits high-scale tasks into sub-tasks and processes them in parallel. In comparison to this, go language is compatible with concurrent process channeling. it means the language has the ability to attempt different tasks at a time. Here, Golang wins the race.

Libraries

While Python has been in the industry for decades, it has a variety of libraries. Programmers working on wide-scale projects mostly prefer this language over Golang. Currently, it owns more than 40K libraries relating to almost every field in the industry. It can facilitate coding across fields like data visualization, machine learning, data science, and much more.

Alternatively, the Go language holds fewer libraries and data packages as compared to Python. However, these enable robust and fast execution of projects and different fields. It can facilitate the coding of cloud computing solutions, lightweight applications, and web platforms.

Readability

Having readable code can be helpful for programmers working with other professionals. For this reason, it is considered an essential factor in the development process. Python, in this case, shares an excellent readability due to its simple syntax. Yet its versatility for expressing a single command in multiple ways, the language often results in code misinterpretations.

Golang, in comparison, offers a strict syntax with more programming rules. Therefore, programmers come up with a definite coding pattern that performs a certain task at a time. It is beneficial as there are fewer chances of course misinterpretations. 

However, due to its strict syntax, Go is only used by experienced coders, while Python serves as the most used programming language all over the industry.

Applications

Both Golang and Python are developed as technology-based languages depending on specific platforms like machine learning, artificial intelligence, data analysis, web development, and more.
Because the Go language has technical features, it is widely used in the areas of systems programming. Its primary features include speed and concurrency support, along with a myriad of powerful and beginner-friendly libraries. A few major areas covered by Golang include,

DevOps

• Web Development
• Server-side Apps
• Cloud Computing
• Cluster Computing

When talking about Python and its applications, the language is popular for its countless libraries. Hence, it can be easily seen operating in the following fields.

• Web Development
• Artificial intelligence
• Machine learning
• Data Analytics
• Deep learning

Due to its popularity in dealing with data analysis solutions, programmers often come across Python Vs. R battle too. It is because the art programming language is also a statically typed one and is mostly used for computing and data analysis programs.

Python Vs. Go: Key Differences

Python And Golang differ in plenty of ways. The major differences between both languages are mentioned below.

• Python is said to be a functional, procedural, imperative, and object-oriented coding language. Golang, on the other hand, serves as a procedural, functional, and concurrent coding language.
• Python is considered an ideal language to solve different data science queries. Go language is used by professionals for system programming.
• Python serves as a dynamically typed language and is unable to interpret statically typed variables. 
• Alternatively, Golang serves as a statically typed language that directly interprets variables to the compiler.
• Python is basically used two right a variety of web applications. Whereas Go is the best choice for being a system language.
• Pythonistas use indentation in their syntax to indicate different code blocks. However, Goers use opening and closing braces in their syntax for this purpose.
• Python uses fewer codes to perform an action. On the other hand, Golang uses more codes to perform the same actions.

A simple program to display "Hello World!"

Example: Hello World Program using Python

Example: Hello World Program using Go

In that program, we have used the built-in function print()to print the string Hello World!

Python Vs. Go: Which Is Ideal For The Future?

After going through a detailed discussion on both languages, it is time to choose one for future programming. When analyzing Python and Golang in depth, it is difficult to decide which language will be ruling the market. Both of these languages share a variety of benefits for programmers.

They have programming-friendly syntaxes and can quickly optimize the development process according to project requirements. Professionals may need to check the technicality project before choosing the right language.

Python has been around the market for decades. According to reports, the market size of this programming language is expected to cross $343.84 billion by 2029. Because it resembles English and has a simpler syntax, programmers find it easy to interpret when working with other professionals. Also, it has a wide range of libraries and offers high versatility for high-scale projects.

Golang, on the other hand, also makes an attractive approach in the market. It offers excellent scalability, speed, and productivity. While it has a strict syntax, experienced programmers consider it an ideal approach. Also, it is difficult to debug and prevents most risks of misinterpretation. As a result, people find it better for system programming projects.
In a nutshell, both languages can win the Python vs. Go battle. The upcoming future may be looking to use both for different types of projects.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.    What is Golang best for?

This language was initially built by three programmers to help Google find solutions to problems that could not be resolved by Java and C++. Being a high-scale language, Golang is best for programming projects.

2.    What is Python best for?

Because the language offers a simple syntax, it is often used by non-programmers for different purposes. Most programmers use it for cloud computing and data analysis projects. Also, it can be the best option for web development and different automation projects.

3.    Which is easier to learn Go or Python?

No doubt, Python is said to have a simpler text similar to English. However, Golang has a serious issue representing syntax, which makes it easier to learn.

4.    Which is safer Golang or Python?

The latest version of Python, i.e., Python 3.8.1, is considered a safer programming language. Nevertheless, Golang still tops the list as it can quickly interpret bugs and errors during compilation.

5.    Between Python and Golang, which language supports project development at a faster rate?

Although Python and Golang have been competing in different areas, speed is a positive point for the Go language. Because it was developed while keeping speed in mind, Golang supports concurrency and prevents parallelism. Also, it is a statically typed language, which helps it to quickly perform multiple tasks.

6.    Which one to choose between TypeScript and Python?

Programmers are well aware of the TypeScript Vs JavaScript battle. However, when it comes to talking about Typescript and Python, people look for comparison in terms of performance.Here, TypeScript is considered faster than Python as it is a statically typed language, while the latter is dynamically typed.