Considered veterans in the programming language community, JavaScript and Python have been around for over two decades. Both also have evolved significantly yet continue to be influential development tools in the tech industry. Programming languages sit at the heart of web and app development, which means it’s important to choose one that’s best suited for the application.

But which one is better—Python or JavaScript?

JavaScript

Previously released in 1995 under the name LiveScript, it was renamed to JavaScript in order to capitalize on the popularity Java had received. This is a programming language that uses interpretation and object-oriented features. It’s actually considered a scripting language, which is a type of programming language. That makes it more flexible, gives developers control of every aspect of development, and allows them to utilize DOMs (Document Object Models).

Python

Similar to JavaScript, Python is object-oriented but has a more relaxed learning curve. It was released before JavaScript, though its updates and features turned toward making the development process simpler. It still maintains an easy learning structure. Python focuses on readability, can handle large amounts of data, and is known for being exceptionally fast in processing commands.

The Comparison

JavaScript and Python are widely used, and both are dynamically-typed languages as well. However, this could be the end of their similarities. Ultimately, both are used for various projects and can handle different things. Some of their most obvious differences include:

• Mutability/Immutability
• Performance Quality
• Scalability
• Machine Learning (ML)

Mutability/Immutability

Mutability refers to a set of data that can be altered while immutability is considered a list of data which cannot be changed. Python has mutability but JavaScript doesn’t.

Performance Quality

In terms of overall performance speed, Python can beat JavaScript every time. However, a good developer knows that being fast doesn’t always mean the code will be stable. JavaScript may be a little slower than Python but its system, which validates commands one at a time, ensures the code is more secure.

Scalability

This is extremely important for any programming language since scalability directly relates to the amount of data a language can handle. JavaScript and Python are both highly scalable, however, JavaScript is built to work with bigger loads of data and maintain security. It does so more efficiently than Python, which performs better in regard to various commands and smaller collections of data.

Machine Learning (ML)

This aspect of development is complicated and contains significant data loads. ML programmers lean toward Python when it comes to programming languages since Python has a faster system that can also sift through a lot of data. In this way, JavaScript’s slower performance speed and more traditional structure make it slightly less effective than Python.

The Result

As with any aspect of the development process, the quality and efficiency of a website or app is dependent on the tools used to create it. JavaScript and Python, while they can be compared, are often implemented for different projects of development. Their strengths play important roles in different areas of the tech industry as well. Thus, there is no clear winner as to which is better. That conclusion will continue to remain a mystery as long as both play a significant role in web and app development.