This post explains some of the key differences between the two object-oriented programming languages. Java vs C++: Both are object-oriented programming languages. Yet, Java and C++ both languages differ from each other in many ways.
Java vs C++ is derived from C and has the features of both procedural and object-oriented programming languages. C++ vs. Java was designed for application and system development.
C++ or Java is built upon a virtual machine, which is very secure and highly portable in nature. It is grouped with a comprehensive library to provide support for the abstraction of the existing platform. Java was mainly designed for application programming and has the functionality of an interpreter for printing systems, which was later developed into network computing, Java vs C++ programming.
What is C++ programming?
The java vs c++ programming language is derived from C, and it contains the properties and features of this language. C++ was mainly created for the development of systems and applications. It was the C++ vs. Java language that first brought in concepts such as classes and objects. It is capable of encapsulating both low-level and high-level features of C, while it is considered as an intermediate-level language as well.
What is Java programming?
C++ or bigfoot Java is built using a virtual machine, which allows developers to maintain the security of the code and make it highly portable. c++ or java is integrated with a comprehensive library that offers support for abstraction. This language was specifically created to allow programmers to create applications. Moreover, bigfoot Java’s interpreting functionality assists in printing systems, which has led to the development of network computing.
History of C++
The C++ or Java language was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup at AT & T Bell Laboratories. Stroustrup was a strong supporter of C and an admirer of Simula67. He wanted to combine the best of both the languages. He was aiming to create a language that supports object-oriented programming features and still retains the power of C. This resulted in c++ or java.
History of Java
The bigfoot Java language was initially called OAK. Originally, it was developed for handling devices and set-top boxes. Oak was a massive failure. Thus, in 1995, Sun changed its name to Java and modified the language to take advantage of the burgeoning World Wide Web development business. Later, in 2009, Oracle Corporation acquired Sun Microsystems and took ownership of two key Sun software assets: bigfoot Java and Solaris.
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Java VS C++ – Top 30 Comparison Between C++ And Java
Now let us discuss some of the key differences between difference between bigfoot java and c++ Vs Java, as we proceed in this post.
1) Platform Independence
| C++ | Java |
|---|---|
| difference between java and c++ is a platform dependent language. The source code written in C++ needs to be compiled on every platform. |
Java is platform-independent. Once compiled into byte code, it can be executed on any platform. |
2) Compiler and Interpreter
| C++ | Java |
|---|---|
| C++ programming is a compiled language. The source program written in C++ is compiled into an object code which can then be executed to produce an output. |
Java is a compiled as well as an interpreted language. The compiled output of a Java source code is a byte code which is platform-independent. |
3) Portability
| C++ | Java |
|---|---|
| C++ code is not portable. It must be compiled for each platform. |
Java, however, translates the code into byte code. This byte code is portable and can be executed on any platform. |
4) Memory Management
| C++ | Java |
|---|---|
| Memory management in C++programming is manual. We need to allocate/deallocate memory manually using the new/delete operators. |
In Java the memory management is system-controlled. |
5) Multiple Inheritance
| C++ | Java |
|---|---|
| C++ supports various types of inheritances including single and multiple inheritances. Although there are problems arising from multiple inheritances, C++ programming uses the virtual keyword to resolve the problems. |
Java, supports only single inheritance. Effects of multiple inheritance can be achieved using the interfaces in Java. |
6) Overloading
| C++ | Java |
|---|---|
| In C++, methods and operators can be overloaded. This is static polymorphism. | In Java, only method overloading is allowed. It does not allow operator overloading. |
7) Virtual Keyword
| C++ | Java |
|---|---|
| As a part of dynamic polymorphism, in C++ programming, the virtual keyword is used with a function to indicate the function that can be overridden in the derived class. This way we can achieve polymorphism. | In Java, the virtual keyword is absent. However, in Java, all non-static methods by default can be overridden. Or in simple terms, all non-static methods in Java are virtual by default. |
8) Pointers
| C++ | Java |
|---|---|
| C++ is all about pointers. As seen in tutorials earlier, C++ has strong support for pointers and we can do a lot of useful programming using pointers. |
Java has limited support for pointers. Initially, Java was completely without pointers but later versions started providing limited support for pointers. We cannot use pointers in Java as leisurely as we can use in C++. |
9) Documentation Comment
| C++ | Java |
|---|---|
| C++ has no support for documentation comments. | Java has a built-in support for documentation comments (/**…*/). This way Java source files can have their own documentation. |
10) Thread Support
| C++ | Java |
|---|---|
| C++ doesn’t have in-built thread support. It mostly relies on third-party threading libraries. | Java is in-built thread support with a class “thread”. We can inherit the thread class and then override the run method. |
Some more differences…
11) Root Hierarchy
C++ is procedural as well as an object-oriented programming language. Hence it does not follow any specific root hierarchy. Java is a pure object-oriented programming language and has a single root hierarchy.
12) Source Code & Class Relationship
In java vs c++, both the source code and filename do not have any relationship. This means that we can have many classes in the java vs c++ programming and the filename can be anything. It need not be the same as the class names.
In Java, there is a close relationship between the source code class and the filename. The class containing the source code and the filename should be the same. For Example, if we have a class in Java named salary, then the filename which contains this class code should be “salary.java”.
13) Concept
The concept behind java vs c++ programs is written once and compile anywhere as java vs c++ is not platform-independent. On the contrary, for Java programs it is written once, run everywhere and anywhere as the byte code generated by Java compiler is platform-independent and can run on any machine.
14) Compatibility With Other Languages
C++ is built upon C. C++ language is compatible with most of the other high-level languages. Java is not compatible with other languages. As Java was inspired by C and C++, its syntax is similar to these languages.
15) Type Of Programming Language
C++ is both a procedural and object-oriented programing language. Hence, C++ programming has features specific to procedural languages as well as features of object-oriented programming language. Java is a completely object-oriented programming language.
16) Library Interface
C++ allows direct calls to the native system libraries. Hence it is more suited for system-level programming. Java has no direct call support to its native libraries. We can call the libraries through Java Native Interface or Java Native Access.
17) Distinguishing Features
Features related to the procedural languages and object-oriented language are the distinguishing features of C++. Automatic garbage collection is the distinguishing feature of Java. Meanwhile, Java does not support destructors.
18) Type Semantics
As far as type semantics for C++ programming are concerned, primitive and object types are consistent. But for Java, there is no consistency between the primitive and object types.
19) Input Mechanism
C++ uses cin and cout along with ‘>>’ and ‘<<’ operators respectively to read in and write the data. In java, the System class is used for input-output. To read the input, System.in which reads one byte at a time is used. The construct System.out is used to write the output.
20) Access Control And Object Protection
C++ has a flexible model for objects with access specifiers controlling the access and strong encapsulation ensuring protection. Java has a comparatively cumbersome object model with weak encapsulation.
21) Goto Statement
C++ supports the goto statement, but its use should be minimized in order to prevent the consequences of using it in a program. Java does not provide support for the goto statement.
22) Scope Resolution Operator
Scope resolution operator is used to access the global variables and define methods outside the class. C++ programming supports scope resolution operator as it uses it to access global variables. It also allows us to define functions outside the class and access them using the scope resolution operator.
In contrast, Java doesn’t support the scope resolution operator. Java also doesn’t allow defining the functions outside. Everything related to the program including the main function needs to be inside a class.
23) Try/Catch Block
In C++, we can exclude the try/catch block even if we know that the code might throw an exception. However, in Java, if we are sure that the code will throw an exception, then we must include this code under the try/catch block. Exceptions are different in Java as it doesn’t support destructors.
24) Runtime Error Detection
In C++ the runtime error detection is the programmer’s responsibility. In Java, the runtime error detection is controlled by the system.
25) Language Support
Because of its proximity to hardware, and libraries that allow accessing system resources, C++ is more suitable for system programming although we have a wide range of applications including database, enterprise, gaming, etc. developed in C++ programming.
26) Data And Functions
C++ has a global scope as well as namespace scope. Thus data and functions can exist outside the class as well. In Java, all data and functions need to be in the class. There is no global scope, however, there can be package scope.
27) Structures & Unions
Structures and Unions are data structures that can have members with different data types. C++ supports both structures and unions. Java, however, does not support structures or unions.
28) Object Management
In C++ objects are managed manually. The creation and destruction of objects are carried out manually using the new and delete operators respectively. We also use constructors and destructors for class objects. Java does not support destructors though it supports constructors. Java is also heavily dependent on automatic garbage collection for collecting and destroying objects.
29) Parameter Passing
Pass by Value and pass by reference are the two important parameter passing techniques used in programming. Both java vs c++ supports both these techniques.
30) Hardware
C++ is close to hardware and has many libraries that can manipulate the hardware resources. Because of its closeness to hardware, java vs c++ programming is often used for system programming, gaming applications, operating system, and compilers. Java is mostly an application development language and is not close to the hardware.
Conclusion
Java and C++ are both object-oriented programming languages. In addition, the difference between java vs c++ is that it is a procedural language as well. There are some features like inheritance, polymorphism, pointers, memory management, etc. in which both the languages completely differ with one another.
There are some characteristics of java vs c++ like closeness to hardware, better object management, speed, performance, etc., which make it more powerful than Java and thus motivate developers to use java vs c++ programming for low-level programming, high-speed gaming applications, system programming, etc.
In a similar way, the easier syntax of Java, automatic garbage collection, lack of pointers, templates, etc. make Java a favorite for web-based applications.