Python and Scala are the two most popular programming languages for data science, big data, and cluster computing.
Python is a high-level object-oriented programming language that is interpreted. It is a language that is dynamically typed. It supports multiple programming models, including object-oriented, imperative, functional, and procedural paradigms, and has an interface to many OS system calls.
Scala is an object-oriented programming language as well. It is used to provide functional programming support as well as a strong static type system. Scala derives its name from a combination of ‘scalable’ and ‘language,’ as it can scale according to the number of users, and everything is an expression here. It seamlessly combines the features of object-oriented and functional programming languages.
Python vs Scala:
                       Python |                         Scala |
Python is a language that uses dynamic typing. | Scala is a language that uses static typing.
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Python, as a dynamically typed language, generates additional work for the interpreter at runtime. During runtime, it must decide on the data types. | Scala is a statically typed language that uses the JVM, making it 10 times faster than Python. As a result, when dealing with large amounts of data, Scala should be considered instead of Python. |
Python is simple to learn and apply. Its popularity originated from its English-like syntax. Python makes it simple for developers to write code. | Scala is easier to learn than Python. Scala, on the other hand, plays a much larger and more important role than Python in concurrent and scalable systems. |
It determines the data types at runtime. | This is not the case in Scala, which is why it should be used instead of Python when dealing with large amounts of data. |
In comparison to Scala, the Python community is much larger. | Both are open source, and Scala has a strong community behind it. However, it is lesser than Python. |
Python’s testing process and methodologies are much more complex because it is a dynamic programming language. | Scala is a statically typed language, so testing is much easier.
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Python has an interface to many OS system calls and libraries. There are numerous interpreters available. | It is essentially a compiled language, with all source code being compiled prior to execution. |
Python includes libraries for machine learning, data science, and natural language processing (NLP). | Scala, on the other hand, lacks such tools.
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When there is a change to the existing code, the Python language is highly prone to bugs. | Scala is a statically typed language with an interface for detecting compile-time errors. As a result, refactoring code in Scala is much easier and more ideal than in Python. |
Python Programming Language Advantages
- Simple to learn and comprehend
- Python is preferred by a large number of developers over many other programming languages.
- It includes a large number of libraries, modules, and functions.
- It also includes a wide range of built-in functions, data types, and modules.
- It is quick and one of the best languages for beginners to get started with.
Python Programming Language Drawbacks
- Python is a dynamically typed language that consumes slightly more computer time than C, C++, or Java.
- The Python programming language consumes a lot of memory in addition to a lot of time.
Scala Benefits
- Access to JVM libraries for Java support
- It shares several readable syntax features with other popular languages like Ruby and Java.
Scala Disadvantages
- Because it is both object-oriented and functional programming language, the code language of the programming language can become complex.
- Scala is a programming language used by a small number of developers to create applications and models.