Web Development Technologies in 2019

Golang vs. Python

In the world of web application development, agility is a king. Businesses gain a competitive edge by having their websites and web applications developed faster with fewer expenses and resources involved. Moreover, not only do they want fast on-demand web development, the demand is also high for advanced usability and seamless user experience.

This calls for the emergence of more functional and advanced programming languages for developing website functionality, such as Golang. This article focuses on the benefits of Golang web development and compares Golang web programming to other highly popular languages, like Python.

Created by Google in 2007, Golang now has many purposes, particularly for custom software development. Apart from Golang web development, you are most likely to hear about Golang microservices, Golang ERP systems, Golang mobile development, etc. On top of that, Golang is the language behind Docker technology, which is gaining increasing popularity today and is a main driver behind the DevOps movement. The advantages of its application in data science are also impressive.

Let’s take a look at what Python has to offer and why it became mainstream in the web development scene.

Python vs Goland: The Benefits and the Downsides

Python has been around since the 1980s, but only today has it become extremely popular. In fact, it has been enjoying increasing popularity for 5 years in a row and is now among the most frequently used programming languages. In web development, it is mostly used for backend programming, although it also used for frontend tasks. Ultimately, the main reason why Python is big in the web development scene is that it helps developers to solve the pressing demand for agility. It is easy to learn, simple to use and helps accomplish complex goals fast. Python is flexible and has an easy syntax.

Golang is now considered to be an alternative to Python, and there is an incessant discussion about Golang web development vs Python. And here is why.

While simplicity is Python’s main advantage, there are also several downsides. Many developers have discovered that while Python may be great for some simple and basic programming, using it gets complicated if you want to build more complex systems and custom modules. Also, there are often frustrating coding errors. In his Hackernoon.com article “5 Reasons Why We Switched From Python to Go” Tigran Bayburstyan says: “Python is a great and fun language but sometimes you are just getting unusual exceptions because you're trying to use a variable as an integer but it turns out that it’s a string.” Go will let you eliminate such issues during compile time.

All in all, Golang web development has proved to be faster than using Python for the same kind of tasks in many use cases. Ultimately, Golang is built for those who want the task accomplished effectively and fast without the need to go into the subtleties of the programming language.

Golang vs Python: Which One is Better? 

So is Golang bound to replace Python in the near future? There’s an ongoing discussion in the developer community about the pros and cons of both programming languages. If you are looking for powerful tools for web programming, mobile development, microservices, and ERP systems - we believe, there are solid reasons why you should switch to Golang:

1) Simplicity

If Python has been the easiest-to-learn programming language so far, Golang is even simpler. It is much faster to learn and beats Python in this respect. Some developers claim Golang is almost as easy as JavaScript.

2) Advanced Compilation Capabilities

Not only is Golang a compiled language, it also compiles into a single binary. Golang statically links all its dependency libraries and modules into one binary file. You no longer need to install any dependencies on a server – all you have to do is to upload a compiled file for your app to start working.

3) Concurrency and Faster Performance 

Golang concurrency model ensures faster performance (sometimes 2x or 3x faster). To give them justice, most modern programming languages use concurrency, but Golang approaches it in more resource-efficient ways. Instead of resource-demanding Python threads, it uses isolated goroutines, which save the resources of the CPU and memory. Ultimately, this approach results in considerably faster performance and helps reduce costs and resources.

4) Native Support of Frameworks and Libraries

Golang natively supports a variety of different tools, so you don’t need to search for any third-party libraries to use it. Surely, you can download lots of tools and frameworks if you want (the community around Golang is already large), but the most necessary tools are built into the language's core. This speeds up the entire Golang web development process and rids you of the need to look for any third party assets.

5) Top-Notch IDE and Debugging

Golang creators have really done a great job in creating a state-of-the-art integrated development environment with advanced debugging tools and plugins. This is arguably the most critical aspect in programming since IDEs can seriously hinder or speed up the development process. Today, when agility is what gives software companies a competitive edge, great IDE and debugging tools are a serious advantage.

6) Clear Syntax

One more thing which contributes to the outstanding simplicity and ease of Golang web programming is its clear syntax, which holds zero unnecessary components. Go was built with utility in mind: instead of having to delve into the language structure, developers are now free to focus on development itself.

In essence, Golang is very pragmatic and although Python community still outnumbers Gophers, the number of Go advocates increases every day.

And with good reason - Golang has proved that “advanced” no longer equals complex, slow, and expensive. You can actually achieve remarkable development speed without sacrificing quality and heavy investments. Moreover, there’s already a number of Golang web frameworks to choose from if you decide to use Golang.

(Article source: https://dzone.com/articles/golang-web-development-better-than-python)