If you’re interested in Programming, and are keen to start learning it, chances are that you’ve already encountered quite a few programming Language comparisons. Topics like GO VS Python (or any other two coding languages out there) have been popular for the longest time now. Why? Well, to put it simply, they are appreciated by both experts and industry newcomers alike. Programming veterans can easily compare the languages and extract the information that is relevant to them, while beginner programmers can utilize these articles in order to choose the programming language that would suit their needs the best, and start learning it. This Golang VS Python article aims to provide that exact information.

First of all, we’ll cover both GO and Python in two separate chapters. This way, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know some of the fundamental points of each of them up close. Later on, we’ll talk briefly about their differences, and once we’ve established the main points of analysis, we’ll finally compare Python VS GO, at the very end.

Introduction

It’s important that we establish some basic, fundamental information about Golang and Python before we actually start comparing them in a GO VS Python face-off. Once you get the general feel for both of the languages, you will be able to better understand the key strengths and weaknesses that both of them have. So, with that said, let’s begin by taking a look at GO.

GO

GO (also referred to as Golang) is a statically typed programming language, created by Robert Griesemer and his two colleagues – Ken Thompson and Rob Pike. The language being statically typed means that its types are checked before runtime, as opposed to dynamic typing when types are checked afterward.

The core idea behind GO is to improve programming productivity. The language was created at Google and is to this day used at the company on a daily basis. Even though Golang’s development started back in 2007, it was only released to the public in 2012.

One of the more notable features about GO is that it’s pretty easy to learn and understand. This is mostly because it possesses a small and simple syntax – something that isn’t all that common with modern programming languages. Furthermore, GO is heavily influenced by C – these languages share a lot of things in common and GO aims to improve on some certain aspects of C. Having said that, if you’re a programmer that is skilled in using C, Golang’s syntax shouldn’t be a problem to you.

Another feature that Golang is praised for (although this is true for both sides of the GO VS Python discussion) is that it’s super fast. Since GO is compiled to machine code, it allows the language to outperform many other mainstream languages out there. However, it is important to admit that speed isn’t all that important as it used to be. These days, modern computer processors are able to compensate for a slower programming language. That’s why (quote on quote) “fast” programming languages aren’t as spectacular as they used to be. That being said, it’s still an important aspect if we’re talking solemnly about the language itself.

So, with that, you should now have a pretty good understanding of GO and what the programming language is all about. Now, to continue with our GO VS Python comparison article, let’s take a look at Python.

Python

Python is a high-level programming language that began seeing the light of day all the way back in 1980. It was created by a man named Guido van Rossum and has been an object-oriented programming language from the very first day of its creation.

Python being a high-level programming language means that it’s super easy to learn and use. That’s actually the core idea behind it – to place readability as the top priority. High-level languages offer very simple syntax, and there’s very little ACTUAL coding involved – everything is based on terms very similar to the English language.

Object-oriented programming has also somewhat become the norm when it comes to coding languages. This type of programming focuses on objects and classes and features encapsulation, data abstraction, inheritance, and a few other core concepts. Among other things (and there are a lot of these “other things”), object-oriented programming allows developers to reuse either certain parts of their projects or even the whole projects for other programming ventures that they might have.

While many GO VS Python articles state that Python focuses solemnly on web development, that isn’t inherently true. While Python is commonly used for web development, it is actually also great for Linux-based app development. Furthermore, as the years go by, Python has received a lot of recognition and support from academia.

So – now you are more knowledgeable on the topic of Golang VS Python. This will serve as some great foundation for our further discussion on the topic. Next up, let’s talk about the core differences between the two programming languages. Once we figure that out, we’ll be able to move closer to the actual GO VS Python comparison.

GO VS Python – What’s the difference?

One of the very first differences that you might encounter when talking about GO VS Python is the type of typing. While GO is a statically typed language, Python is a dynamically typed one. While the advantages and disadvantages of both of these types of typing are, to this day, open for debate, the majority of people seem to lean towards statically typed languages. Whether it be because of early error spotting or having to type less code, statically typed programming languages have a lot of support online.

Another huge difference in the GO VS Python debate is the intended use of both languages. Python is mainly focused on web development and Linux-based app management. Golang, however, is mostly considered to be a system language. System languages are those which are used to create and develop the operating systems themselves, rather than the software that are then run on these systems. That being said, however, GO can be and is used for web development needs, too.

Finally, a very important difference between both GO and Python is object-orientation. As I’ve mentioned earlier in this Python VS GO article, Python is object-oriented from head to toe. GO, however, isn’t. GO is strongly typed, and has very mediocre support for object-orientation.

These are some of the main difference between the two programming languages in question. Surely, there are many more different points on which these languages differ, but you should already have a pretty good general idea.

Comparison Criteria

Now that we’ve established some common ground and knowledge on both of the programming languages, there is just one final thing that needs to be done before we get into the actual GO VS Python comparison. In order to be able to provide a well-thought-out comparison, it is important that we understand the criteria on which the comparison is built. For this tutorial, I’ve chosen three different points of analysis – community support, ease of use and salary. While they are definitely not the only important points out there, they are still essential for a programming language’s well-being. Let’s briefly go over them.

Community Support

Although it might not seem like it at first (especially if you’re just starting out in the field of programming), but community support is actually a very important aspect of a programming language. There are at least a couple of reasons for why that’s the case.

First of all, strong community support means that you will never encounter a problem that can’t be fixed. Whether it’s some sort of a bug or a glitch after a recent update, popular programming languages have huge dedicated communities online that are constantly and actively discussing everything related to the language itself. Surely, you’ll be able to find an answer to any question that you might have (or ask and be answered).

Additionally, if a programming language is popular, chances are that there is going to be a lot of information about it online. While this is a great thing in general, it’s especially important for industry newcomers. Imagine if you were to learn a programming language and there wasn’t any information about it online. That would surely be detrimental and would eliminate any and all motivation to learn the language! Thankfully, programming languages that have great community support tend to not have this problem – there are multiple online courses, tutorials, and articles dedicated to helping people learn more about their desired language.

Ease of Use

While this might not be true for some, most people these days look for easy-to-learn programming languages. If a language’s syntax can be memorized and there’s very little actual coding involved – great! It fits right into this description!

A big reason for this is the competitiveness of the job market. The sooner a person can learn a programming language, the faster he or she can then enter the market and find a stable, well-paying job. Since programming is such a popular profession, the competition is often fierce. That’s why a lot of people don’t want to linger for too long on their studies – whether that a good or a bad thing, I’ll let you be the judge. Let’s just say that there are conflicting opinions.

Salary

It is no secret that a programmer’s salary is something that many people strive to reach. The field of Computer Science, in general, has some of the best and most competitive salaries in the world – programming is just one profession from that field. That being said, it is also known that different programming languages offer different salaries. These depend on many different factors, but since a good salary is a very important factor when it comes to career paths, you can be sure that some of the most popular programming languages do offer great salaries.

With all of that said, you should now have a thorough understanding of the points that we’ll use to analyze the GO VS Python discussion. So, without further ado, let’s jump straight into it.

The Comparison

We’ll go through the points one by one, trying to see how both languages of the Golang VS Python comparison fare.

Which has a stronger Community?

Both Python and GO have great community support online. That being said, Python is commonly considered to be among the more popular programming languages. Ever since the news of it being used for YouTube, Instagram and other mainstream platform development came out, it has skyrocketed into the mainstream. If you were to want to learn Python, you would find endless amounts of information of the best ways to do it online.

Which is Easier to Use?

This one is a no-brainer – Python is considered to be one of the easiest programming languages to master. Even though GO strives to be simple and easy to learn, it’s nowhere near Python when it comes to readability.

Which has the better Salary?

According to Glassdoor.com, a Python developer can expect to make around $92,000 USD per year, or almost $7670 USD per month. As opposed to that, Ziprecruiter.com states that the average salary of a GO developer can reach up to almost $106,700 USD annually, or $8890 USD per month! That a significant difference!

Python developers focus on web development, while GO programmers tend to work with system programming. This might be one of the main reasons why the salaries are as different as they are. Honestly, though, everything considered, one thing is obvious from the Python VS GO debate – either one of these two languages will fetch you a pretty good salary!

Conclusions

So… GO VS Python – which one should you pick? Well, if you’re into web development and are keen to learn an easy-to-use programming language, then Python is definitely the choice for you. However, Golang is a great contender for those who are interested in system programming and have some time to spare for their studies. Furthermore, GO offers a greater salary than that of Python, at least as of writing this GO VS Python comparison article.

With all of that said, we’ve reached the end of this GO VS Python tutorial. I truly do hope that you’ve found the answers that you were looking for, and that you now know more both about GO and Python. Remember – ultimately, the choice of which of these two languages you should learn depends on your own, personal preferences wants and needs. Whatever you may choose, I wish you the best of luck!

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