Difference Between Go and Python Programming Language


Python debuted in 1991. Google released Golang in 2012. Google's programmers built Golang to expedite development and improve other languages. Golang has stricter grammar and layout than Python.

Golang allows multitasking, use of channels, goroutines, etc. Golang can be used in networking, cloud, and server-side projects. Golang can automate DevOps and site reliability. Microcontrollers, games, and robots are programmed in Golang. Golang powers Kubernetes, Prometheus, and Docker.

Python is an object oriented programming language designed by Guido van Rossum in 1991 and is maintained by Python Software Foundation. Python was developed to keep language readability easy and to quickly integrate with other system without much boiler plate code.

Read through this article to find out more about Golang and Python and how these two programming languages are different from each other.

What is Golang?

Golang is a general-purpose programming language focused on system development. Google's Robert Griesemer, Rob Pike, and Ken Thompson initiated the project in 2007. It supports concurrent programming, garbage collection, staticism, and strong typing.

Golang combines Python's usability and C's capability. Golang uses lightweight goroutines to perform more with less. Packages help programmers manage dependencies more effectively. Go uses a compile-and-link strategy to generate executable binaries.

Golang is popular due to the following reasons −

  • Golang prioritises reliability, readability, and maintainability. It doesn't tout its features. Golang's creators only add vital features and not many confusing ones.

  • Golang's library packages make it easy to write code. Even though its library is small, it has all you need.

  • Golang concurrency is another reason for its popularity. Golang has Goroutines and channels for multitasking. Concurrency leverages multiprocessor architecture. Concurrency helps scale huge applications safely. Go-written projects include Docker, Hugo, Kubernetes, and Dropbox.

Example

Golang Code

Take a look at the following example code which is written in Golang −

package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
   fmt.Println("This is GO programming Language")
}

Save the file as "firstprog.go". Let’s split the code to understand its structure −

  • package main − Program package name. Go packages are necessary. Each package's path and name are specified. The programme starts in the main package.

  • Import "fmt" − The next line, import "fmt," is a preprocessor command that tells the Go compiler to include the files in the package "fmt".

  • func main( ) − The main function, func main(), is on the next line. This is where the program starts to execute.

  • fmt.println( ) − Another Go display function. The fmt package exports Println to display the message.

To execute the program, open the command prompt and type the following command.

$ go run firstprog.go

If there are no errors, it will produce the following output

This is GO programming Language


What is Python?

Python is an object-oriented programming language that can be easily integrated with other systems. Python is a dynamically typed language and it is interpreted. Hence Python is preferred language of developers for Rapid Application Development, scripting, and connecting components.

Python is popular in data analysis and computing tasks. The syntax of Python code is very simple and it's less verbose.

Example

Python Code

Take a look at the following simple Python program that shows how you can multiply two numbers −

a = int(input("Enter value for a: "))
b = int(input("Enter value for b: "))
s = a*b
print("The number you have entered for a is: ", a)
print("The number you have entered for b is: ", b)
print("The Multiplication of {} and {} is {}".format(a,b,s))

In our example, we assigned values to the variables "a" and "b". In Python, data types are automatically assigned based on user input.

  • The input( ) function is used to take input from the user through keyboard. In python the return type of input( ) is string only, So we have to convert it explicitly to the type of data which we require. In our example we have converted to int type explicitly through int( ) function.

  • print( ) is used to display the output .

  • .format( ) is a function used to format the output in python.

So the output of the above Python code is

Enter value for a: 10
Enter value for b: 20
The number you have entered for a is: 10
The number you have entered for b is: 20
The multiplication of 10 and 20 is: 200.


Difference between Go and Python


The following table highlights the major differences between Golang and Python −

Basis of Comparison
Go
Python
Basic
Go programs are Procedural, functional and concurrent language. Also it is a Statically typed language.
Python programs are objectoriented, imperative, functional, and procedural language. Python is Dynamically typed language
Performance
Golang can be up to 30 times faster than Python in certain situations.
Python is little bit slower when it comes to performance as compared to Golang.
Speed
Golang is good at getting server-side scripts up and running quickly and often.
Python is not more speed than Golang in this case.
Scalability
Because it was developed by Google specifically for Google's use, it was designed to grow and shrink in accordance with the requirements of the corporation.
Python is a less scalable programming language since it does not support multithreading and concurrent processing.
Libraries
Golang is a relatively new technology that does not yet have this support and is only just beginning the process of cultivating a robust community around itself.
Python supports an extensive number of libraries as compared to Golang.
Frameworks
The Go programming language does not come with a default framework that can be utilised by Go-based projects.
The process of developing software can be speed up and made more manageable by making use of Python's extensive collection of libraries and frameworks.
Usage
It is useful for system programming.
It is useful for computational tasks and data processing.

Conclusion

In its early stages of development, Golang is mostly utilized for the creation of server-side applications. Python is the language of choice for data scientists, and it is probable that this will remain the case for a considerable amount of time.

The effort and energy of every ML library developer is currently being directed on the creation of libraries for Python. There is room in the programmer's toolkit for at least two languages and Golang may eventually get there in the future.

Updated on: 28-Jul-2022

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