Difference between C++ and Java
Main difference
Although Java is derived from C++ and C and many of its syntactical features are like C++, there are still many huge differences between these two. The real difference between these two programming languages exists on the basis of their usage. C++ is both a procedure and function oriented language while Java is an object oriented language. We can say that C++ is a more procedural oriented language while Java is a data oriented language.
What is C++?
C++ (Cee Plus Plus) is a multiprototyped, procedural, object-oriented, generic, and functional programming language that also provides the facilities for low-level memory manipulation. It was designed by Bjarne Stroustrup and was initially released in 1983. The latest version of C++ was released on December 15, 2014. C++ is an accumulated language used on many platforms and many organizations such as FSF, LLVM, Microsoft and Intel are using this language. It is considered the recommended programming language to harden software infrastructures and applications with limited resources, such as desktop applications, servers (includes e-commerce, web search and SQL servers),
What is Java?
Java is a general-purpose, object-oriented programming (computer) language that was designed by James Gosling and Sun Microsystems and first appeared in 1995. What is unique about Java is that it is a WORA language that allows developers to “write once, run anywhere” (WORA). That means compiled Java code can easily run on all supported Java platforms, bypassing the need for recompilation. Java applications are typically compiled into bytecode that can be run on any Java Virtual Machine (JVM) regardless of computer function and system. At this point in 2015, Java is one of the most popular and widely used programming languages which is mainly used by developers for client-server web applications. In 2015, nine million Java developers have been reported.
- C++ is a WOCA means write once, compile anywhere while Java is WORA means write once, execute anywhere.
- Java only runs in a virtual machine, while C++ runs as a default executable machine code for target instruction sets.
- C++ supports many programming features like joins, templates, operator overloading, structures, and pointer arithmetic while Java does not support them.
- The main feature of C++ is conditional inclusion like #ifdef and #ifndef type, while Java does not fully support conditional compilation and inclusion.
- Java only supports overloading while C++ supports both overloading and operator overloading.
- Java is derived from C++ as most of its syntax is derived from C++. So Java is dependent on C++ while C++ is independent.
- Java doesn’t provide global variables, while C++ is good at providing global variables.
- C++ provides header files which Java does not provide.
- C++ is primarily focused on execution efficiency while Java is primarily focused on developer productivity.
- C++ has powerful language capabilities, while Java is rich in features and has an easy-to-use standard library.