.NET vs. Java: Which Platform Is Better For Software Development?

Priorities and technologies keep changing with time. As businesses think of extending their technical capabilities, the importance of programming languages also changes. Either way, it is extremely difficult to choose between two good programming languages.

In this blog, we are going to witness the Java vs .NET battle to obtain more clarity as to which framework is better for software development.

Before, that let us tell you what are the parameters to differentiate between Java and .Net:

What is the difference between Java and .NET?

Key difference of Java vs .Net

• Language Support
• IDE
• Performance & Compatibility
• Security

Advantages and Disadvantages of .NET

Advantages and Disadvantages of Java

Java and .NET: Which Platform to Choose?

What is the difference between Java and .NET?

The core difference between these two technologies is that the enterprise edition of Java is supported by all kinds of operating systems. Whereas the .NET technology only works on the versions of Windows OS.

Even with the open-source implementations, .NET always targets windows-based users. But with the launch of the new .NET Core v3.0, things have changed. Now, the improved version supports both open-source as well as cross-platform. .NET Core comes with a plethora of features that are truly advantageous for creating web, mobile, and cloud-based applications.

But the most important thing is that .NET Core isn’t anything like its predecessor, it also does not support any feature of the .NET framework. But it is recommended to choose .NET Core instead of .NET because being an open-source framework. It will be very easy for everybody from individuals to enterprises to create applications with it. And as the .NET Core is a cross-platform technology, it supports three operating systems including Windows, Linux, and OSX. Thus, it is important to consider the new powerful features and benefits of the latest version of the .net development framework.

Now, we will move on to discuss Java. The Java virtual machine follows such rules that make the code of your app capable of running on any device and in any operating system. This makes it a platform-independent and portable programming tool.

Key difference of Java vs .Net

So, while we are discussing the topic of java vs .net, lets see what are their key differences:

Language Support:

The best thing about Java is a single language program that supports various platforms. It works on Write Once Run Anywhere (WORA) that makes it a cross-platform technology.

This means, if you write a program on Java, then if you are using Windows then it will be compiled to bytecode, but that doesn’t mean you cannot run the program on any other platforms. You can use the same program to run on any platform supporting Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

While, the .NET framework only supports the programming languages that are used for backend development and web services like C++ and C#. Other languages supported are .NET, Vb.NET, C#, Perl, and more.

Currently, the .NET framework supports approximately 20 languages. But in the .NET community, it is preferred to be very useful if the code is written particularly for the Windows OS.

In short, Java is a single programming language that supports multiple platforms whereas .NET supports a multiprogramming environment.

The four main IDEs of Java are- Oracle JDeveloper, Oracle NetBeans, IntelliJ Idea, and Eclipse. These are designed specially to make the programming and testing an easy process. Java IDE consists of the code editor, code compiler, and debugger. Major Java IDEs come with in-built plugins and auto-fills options. This gives room for innovation and boosts the flexibility of the Java language.

Visual Studio is the main IDE for the .NET framework. It is responsible for the editing, compilation, and run-time optimization of the APIs and their behavior. Library macros are used to get a little help in it. Also, in the case of certain technologies, developers must evaluate the IDEs and other software development tools in advance but if you opt for .NET technology, there is no need to carry that out.

Performance & Compatibility:

On one hand, until the code is executed, Java does not need to get converted into Machine language. Whereas, in the case of .NET development, the code is assembled first, and then it runs on the system. That is one of the reasons why in a runtime environment C# a programming language always performs better.

The simple and easy data structure and switch case are not supported by the previous Java versions from Java7. Along with the native generic data, string variables of the C# programs are responsible for the support of .NET to switch cases. Also, ASP.NET supports the Language Integrated Query known as Linq but it isn’t supported in Java.

Security has always been a major concern for open-source frameworks like Java. The single biggest reason behind this is the lack of professional support.

But that is not the case with .NET. It is an all in all development platform. Now because Microsoft has created it, it is their responsibility to keep it secure. The platform is also capable of offering all-time support to their enterprises.

Advantages and Disadvantages of .NET

After discussing the core differences and key features of the technologies. It is about time we talk about what technology has to offer and what are its limitations.

One of the major benefits that Microsoft has to offer through the .NET technology is its unified environment. Also, the Microsoft Developer Network will provide you with IDEs and development tools to help you extend the horizontal scalability of the .NET application.

If you are already using this framework and thinking about migrating from it then remember that migrating from .NET is way more expensive than any other framework. In .NET the managed code runs slower than the native code. And if you want to add any feature or make an upgrade to your app then you have to dependent on Microsoft.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Java

The major benefit that Java offers is its portability. It allows you to choose the operating system as per the type of application or website you are going to build. Everything in Java is kept in domain objects as it offers object-relational support. Travis CI and Jenkins are such advanced continuous integration tools that make the Java Programming language compatible with all the platforms. The availability of free integrating connectors is one of the biggest reasons why the Java community is growing rapidly.

While talking about the limitations of Java, security breaches are among the common issues related to this platform. Also, when Scala is combined with Groovy, it does not function well. Because it demands more advanced software development skills. Some developers have gone to an extent by saying that Java works slower in comparison with other redevelopment frameworks and the reason they state for it is Java’s multi-platform nature.

In fact, some surveys and stats from the job sites suggest that people are more interested in looking for the job of Java developers instead of the job of .net developer. They also claim that the Java developers are more in demand in comparison to the .NET developers.

Either way, there is indeed a demand for both jobs. No matter if it is regarding .NET or Java. The demand and importance of the programming languages are decided upon the project requirements of any particular organization.

Java and .NET: Which Platform to Choose

No matter if it is about IDEs or flexibility, like that in the case of Java vs .NET, no two technologies will have the same features for software development.

But the important thing to consider here is that both the technologies have the same target, goals, audience, and even the market segment like SMEs or enterprises.

This makes the decision of selecting the best language for the project a little more difficult. Because both platforms are performing well in their places that are suitable for respective projects. But the reason you get different answers from developers is that their opinions are related to their experience, preferences, and skills.

To short, Java is more suitable for web projects and the .NET is more preferable for APIs and web services especially Windows API services.

Java is mostly used on Linux platforms but it can also be used in a Windows environment. But still, developers avoid making that decision as it is a tough choice for them.

Final words:

To conclude the blog, I would like to say that neither technology can be said to be the better choice in the Java vs .NET battle. Both the frameworks provides advanced features, but which is best suited for you depending upon the factors like development skills, end-user environments, the underlying infrastructure, and interoperability needs of the development platform.

As we know only one can be selected for the software development project, so it depends upon the needs of the company.

If you want rapid app development then hiring a .net development company is the right choice for you. And if you are planning for a large-scale enterprise project then you must collaborate with a Java development company. And in case you need it, here is a shortlist of breakthrough technology trends that can help you with your upcoming project.

If the confusion still clouds your judgement then the only way to recommend to you is that you talk to .net developers and java developers to take consultations about your business requirements, the challenges your organization faces, and how to overcome them.

Originally published at https://techgeekspace.com on January 4, 2022.