What is Blockchain?

From our earlier blog on Proof of Work (PoW) Vs Proof of Stake (PoS), we deduced that Blockchain is a decentralized distributed ledger of transactions that makes the records of any digital asset transparent and unalterable and works independently without any third-party intermediary.

Since we have established this concise definition of blockchain, let’s focus more on our main subject which is the Six(6) programming languages that are best suited for developing blockchain programming applications.

1. C++

C++ is one of the most popular programming languages on the globe and it has become a solid blockchain development, it also has the same principles as blockchain which include polymorphism, data hiding, abstraction, and encapsulation to prevent modification of data.

C ++ It is good for blockchain development because of its advanced multi-threading capabilities and primitive control over memory.

it gives developers the opportunity of using its object-oriented futures to bind data and the methods intended to handle them together and is comparable to how blockchain binds blocks together using cryptographic chains.

Pros

• High speed
• Independent and has multiple platforms
• Statically typed

Cons

• Complex and can be difficult to debug
• Code redundancy
• Does not support garbage collection

Major Cryptocurrencies that use C++

• Bitcoin
• Ethereum
• Litecoin
• Dogecoin
• Stellar
• Ripple

 

2. Solidity

Solidity is considered to be one of the fast-growing blockchain programming languages created for blockchain development. It is widely used by Ethereum developers to create smart contracts. It gives users the ability to create quality decentralized applications similar to JavaScript.

Developers now prefer solidity for the Ethereum blockchain network because it provides them the opportunity of using the Ethereum digital transaction ledger by creating smart contracts between businesses.

Solidity uses preconditions, post-conditions, and invariants which makes the process of generating a contract a lot easier for users.

Pros of Solidity

• Easy to learn
• High level of popularity with Ethereum
• Statically typed

Cons of solidity

• It is a new programming language
• It has a small community with less support
• It is mainly used in the Ethereum ecosystem but is not universal in nature

Cryptocurrencies that make use of Solidity

• Ethereum
• Ethereum Classic
• Tron

 

3. Java

Java is an object-oriented programming language, class-based and concurrent.  It can easily run on any computer system that has the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed on it, making it the favorite amongst many developers.

In blockchain development, Java is used in building interactive web pages and to create simple and immutable blockchains. This immutability makes it impossible for anyone to overwrite the contents or edit information in a block. Due to its high profitability rate, it is widely used among blockchain developers.

Programs written in Java can run on almost all computational devices because they don’t depend on the system-specific architecture. Rather, they use the universal Java Virtual Machine for execution.

Pros

• Object-oriented programming
• It’s a lot simpler in development than languages like C++ and C
• Larger libraries and community collections
• No problem with memory allocation

Cons

• Needs the Java Virtual Machine to run
• Slower than languages like C++

Uses of Java in Blockchain development

• NEM (peer-to-peer cryptocurrency platform)
• IBM blockchain
• Ethereum
• NEO’s contracts
• BitcoinJ (bitcoin implementation in Java)
• Hyperledger contracts

 

4. Simplicity

 

Simplicity is a programming language built for blockchain purposes. It hides numerous logical mechanisms from developers in order to enhance their productivity, which is why it is gaining momentum in the developer community.

It has proven to be one of the best programming languages to program smart contracts. Its ability to change a smart contract code after activation makes it one of the advantages of using Simplicity over Solidity. Simplicity possesses object-oriented features and uses principles similar to blockchain to prevent the alteration of data. It has the capacity to arrange programs into trees, reducing block space requirements and making room for small transaction sizes.

Pros

• Specifically built for blockchain
• Has the capacity to produce efficient and safe smart contracts

Cons

• Still a newer language
• It has a smaller community and less support than other languages

Use of Simplicity in Blockchain

Simplicity intends to improve on current crypto-currency languages:

• Bitcoin Script
• Ethereum’s EVM

 

5. JavaScript

JavaScript is the most known artificial language nowadays. Despite the problems that triggered the creation of add-ons like CoffeeScript, Flow, and matter, JavaScript still leads the race as the foremost asked for in several areas.

It is widely used for adding interactive parts to internet applications and browsers. Most front-end developers like JavaScript, but however the Node.js runtime suggests additional options than other front-end development languages.

Earlier on, developers experienced difficulty using JavaScript for blockchain development. nevertheless, with the introduction of Node.js, developers can now develop creative and quality blockchain apps using JavaScript.

One of the big benefits of using JavaScript for blockchain development is that you need not worry about integration. So, this allows you to fully channel your strength as a developer to the application logic.

Another exciting future that makes javascript so popular in blockchain development is its ability to handle asynchronous code. This ability is important to blockchain due to the possibility of millions of transactions running simultaneously. JavaScript’s asynchronous functions allow a program to perform multiple tasks at the same time, hence improving application execution and enhancing software responsiveness.

Pros

• Asynchronous programming language
• Object-oriented
• Supports functional programming
• Prototype-based.

Cons

• There is a reduction in performance when handling heavy computing tasks
• Asynchronous programming model makes it problematic to maintain code

 

6 . Python

Python is known for its easiness. It has a vast active community that has released libraries like NumPy, Pandas, and SciPy which are used for different technical applications in science, math, and engineering.

Python is exceptional in handling numbers, especially in data processing, cleaning, analysis, and visualization. It is a brilliant programming language for blockchain due to its usefulness in writing smart contracts among many other capabilities.

Pros

• Easy programming language to learn
• It’s fast and vast
• It has several libraries and frameworks
• Has a large community

Cons

• Mostly used as a server language
• Libraries documentation is not properly done as compared to other languages

Use of Python in Blockchain

• Implementation of Ethereum (pyethereum)
• Smart contracts for hyperledger
• Creating contracts for NEO

As blockchain grows in popularity, the programming languages needed for building blockchains will progress and grow with it!

 

Featured image source: MSRCosmos