Difference Between Scripting Language And Programming Language

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In computer science, the terms scripting languages and programming languages are often used interchangeably. However, if you are a student all set to make your mark in this domain, understanding the difference between scripting languages and programming languages is something that is a must for you. Here we dig deep into this topic. 

Scripting Language Vs Programming Language: What is the Need for These Two? 

By now, it is a well-known fact that there are tons of programming languages available all around the world. But are these programming languages directly communicating with the computers or is there any intermediary step that we can't see but happens inside the computers?

Well, computers only understand binary digits (0 and 1) combinations but the source code that we write isn't present in 0s and 1s. This is where programming languages come into play. A programming language is used by programmers to communicate with computers through a set of instructions known as a program. On the other hand, a scripting language is a type of programming language that does not need a compilation step. It is utilized for a runtime system to automate the execution of tasks.

It is important to note that all scripting languages are programming languages but vice versa is not true. 

Basically, programming languages were initially used to build software or applications like Google applications, Adobe Systems, GUI, compiler design, etc. But later when the world of automation enhanced, there was a need for languages that consume less time and focus on directly interpreting the code. This is where scripting language started becoming popular. 

What is a Programming Language?

Before we understand the difference between scripting language and programming language, let us tap into the basics. As mentioned above, programming languages are a set of instructions that consist of words and symbols known as code or programs. Programming languages are also referred to as machine code or object code because it is compiled into machine-understandable code before getting executed. 

In order to run your program written in any programming language, you first need to pass it through a special program called a compiler.

What does the compiler do?

• It bridges the gap between human-readable code and computer-readable code.
• It converts the source code into machine code which is a list of instructions to follow by the processor, written in binary.
• These instructions are then fed to the processor which as a result performs the required task. 

But this is not as simple as this sounds as there are various other steps that are performed while converting the source code into binary instructions. The lines of code are first converted into tokens - the process is known as Lexical Analysis. Then the syntactic and semantic analysis is performed. The code is then converted into machine code (there are various other crucial steps involved during the process which are beyond this article's scope to explain). 

As you can see there's a whole lot of a compilation process involved in the programming languages execution which is a little bit time-consuming. But still, it is faster than a scripting language. 

Types of Programming Language

1. First-generation such as machine language
2. The second generation such as assembly language
3. The third generation such as C, C++, Java, etc.
4. Fourth generation such as Python, PHP, Perl, etc.
5. Fifth-generation languages such as Mercury, OPS5, and Prolog. 

Advantages of Programming Languages

1. Less error-prone
2. Portable and can be run on any OS
3. High Speed
4. Easy to debug
5. Supports OOPs 

Disadvantages of Programming Languages

1. Quite difficult to find errors
2. Complex and tough to understand
3. Requires a good level of programming knowledge to understand
4. Consumes time while compiling 

Applications of Programming Language

1. Used to develop software or applications.
2. Used in competitive programming.
3. It is also used to build compilers.
4. Advanced computation and graphics applications.
5. Widely used for Android and iOS development.
6. Aids in general programming as well.
7. Game development.

What is Scripting Language?

A scripting language is also a programming language but it does not need an extra step of compilation. Scripting languages are rather interpreted than complied, therefore it is also known as interpreter-based Language. The scripts are written for the runtime environment. The lines of code are interpreted one by one, unlike the programming languages that are compiled whole at once. They are also considered a very high-level, domain-specific language as they operate at a high level of abstraction. 

Most scripting languages are dynamically typed, which means, you can declare the variable without its datatype and the interpreter will assign the data type to the variable during the runtime. The same variable can be used again for different objects which is not possible in a programming language. This is possible because the script is interpreted line by line in a scripting language. It is also known as an extension language as it provides additional features to the applications.

Types of Scripting Language

1. Client-Side Scripting Languages such as Javascript 
2. Server-Side Scripting Languages such as Python 

Advantages of Scripting Language

1. Easy to understand and learn
2. Helps in automating the codes
3. Contains various types of functionality (libraries) 
4. Minimum Programming knowledge is required

Disadvantages of Scripting Language

1. All Data Structures are not available
2. Can be slower in some cases.
3. Harder to debug.
4. Since it is script (text) based, it can easily be modified.

Application of Scripting Language

1. To automate the repeated tasks.
2. Extract data from the internet.
3. Creating and managing dynamic content. 
4. Backend programming with the help of PHP, jQuery, etc.
5. Scripts are also used in the cyber security domain.
6. Scripting languages are widely used in web technologies and machine learning.
7. Bash or shell scripting is also used in operating software.

Real-time Example of Programming and Scripting Language

To understand the difference between programming language and scripting language let's take an example from our daily life. We all are now well-versed in Zoom, Google Meet, or Skype. Zoom is an application software that is built using programming languages like Java, Javascript, etc. There are many automated scripts available on the web which is used to automatically join meetings on Zoom (if the computer is awake). This is how scripts are used in real time. 

Image credit: freepik

The programming languages here are acting as a parent language and the scripting language is acting as an add-on (child language) which provides additional functionality to the software. 

Scripts are not only used to automate. WhatsApp bots are now becoming very popular these days. Banks are now using WhatsApp banking for better customer service. These chatbots are nothing but a script of code which is turned into API and then integrated with different software.

Difference Between Scripting Language and Programming Language

Following is a table that lists the difference between scripting language and programming language. 

Now that you know the difference between scripting and programming languages, you must have understood that both languages have their own significance and neither of them could replace the other. While programming language is used to develop full-fledged code, scripting language provides the application software with an additional layer of automation. Programming languages are native machine code which gives them superiority in some cases but both scripting and programming languages hold their place in real-time coding.

Scripting Language Vs Programming Language: Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the fastest scripting language?

Ans. Lua is considered the fastest scripting language with the JIT compiler as of now.

Q2. Which is better Scripting Language or Programming Language?

Ans. Both of them have their own significance. While programming language is used to develop full-fledged code, scripting language provides the application software with an additional layer of automation. 

Q3. Is Python scripting or programming language?

Ans. Python is a generic scripting language.

Q4. Is HTML a scripting language or not?

Ans. HTML is a Markup Language, not a scripting language.

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