What is the difference between a scripting language and a compiled language

What’s the difference between Scripting and Programming Languages?

Basically, all scripting languages are programming languages. The theoretical difference between the two is that scripting languages do not require the compilation step and are rather interpreted. For example, normally, a C program needs to be compiled before running whereas normally, a scripting language like JavaScript or PHP need not be compiled.

Generally, compiled programs run faster than interpreted programs because they are first converted native machine code. Also, compilers read and analyze the code only once, and report the errors collectively that the code might have, but the interpreter will read and analyze the code statements each time it meets them and halts at that very instance if there is some error. In practice, the distinction between the two is getting blurred owing to improved computation capabilities of the modern hardware and advanced coding practices.

Another point to be noted is that while classifying a language as scripting language or programming language, the environment on which it would execute must be taken into consideration. The reason why this is important is that we can design an interpreter for C language and use it as a scripting language, and at the same time, we can design a compiler for JavaScript and use it as a non-scripting(compiled language). A live example of this is V8, the JavaScript engine of Google Chrome, which compiles the JavaScript code into machine code, rather than interpreting it.

Some scripting languages traditionally used without an explicit compilation step are JavaScript, PHP, Python, VBScript.

Some programming languages traditionally used with an explicit compilation step are C, C++.

Applications of Scripting Languages : 1. To automate certain tasks in a program 2. Extracting information from a data set 3. Less code intensive as compared to traditional programming languages

Applications of Programming Languages : 1. They typically run inside a parent program like scripts 2. More compatible while integrating code with mathematical models 3. Languages like JAVA can be compiled and then used on any platform Please write comments if you find anything incorrect, or you want to share more information about the topic discussed above

Scripting Language Vs Programming Language: What’s The Difference?

Many people often do not know the differences between scripting languages and programming languages and use the terms interchangeably. They might sound similar but are quite different from each other. Everyone who wants to set their foot in the world of software development must know the differences between scripting languages and programming languages. Recent developments in the world of programming have, however, blurred the line of distinction between them.

Both languages are used for software development. All scripting languages can be used as programming languages but vice versa is not true. The basic difference between them is that scripting languages are not compiled, they are interpreted. Before the advent of scripting languages, programming languages were used to develop software like Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, Internet Explorer, etc. However, there arose a need for languages to incorporate additional functionalities, hence the need for scripting languages. Let us now understand scripting language and programming languages in detail, and then we will look at some differences between them.

What is a Scripting Language?

A scripting language is a programming language designed specifically for runtime environments. It automates the execution of tasks. They are used in system administration, web development, games, and creating plugins and extensions. These languages are interpreted languages (An Interpreter executes instructions written in a programming or scripting language directly, without requiring them previously to have been compiled into a machine language program), and they bring new functionalities to the applications. These languages are usually short and snappy and are interpreted from the source or byte code. Mostly, scripting languages are open-sourced languages and are supported by almost every platform, which means that no special kind of software is required to run them, as they are a set of commands run without the use of a compiler.
Depending on your aim and circumstances, using a scripting language is better. There are two main types of scripting languages-

Key Features of Scripting Language

What is a Programming Language?

A programming language is used to interact with computers to develop mostly used to build desktop apps, websites, and mobile apps. It’s a sequence of instructions written to accomplish a given goal. C, C++, Java, Python are some of the examples of programming languages. Programming languages usually consist of two components-syntax(form) and semantics(meaning). They are used to implement algorithms and enable computers to perform actions.
Programming languages can be classified into three categories:

Key Features of Programming Languages

Are Scripting Languages and Programming Languages the same?

No, scripting languages and programming languages are not the same. Programming languages were created to make complex softwares, whereas scripting languages were created to assist programming languages. Programming languages are compiled whereas scripting languages are interpreted. We shall have a look at some differences between programming languages and scripting languages in the next section.

Difference Between Scripting Language and Programming Language

Let’s now look at some of the differences between the programming languages and scripting languages. The table below contains some contrasting features between these languages.

Conclusion

We thus conclude that the execution process and environment are the fundamental differences between programming languages and scripting languages. Scripting languages can alternatively be described as extensions to existing programs (written in a programming language). The majority of programs and software are written in programming languages, although functionality is defined using scripting languages. While the programming languages are used to develop programs and software from scratch, scripting languages are used to incorporate additional functionalities into the program. The growing demands of dynamic web pages and apps have further intensified the demand for scripting languages, and the need for traditional programming structures to build complex software products is never going to cede. Scripting languages are beautiful structures that stand on the base that programming languages are. Both languages have their own set of pros and cons and are meant to complement each other.

Frequently asked Questions

Yes. SQL is a fourth-generation language, which means it’s a scripting language that doesn’t need to be compiled. SQL, like most fourth-generation languages, necessitates the use of a translator rather than a compiler.

No, scripting is not harder than programming. In fact, it is easier to learn and use a scripting language than a programming language.

Almost all scripting languages are easy to learn. JavaScript and PHP are some of the easiest scripting languages.

No. HTML is not a scripting language. It is a markup language used to design documents to be displayed in web browsers.

A scripting language is a programming language that uses an interpreter instead of a compiler to execute tasks within a unique run-time environment. They’re usually short and quick, and they’re interpreted from source or byte code.

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Compiled Languages vs. Scripting Languages

Compiled Languages
Computers do not actually understand the code we write. We need to translate our human-readable code to machine-readable code. Our code need to be translated into bits and bytes that can be executed by computers. This translation process is called compilation. Languages that require compilation are called compiled languages. C, C++ and Java are compiled languages.

Scripting Languages
Languages that not require compilation are called scripting languages. Perl, PHP, Python and Ruby are scripting languages. Those languages rely on our source-code all the time. Scripting languages didn’t have compiler or a compilation process. Those languages used interpreters to translate our source-code to machine executable code on the fly.

Compiled Languages vs. Scripting Languages
Mostly, we have been using compiled languages like C, C++, Java and Visual Basic. Java has an interpreter but it need to compile first. Earlier versions of Visual Basic were interpreted. Visual Basic 5 and later came with compiler. So Java and Visual Basic should be called as compiled languages.

Imagine; you wrote an application with Java. Then you compile your application with javac. After compiling completed, you run your application. When running your application, you notice a bug. To fix it, you have to stop your application, go back to source code, fix the bug, wait for the code to recompile, and restart your application to confirm that it is fixed. And if you find another bug, you’ll need to repeat that process again.

In a scripting language, you can fix the bug and just need to reload your application —no need to restart or recompile anymore. It’s as simple as that.

But, the scripting languages have a big performance problem. Translating on the fly can affect the application’s performance. Typically, the pre-compiled code is faster than on the fly translating. But, good news is, there are ways to speed up scripted languages, including techniques such as code caching and persistent interpreters.

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Can anyone explain the difference between Scripting Language and Programming Language please?
Also can you state some examples for each. I have Googled a lot but I always find the best answers from Stack Overflow.

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Scripting languages are programming languages that don’t require an explicit compilation step.

For example, in the normal case, you have to compile a C program before you can run it. But in the normal case, you don’t have to compile a JavaScript program before you run it. So JavaScript is sometimes called a «scripting» language.

This line is getting more and more blurry since compilation can be so fast with modern hardware and modern compilation techniques. For instance, V8, the JavaScript engine in Google Chrome and used a lot outside of the browser as well, actually compiles the JavaScript code on the fly into machine code, rather than interpreting it. (In fact, V8’s an optimizing two-phase compiler.)

Also note that whether a language is a «scripting» language or not can be more about the environment than the language. There’s no reason you can’t write a C interpreter and use it as a scripting language (and people have). There’s also no reason you can’t compile JavaScript to machine code and store that in an executable file (and people have). The language Ruby is a good example of this: The original implementation was entirely interpreted (a «scripting» language), but there are now multiple compilers for it.

Some examples of «scripting» languages (e.g., languages that are traditionally used without an explicit compilation step):

And a small smattering of ones traditionally used with an explicit compilation step:

That’s just a very few, if you do some research you can find a lot more.

To understand the difference between a scripting language and a programming language, one has to understand why scripting languages were born.

Initially, there were programming languages that was written to build programs like excel, word, browsers, games and etc. These programs were built with languages like c and java. Overtime, these programs needed a way for users to create new functionality, so they had to provide an interface to their bytecode and hence scripting languages were born.

A scripting language usually isnt compiled so can run as soon as you write something meaningful. Hence excel may be built using C++ but it exposes a scripting language called VBA for users to define functionality. Similarly browsers may be built with C++/Java but they expose a scripting language called javascript (not related to java in any way). Games, are usually built with C++ but expose a language called Lua for users to define custom functionality.

A scripting language usually sits behind some programming language. Scripting languages usually have less access to the computers native abilities since they run on a subset of the original programming language. An example here is that Javascript will not be able to access your file system. Scripting languages are usually slower than programming languages.

Although scripting languages may have less access and are slower, they can be very powerful tools. One factor attributing to a scripting languages success is the ease of updating. Do you remember the days of java applets on the web, this is an example of running a programming language (java) vs running a scripting language (javascript). At the time, computers were not as powerful and javascript wasn’t as mature so Java applets dominated the scenes. But Java applets were annoying, they required the user to sort of load and compile the language. Fast forward to today, Java applets are almost extinct and Javascript dominates the scene. Javascript is extremely fast to load since most of the browser components have been installed already.

What Is a Scripting Language?

A scripting language is a programming language that is interpreted. It is translated into machine code when the code is run, rather than beforehand. Scripting languages are often used for short scripts over full computer programs. JavaScript, Python, and Ruby are all examples of scripting languages.

You may be surprised to learn that more than 700 programming languages have been invented throughout the history of computers. That’s not nearly as many as the 6,900 human languages we have, but learning any new language is no small feat.

What is a Scripting Language?

Scripting language (also known as scripting, or script) is a series of commands that are able to be executed without the need for compiling. While all scripting languages are programming languages, not all programming languages are scripting languages. PHP, Perl, and Python are common examples of scripting languages.

Scripting languages use a program known as an interpreter to translate commands and are directly interpreted from source code, not requiring a compilation step. Other programming languages, on the other hand, may require a compiler to translate commands into machine code before it can execute those commands.

It is important to know the difference between interpreted vs compiled programming languages to expand your understanding of coding. However, advanced hardware and coding practices are beginning to make the distinction somewhat obsolete.

Interpreted vs Compiled Programming Languages

An interpreted programming language is a language designed to execute source code directly and without the need to compile a program into machine-language instructions. An interpreter will execute the program by translating statements into a series of one or more subroutines before finally translating them into another language, such as machine code.

In compiled programming languages, a compiler program translates code written in a high level programming language into a lower-level language in order for the program to execute. C or Java programs must usually be compiled first in order to run. Two well-known compilers are Eclipse for Java and gcc for C and C++.

The easiest way to understand how a compiler functions is to think about various operating systems. For instance, Windows programs are compiled to run on Windows platforms and thus are not compatible with Mac.

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Server-Side Scripting vs Client-Side Scripting

There are two types of scripting languages: server side and client side. The only significant difference between the two is that the former requires a server for its processing.

Server-side scripting languages run on a web server. When a client sends a request, the server responds by sending content via HTTP. In contrast, client-side scripting languages run on the client end—on their web browser.

The benefit of client-side scripts is that they can reduce demand on the server, allowing web pages to load faster. Whereas, one significant benefit of server-side scripts is they are not viewable by the public like client-side scripts are.

When trying to decide which way to go on a project, keep in mind that client-side scripting is more focused on user interface and functionality. Conversely, server-side scripting focuses on faster processing, access to data, and resolving errors.

Examples of Server-Side Scripting Languages

The following are examples of server-side scripting languages.

Examples of Client-Side Scripting Languages

The following are examples of client-side scripting languages.

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Applications of Scripting Languages

Scripting languages are used in many areas, both on and off the web. In addition to server-side and client-side applications, scripting languages can be used in system administration. Examples of scripts used in system admin are Shell, Perl, and Python.

Scripting languages are also used in lots of games and multimedia. For example, Minecraft mods use Java to allow users to create their own worlds and items in the game. Additionally, Second Life, Trainz, and Wesnoth all allow users to create extensions on the games.

Similar to the extensions used in games, extensions in other programs, such as Google’s Chrome browser extensions, are all run using scripting languages.

Pros and Cons of Scripting Languages

Pros. There are many benefits to using scripting languages over other programming languages. First, they are open-source. This allows users from around the world to join in the improvement process. Other pros include:

Cons. There are not a whole lot of cons to using scripting languages. One con is the fact that some companies don’t want scripts to be read by everyone, so they use server-side scripts to avoid releasing them to the public. Also, installing an interpreter program can be a hassle. Finally, sometimes scripts are slower than programs.

Want to Try Learning a Scripting Language?

If you’re ready to try learning a scripting language like JavaScript, check out our list of the 17 easiest programming languages to learn. You may find one that interests you. We suggest you find one that makes sense to you before you commit to a programming bootcamp that focuses on that language.

A programming bootcamp is great in that it not only teaches you how to code but also prepares you for a career in tech. Most programming bootcamps last less than a year and they provide career services and different payment methods that allow all types of people to start a career in the tech industry.

Conclusion

Learning a scripting language is the easiest way to get your feet wet in the coding world. There are bountiful resources out there to help you try each one until you find one that makes sense to you. Just remember to take it slow, be patient with yourself, and aim to start with small projects, instead of a large one. You’ll find your niche in no time.