What is a scripting language? 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. If you want to pursue a career in the field of software development must know the differences between scripting languages and programming languages. They share a very narrow line of distinction between them.
In this article, we will consider the following major points:
- What are scripting languages?
- How do they differ from programming languages?
- Popular Scripting Languages
What Are Scripting Languages?
Let’s discuss in brief what does scripting languages means. Following are some points that define the basic features of a scripting language:
- Cross Platform
- Safe and secure
- Runtime Execution
- Lighter CPU requirements
- Open-Source and free(Most of them)
- These are designed for integrating and communicating with other programming languages
- A scripting language is a programming where instructions are written for a RTE(Run Time Environment)
How Does Scripting Languages Differ From Programming Languages?
Okay so let’s discuss how does a scripting language differ from a programming language?
| Scripting Language | Programming Language |
| It is used to automate the execution of operations in a runtime environment. | Basically, it consists of a set of instructions for communicating with computers. |
| No compilation needed | Compilation is needed |
| Generally prefers high-level advantages | Most of the programming languages prefer low-level advantages |
| Faster execution, thanks to interpretability | Slower execution because of the compilation step |
| Serves for the enhancement and automation of a program | Used to develop new software and features |
| Runs inside a parent program | Runs independently |
| Generate no additional file | Generate an executable file |
| Require a host | Self Executable |
| All scripting languages are programming languages | All programming languages are not scripting languages |
Popular Scripting languages
All scripting languages can be used as programming languages but vice versa is not true. Let’s learn about some commonly used scripting languages
1. Bash: Bash is one of the most popular scripting languages. It is used in the Linux interface. It is widely used by software developers for various automation and daily tasks.
2. Python: Python is an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming language with dynamic semantics. Its high-level built-in data structures, combined with dynamic typing and dynamic binding, make it very attractive for Rapid Application Development.
3. Perl: Perl is a highly capable, feature-rich programming language with over 30 years of development. Perl runs on over 100 platforms from portables to mainframes and is suitable for both rapid prototyping and large-scale development projects. Supports object-oriented, procedural, and functional programming. Perl interfaces with external C/C++ libraries through XS or SWIG.
4. JavaScript(ES5): JavaScript is a scripting or programming language that allows you to implement complex features on web pages. Every time you see a webpage displaying timely content, interactive maps, animated 2D/3D graphics, you can bet that JavaScript is probably involved. JavaScript enables you to create dynamically updating content, control multimedia, animate images, and pretty much everything else.
5. Ruby: A dynamic, open-source programming language with a focus on simplicity and productivity. It has an elegant syntax that is natural to read and easy to write. Ruby is great for building desktop applications, static websites, data processing services, and even automation tools. It’s also used for web servers, DevOps, and web scraping and crawling.
Conclusion
We thus conclude that the execution process and environment are the fundamental differences between programming languages and scripting languages. The majority of programs and software are written in programming languages, although functionality is defined using scripting languages. Scripting languages are beautiful structures that stand on the base that programming languages are.
References
To learn more about scripting languages, you can refer to the following sites,
Coding Ninjas: What’s the difference between scripting and programming?
