PHP and JAVA DIFFERENCES
Let’s take a closer look at some of the major differences between these two languages.
COMPILES VS. INTERPRETED. Java is considered a compiled programming language. This allows it to run on any operating system regardless of where it was written. The difference is in the implementation: Java is compiled into bytecode and run on a virtual machine. PHP is what you call an interpreted language, or “script”—the code can be run as-is in their respective runtime environments (i.e., the server). While there’s a lot of nuance to the compiled vs. interpreted debate, it is generally true that scripts are much easier to use and favor programmer productivity.
MEMORY SAFE. Java is a memory-safe language, which means if you attempt to assign values outside of the given array parameters, the programmer receives an error.
STATIC VS. DYNAMIC TYPE CHECKING. Java uses static type checking, where the type of a variable is checked at compile-time. The programmer must specify the type (integer, double, string, etc.) of any variable they create. There are many pros and cons for these two paradigms, but the primary advantage of static type checking is that type errors are caught early in development, and because the compiler knows exactly what data types are being used, code typically executes faster or uses less memory. The primary advantage of dynamic type checking is programmer productivity—you are free to assign types at your leisure.
CONCURRENCY. This is the language’s ability to handle the execution of several instruction sequences at the same time. Java makes use of multiple threads to perform tasks in parallel. PHP, like most server-side languages, uses multi-threaded, blocking I/O to carry out multiple tasks in parallel. For most use-cases, both methods work just fine, but Java is generally faster because thread to thread memory sharing much faster than interprocess communication (IPC). PHP has been around the block for a while though, and has found its own way to achieve asynchronous processing—most notably through the HHVM project released by Facebook.
CLASS-BASED VS. PROTOTYPE BASED. Java follows class based inheritance—a top down, hierarchical, class-based relationship whereby properties are defined in a class and inherited by an instance of that class (one of its members).
FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED BEFORE CHOOSING YOUR SOFTWARE PROJECT
YOU SHOULD CONSIDER JAVA IF YOUR PROJECT INVOLVES...
Android Apps
Enterprise Software
Scientific Computing
Big Data Analytics
General Purpose Programming of Hardware
Server-Side Technologies like Apache, JBoss, Geronimo, GlassFish, etc.
YOU SHOULD CONSIDER PHP IF YOUR PROJECT INVOLVES...
Software stacks like the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP)
CMS’s like WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla etc.
Servers like MySQL, SQL, MariaDB, Oracle, Sybase, and Postgresql etc.
Both Java and PHP are excellent foundations for a wide variety of software. Which language you choose to use will be determined by what you want developed.
You can manipulate hardware with Java, but it’s not a common language for low-level programming since it’s a “safer” language. Because Java won’t allow you to perform certain functions to protect the PC, it’s preferred for higher level applications.
The best way to make a firm decision is to post your project and ask developers for their opinions. They can tell you which language is right for your project to help guide you to the right solution.
