Java and .NET are both widely popular programming technologies. Many businesses use them for building web apps and websites and choose one of them as their primary solution. Microsoft .NET and Java are two prominent programming languages that allow you to work on server-side and desktop applications.

Choosing one between Java vs .NET can be quite challenging. To help you make an informed decision, we have prepared the following article. You’ll learn the key points of difference between Java and .NET so you can pick the right one for your project’s requirements.

The following article will not only highlight all the key points of Java vs Dot Net, but you will also get to learn some of the reasons why Java is so popular, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of both these technologies.

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What is Java?

Before delving into the difference between Java and Net, let’s first take a look at what both these different technologies refer to. To put it simply, Java is one of the most popular object-oriented programming languages, that is used for a variety of websites and applications. Starting from mobile phones and notebook computers to even gaming consoles, and medical devices, the Java software platform is used by billions of devices worldwide. Its fast, efficient and secure nature is the reason behind such huge popularity. Furthermore, with the help of the Java platform, programmers can quite easily and quickly run Java applications in a hassle-free manner. The principles of Java, are primarily based on the C++ and C programming languages. 

Why Java?

Ever since its inception in the year 1995, Java still remains one of the best programming languages used worldwide for modern software development. Here are some of the many reasons why Java is so popular among programmers.

• It is easy to learn- Unlike most other programming languages, Java has many similarities with C, C++, and Java Script. Therefore, anyone with expertise or experience with the above-stated programming languages can easily learn the Java syntax without facing many problems. Furthermore, there is a plethora of different introduction or training videos available on platforms such as YouTube, and StackOverflow, which you can easily get access to. 
• It has a rich set of APIs- Needless to say, the Java API is extensive. This is extremely beneficial for developers while developing strong, error-free applications.

What is .Net?

.Net is yet another popular open-source development framework widely used for creating different applications. One of the biggest benefits of this cross-platform framework is that you can use it across various platforms, such as Linux, Windows, and macOS. Furthermore, with the help of .Net, you can also quite easily create different kinds of web, desktop, and mobile applications, in multiple languages, editors, and libraries. 

Why .Net?

Mentioned below are some of the main reasons why .Net is so popular in this current technology-driven world. 

• Open-source development-  The popularity of .Net grew even more since it became an open-source development. It has gone through several innovations over the years and has the support of quite a large community.
• Object-oriented Programming- It enables developers to operate their tasks in a much easier, faster, and more consistent manner.
• Extremely Versatile- Yet another feature of .Net that makes it so popular among the mass, it’s versatile nature. It means that C#, F#, and even Visual Basic programmers can quite easily .Net in a hassle-free manner. 

Now that you have a basic understanding of both these technologies, here are some of the key difference between Java and Net. 

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Primary Points Of Difference Between Java and .NET

Ever since the inception of both these technologies, there has been an ongoing debate on Java vs dot net. Both of them have been listed as the most widely-used technologies in software industries. The following points will help you understand the primary differences between these two more easily:

Fundamentals

Java is a programming language and a computing platform, that was introduced in the year 1995. It is widely used across various devices, making it one of the most popular object-oriented programming languages. .Net on the other hand, is an open-source framework that is responsible for the development of various applications. It was introduced in the year 2000, and ever since then, has been widely used. 

Operating System

The biggest difference between Java and .NET is that Java can run on any operating system through its compilers and JRE (Java Runtime Environment) as it follows the principle “write once, run anywhere”.

On the other hand, .NET works only on the Windows operating system and its different versions.

There are a few open-source versions of .NET but they still focus on Windows users. Java Virtual Machine allows Java to run its code on any platform with any operating system.

This gives Java a strong advantage over .NET as it is platform-independent and certainly more portable.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

An IDE is a software solution that gives you the necessary tools to create and test software applications. It is another significant point of difference between these two.

Microsoft Visual Studio is the default IDE for .NET while for Java, there are four primary IDEs available namely, Oracle JDeveloper, Oracle NetBeans, Eclipse, and IntelliJ Idea.

Support For Programming Languages

Java and .NET offer support for many programming languages. As a Java developer, you can use JavaScript, Scala, Groovy, and Clojure while as a .NET developer you can use F#, VB.NET, C#, and C++.

Both of them offer support for lesser-known programming languages too however, the J2EE framework selects Java as the default language.

With .NET you get compatibility with other prominent languages such as F# and C# giving you more flexibility while working on enterprise solutions.

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Other Points Of Difference

Apart from the most notable points of difference we discussed above, there are additional places where these two technologies differ from one another.

Java Vs .NET: Performance

In terms of performance, Java’s syntax is derived from C and C++ so you can see a lot of similarities between Java and .NET. However, Java is platform-independent so you can run its code anywhere.

.NET offers a general-purpose and simple programming language which supports type checking, array bounds, collect garbage and check uninitialized variables.

This way, you get more durability, robustness and efficiency. Java arrays only have the feature of highlighting unchecked and checked expectations.

Apart from these points, the performance of .NET and Java is quite similar.

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Java Vs .NET: Advantages

.NET gives you a unified platform as it is backed by Microsoft. Through that platform, you get horizontal scalability as you can easily find most of the IDEs and tools for your development projects in the Microsoft Developer Network.

Java has its own share of advantages. It is portable so you have the option to choose which operating system you want to work on. This flexibility allows you to choose tools without worrying about compatibility issues.

Java offers better object-relational support and it calls the database less frequently.

On top of that, Java apps can integrate more easily with other solutions through employing Continuous Integration solutions like Travis CI and Jenkins. Apart from these integration tools, you have a ton of other free connections for Java.

The Java developer community is expanding at a rapid pace and it is very helpful. Finally, you can migrate between Java platforms with ease as they offer backward compatibility.

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Java Vs .NET: Disadvantages

Everything has its disadvantages and .NET isn’t an exception to this rule. With .NET, you only get support for the Entity Framework which reduces the object-relational support of the platform.

Additionally, in this framework, your managed code would run slower than the native code and you would have to depend on Microsoft for getting any new enhancements or features.

So, migrating to .NET is more demanding and expensive in comparison to other frameworks.

On the other hand, the primary concern with Java is potential security threats. Such issues arise frequently with platform-agnostic solutions so you have to stay alert for a security breach.

Moreover, Scala functions don’t operate properly with Groovy so you need high-level development skills to tackle that problem.

Many developers have claimed that Java runs slower than other programming languages because of its cross-platform functionality. This can damage your efficiency substantially.

In-Demand Software Development Skills

Java Vs .NET: Market Share

In 2018, Indeed.com had performed a survey and analysed the job postings on its website to see which programming languages were the most sought-after.

They discovered that Java was the most in-demand skill in the market covering more than 30% of the job posts. .NET was quite below in that list.

So according to industry trends, Java developers are more sought-after than .NET developers. However, that’s not all.

When you check the overall industry and see how many websites are written in .NET, you’ll find some fascinating results. Before the arrival of ASP.NET, Java had a clear monopoly over web app development, however, now things are quite different. There are more websites on the web-based on ASP.NET than on Java.

Moreover, the websites based in ASP.NET are in the top 10,000, 1,00,000 and even the top 10,00,000. It simply shows how easily ASP.NET dominates Java in terms of market share.

Even though Java skills are more in-demand at the moment, .NET has more control over the market.

A big reason why .NET is so popular is that it offers you to develop in various languages, such as C# and F#.

They allow you to make your web apps and websites dynamic as they each have their distinct functionalities and advantages. ASP.NET offers more flexibility and makes your job as a web developer much easier.

Also Read: Java Developer Salary in India

How To Choose Between Java And .NET

While choosing between these two technologies, the first thing you should keep in mind is availability. Finding .NET developers is more difficult than finding Java developers.

Also, you should keep in mind the available infrastructure you have to support the website or app you’re building with .NET.

It is a common notion that .NET is more suitable for building enterprise-level apps. Java is better at interoperability than .NET when you consider their open-source compatibility.

As more and more companies are implementing open-source solutions, Java has gotten ahead of .NET. However, you should note that Microsoft is trying to bridge this gap by adding integration capabilities with other open-source solutions.

Another point while choosing the right option between the two is the cost. If you use Windows-based solutions and other Microsoft products then it would be better for you to go with .NET.

However, if you choose to go with Java, you’ll need to find the right combination of additional tools for your project.

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Conclusion

Both Java and .NET are prominent development solutions and have distinct sets of advantages and disadvantages. Java would excel at places where you need flexibility whereas .NET is better suited for projects that require complex infrastructure.

Understanding such differences can help you a lot in making informed decisions when choosing the right technology.

We hope that you liked our article on Java vs .NET and understood the key differences between these two.

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this article or this topic, please let us know through the comment section below. We’d love to hear from you.

If you want to learn more about web development, then we recommend taking a full-stack developer course. It will make you familiar with these technologies and equip you with the skills to enter the industry as a professional.