Difference between Scripting and Programming Languages

There are different types of computer languages which are used to make various types of software applications. In this article, we will talk about the difference between scripting and programming languages.

Scripting Language

Scripting language is a programming language in which a program is interpreted at runtime. The process of compiling is not performed in these languages. Scripting languages are used to establish communication between different programming languages.

Types of Scripting Languages

Scripting languages are of two types which include server side and client side.

Server Side Scripts

Server-side scripts are developed in such a way that they work at the backend. Users are unaware of the working of these languages. These languages add functionality to a webpage or a web application. Some of the popular server-side scripting languages are −

• PHP
• ASP.Net
• Node.js
• Java
• Ruby
• Python

Client Side Scripts

Client-side scripts work in the frontend. Users have to click on buttons for certain actions or click on a text box to type a message, credentials, etc. Many components are available on the frontend on which users have to act to get the result after clicking a button. The load on the server is reduced due to the client-side scripts. Some of the popular client-side scripts are as follows −

• JavaScript
• CSS
• HTML

Characteristics of Scripting Languages

Scripting languages have many characteristics and we will enlist some of them here −

• Scripting languages are interpreted and not compiled
• They are simple and a short code can be written to get the desired output
• Repetitive tasks can be easily automated
• Complex applications cannot be written due to limited capabilities

Advantages of Scripting Languages

Professionals can make a great career if they learn a scripting language. There are many benefits of learning any of these languages and some of them are listed below −

• Logical thinking skills become strong
• Develop games and other creative projects
• Know the ways of troubleshooting
• Automate the repetitive tasks
• Understand the working of technology
• Scripting languages are easy to learn even if learners have little knowledge about web technology.
• The number of data structures is limited which makes editing of the code easy.
• Scripting languages are used in making web pages and a combination of interfaces is used to accomplish the task.
• Scripting languages consist of a lot of libraries which help in writing the code easily.

Uses of Scripting Languages

Scripting languages has many uses and some of them are listed below −

• Server-side and client-side scripting languages are used in web applications to add more functionalities
• System administration can be performed with the help of scripting languages like Perl, Shell Scripting, Python, etc.
• Games and multimedia applications can be easily developed
• Plugins and extensions can also be developed through the scripting languages

Programming Language

Programming languages are used by users to communicate with the computer. There are many programming languages that software engineers use to write programs and develop different kinds of software applications. Programming languages can be used to write basic as well as advanced programs. Some of the popular programming languages are −

• C
• C++
• Java
• Python

Desktop applications, mobile applications, and web-based applications are developed through these languages.

Types of Programming Languages

Programming languages are of many types and we will discuss about some of them here.

Low-Level Programming Language

Low-level programming languages depend on machines and they understand binary language which consists of 0s and 1s. No compiler or interpreter is needed to execute the programs written in these languages. Low-level languages are of two types.

• Machine Language − Machine language is also known as machine code or object code. The output of the code is in the form of binary or hexadecimal. As computers understand the machine language easily so no compiler or interpreter is required.
• Assembly Language − Assembly language is also a low-level language which runs only on specific types of processors. The code is written in a language that can be understood by humans. An assembler is used to translate the code into machine language.

High-Level Programming Language

High-level programming languages are used to write code that can be used to develop user-friendly software applications and websites. A compiler or an interpreter is used to convert the code into machine language. High-level languages are of three types which are discussed below −

• Procedural-Oriented Programming Language − These programming languages are based on the procedure call concept in which a program is divided into small routines or functions. A programmer uses an IDE or other programming editors to create a program.
• Object-Oriented Programming Language − These programming languages are dependent on objects. The features of these programming languages include abstraction, inheritance, polymorphism, etc. These programs can be reused and they are efficient in execution.
• Natural Language − Natural language is the human language like English, French, German, Japanese, etc. Machines have to interpret and understand these languages and provide the desired output. Developers use these languages for translation, named entity recognition, relationship extraction, and many more.

Middle-Level Programming Language

This is a type of programming language that lies between low-level and high-level programming languages. Other names of middle-level programming languages are −

• Intermediate programming language
• Pseudo-language

Difference between Scripting Language and Programming Language

All scripting languages are programming languages but all programming languages are not scripting languages. There are a few differences between these languages and they can be found in the table below −