Which languages will give you an edge for Blockchain programming? Which languages are used to program Blockchain projects like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple etc?
Blockchain has caught the eye of tech enthusiasts around the world with its potential to disrupt and replace established systems of transacting data and assets.
It is a digital public ledger of transactions that is decentralized – unchecked by governments – and yet secure due to a distributed verification network of miners, who approve transactions using numerous high-performing machines.
Blockchain is touted to be the new internet and expected to revolutionize the way industries in both – public and private – sectors function. It is still in its infancy and therefore only developing. The technology is creating plenty of new opportunities for programmers and developers to cash in on.
This article lists the top 5 contenders for the title of best blockchain programming languages.
There are several programming languages that can help you create applications for blockchain. You may use any of the traditional ones like C++, Java and Python, or, others like Simplicity and Solidity – that are new and more specific to blockchain.
Let’s take a closer look at these one blockchain programming language at a time.
C++ was developed as an extension to the more rudimentary C programming language. The object-oriented C++ was built on the process-oriented C.
This is perhaps the biggest difference between the two languages. C++ packs data and its functions into ‘objects’, which can be called into and unpacked for use in other programs easily.
This blockchain programming language allows for effective management of resources and offers greater control over memory. Blockchain requires many users and miners to interact and operate both systematically and simultaneously.
C++ creates applications that can not only coordinate between numerous endpoints but also process their interactions quickly. It’s why blockchain projects like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple were all written in C++.
Java has been crucial for the worldwide web. Some would argue it is at the heart of it along with HTML and CSS. The blockchain programming language is traditional and useful in creating highly interactive webpages.
It is also now useful in making simple and immutable blockchains. Immutability makes it impossible for anyone to change the contents in a block after it has been verified or “hashed”.
Every new block, which is added to a blockchain includes the hash of the previous block along with a new hash for the new block.
Once hashed, any change in its content will produce a new “previousHash”, which will deter the new block from being added to the chain till its contents match with the contents of the previous block, thereby maintaining immutability.
Python was created by a Dutch programmer named Guido van Rossum in 1991. His goal was to create a simple and minimalistic programming language.
The syntax and logic of this blockchain programming language uses reflects this very ambition of the creator. Python is, hence, a top language for software and web development.
It is popular among developers, data scientists. It is now also a top blockchain programming language.
Simplicity is a blockchain programming language that was designed for smart contracts. This blockchain programming language is so easy, claimed its creator Russel O’Connor, that “it fits on a t-shirt”.
Solidity is an attempt to improve basic cryptocurrency languages like Bitcoin Script and Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). It uses static analysis – a technique that enables a universal algorithm to determine the cost of running any Simplicity program – to prevent programs from “running out of gas” during analysis.
O’Connor and his company, Blockstream, hope that the language will be included in Bitcoin after its features are carefully examined.
And at last, Solidity! This blockchain programming language is high-level and contract-based. Its script is similar to scripts of some of the languages listed above like Java, and it borrows concepts like variables, functions and classes from them.
The language is easy to learn for programmers. Solidity offers plenty of explanation on how its code works for those who are interested in learning it.
The explanation might be difficult to follow, however, for those who are unfamiliar with modern programming languages. As the new language on the block, Solidity is in the process of becoming popular now.
The increase in number of courses and resources on the language is indicative of that, and the language is expected to contribute significantly to software technology by improving blockchain.
Blockchain is revolutionizing the way data and assets are traded. The technology is expected to have a huge impact on different sectors and industries.
To work with this technology, it is essential to know how to code. A Blockchain Developer must know one of the modern programming languages like Java or C++. These languages don’t just help create applications for blockchain, but also help learn contract-based or blockchain-based languages like Simplicity or Solidity.
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