What skills do you need to compare blockchain programming languages?

1 Basic knowledge of blockchain

Before you can compare blockchain programming languages, you need to have a basic understanding of how blockchain works, what are its main features and benefits, and what are the common challenges and limitations. You should be familiar with concepts such as consensus mechanisms, cryptography, transactions, blocks, nodes, networks, and protocols. You should also know the difference between public, private, and hybrid blockchains, and how they affect the security, scalability, and interoperability of your applications.

2 Familiarity with different paradigms

Blockchain programming languages can be classified into different paradigms, such as imperative, declarative, functional, object-oriented, or logic-based. Each paradigm has its own advantages and disadvantages, and influences how you write, read, test, and debug your code. For example, imperative languages, such as Solidity or C++, require you to specify the exact steps and commands to execute a task, while declarative languages, such as SQL or Simplicity, allow you to describe the desired outcome without specifying the details. You should be familiar with the pros and cons of each paradigm, and how they affect the performance, readability, and maintainability of your code.

3 Awareness of different platforms and frameworks

Blockchain programming languages are often designed for specific platforms or frameworks, which provide the infrastructure, libraries, and tools to support the development and deployment of blockchain applications. For example, Solidity is the most widely used language for Ethereum, which is a platform that enables the creation of smart contracts and decentralized applications. On the other hand, Rust is a language that can be used for Substrate, which is a framework that allows the creation of customized blockchains. You should be aware of the different platforms and frameworks that are available, and how they affect the compatibility, functionality, and flexibility of your code.

4 Ability to compare syntax and semantics

Syntax and semantics are the rules and meanings that govern how a language is written and interpreted. Syntax refers to the structure, format, and symbols that are used to construct a valid code, while semantics refers to the logic, behavior, and output that are produced by the code. You should be able to compare the syntax and semantics of different blockchain programming languages, and how they affect the ease of use, error handling, and debugging of your code. For example, you should be able to identify the similarities and differences between the syntax and semantics of Solidity and Vyper, which are both imperative languages for Ethereum, but have different levels of complexity and security.

5 Ability to compare features and limitations

Features and limitations are the characteristics and constraints that define what a language can or cannot do, and how well it can do it. Features and limitations can include aspects such as data types, variables, operators, functions, control structures, inheritance, polymorphism, modularity, concurrency, memory management, and more. You should be able to compare the features and limitations of different blockchain programming languages, and how they affect the functionality, efficiency, and reliability of your code. For example, you should be able to compare the features and limitations of Python and Go, which are both general-purpose languages that can be used for blockchain development, but have different trade-offs between simplicity and performance.

6 Ability to compare popularity and support

Popularity and support are the indicators of how widely used and well-maintained a language is, and how easy it is to find resources, documentation, tutorials, communities, and experts to help you learn and improve your skills. Popularity and support can be measured by metrics such as the number of projects, developers, users, platforms, frameworks, tools, and libraries that use or support a language, as well as the quality and availability of the information and assistance that they provide. You should be able to compare the popularity and support of different blockchain programming languages, and how they affect the learning curve, innovation, and adoption of your code. For example, you should be able to compare the popularity and support of JavaScript and C#, which are both widely used languages for web development, but have different levels of relevance and maturity for blockchain development.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?