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.NET vs Scala: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss the key differences between .NET and Scala. Both .NET and Scala are programming languages that are widely used in the software development industry. However, they have distinct features and characteristics that set them apart from each other.

  1. Platform .NET is a framework developed by Microsoft that primarily runs on Windows operating systems. It provides developers with a comprehensive set of libraries, runtime, and tools to build applications for various platforms, including Windows, web, mobile, and cloud. On the other hand, Scala is a programming language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). This allows Scala to be platform-independent and enables it to be used in environments that support the JVM, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

  2. Type System .NET has a static type system, which means that variables are bound to specific types at compile-time. This provides better type safety and enables early detection of potential type-related errors. Scala, on the other hand, has a more flexible type system that combines elements of static and dynamic typing. It allows developers to choose between static typing, where types are checked at compile-time, and dynamic typing, where types are checked at runtime. This flexibility offers more expressive power but may increase the risk of type-related errors.

  3. Concurrency Models .NET provides support for concurrency through various mechanisms such as threads, tasks, and asynchronous programming. It offers a rich set of libraries and frameworks, such as the Task Parallel Library (TPL) and the async/await keywords, to simplify the development of concurrent applications. Scala, on the other hand, has built-in support for concurrency through the use of actors and the Akka framework. Actors are lightweight concurrent entities that communicate with each other through message passing. This model simplifies the development of highly concurrent and distributed systems.

  4. Functional Programming .NET has gradually embraced functional programming concepts and provides support for functional programming through features such as lambda expressions, LINQ (Language Integrated Query), and immutable data structures. However, it is primarily an object-oriented programming framework. Scala, on the other hand, is a hybrid language that seamlessly combines object-oriented and functional programming paradigms. It provides first-class support for functional programming concepts, including higher-order functions, pattern matching, and immutable data structures, making it a popular choice for functional programming enthusiasts.

  5. Tooling and Ecosystem .NET has a well-established and mature ecosystem with a wide range of tools, libraries, frameworks, and community support. Microsoft provides extensive documentation, development tools (such as Visual Studio), and a package management system (NuGet) to facilitate the development of .NET applications. Scala, on the other hand, has a growing but smaller ecosystem compared to .NET. It has its own development environment (sbt) and a package management system (sbt-rpm) for managing dependencies. While the Scala ecosystem is not as extensive as .NET, it still offers a rich set of libraries and frameworks, such as Akka, Play Framework, and Spark.

  6. Performance .NET is known for its performance and efficiency, especially in the context of Windows development. The performance of .NET applications can be further optimized through the use of just-in-time (JIT) compilation, which translates intermediate language (IL) code into efficient machine code at runtime. Scala, on the other hand, is built on the JVM, which is known for its mature and efficient runtime. The JVM provides advanced optimization techniques, such as just-in-time compilation and garbage collection, which contribute to the overall performance of Scala applications.

In summary, .NET is a platform-specific framework primarily used for Windows development, while Scala is a platform-independent programming language that runs on the JVM. .NET has a static type system, while Scala has a more flexible type system. .NET provides concurrency support through threads and tasks, while Scala introduces actors and the Akka framework for concurrency. .NET supports functional programming but is predominantly object-oriented, while Scala seamlessly combines both paradigms. The .NET ecosystem is more extensive, while Scala offers a growing ecosystem with a smaller footprint. Finally, both .NET and Scala offer good performance, albeit in different contexts.

Advice on .NET and Scala
Needs advice
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GolangGolangNode.jsNode.js
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ScalaScala

Finding the best server-side tool for building a personal information organizer that focuses on performance, simplicity, and scalability.

performance and scalability get a prototype going fast by keeping codebase simple find hosting that is affordable and scales well (Java/Scala-based ones might not be affordable)

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Replies (1)
David Annez
VP Product at loveholidays · | 5 upvotes · 294.1K views
Recommends
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Node.jsNode.js
at

I've picked Node.js here but honestly it's a toss up between that and Go around this. It really depends on your background and skillset around "get something going fast" for one of these languages. Based on not knowing that I've suggested Node because it can be easier to prototype quickly and built right is performant enough. The scaffolding provided around Node.js services (Koa, Restify, NestJS) means you can get up and running pretty easily. It's important to note that the tooling surrounding this is good also, such as tracing, metrics et al (important when you're building production ready services).

You'll get more scalability and perf from go, but balancing them out I would say that you'll get pretty far with a well built Node.JS service (our entire site with over 1.5k requests/m scales easily and holds it's own with 4 pods in production.

Without knowing the scale you are building for and the systems you are using around it it's hard to say for certain this is the right route.

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Decisions about .NET and Scala
Ing. Alvaro Rodríguez Scelza
Software Systems Engineer at Ripio · | 12 upvotes · 358.3K views

I was considering focusing on learning RoR and looking for a work that uses those techs.

After some investigation, I decided to stay with C# .NET:

  • It is more requested on job positions (7 to 1 in my personal searches average).

  • It's been around for longer.

  • it has better documentation and community.

  • One of Ruby advantages (its amazing community gems, that allows to quickly build parts of your systems by merely putting together third party components) gets quite complicated to use and maintain in huge applications, where building and reusing your own components may become a better approach.

  • Rail's front end support is starting to waver.

  • C# .NET code is far easier to understand, debug and maintain. Although certainly not easier to learn from scratch.

  • Though Rails has an excellent programming speed, C# tends to get the upper hand in long term projects.

I would avise to stick to rails when building small projects, and switching to C# for more long term ones.

Opinions are welcome!

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Ing. Alvaro Rodríguez Scelza
Software Systems Engineer at Ripio · | 9 upvotes · 480.2K views

Decided to change all my stack to microsoft technologies for they behave just great together. It is very easy to set up and deploy projects using visual studio and azure. Visual studio is also an amazing IDE, if not the best, when used for C#, it allows you to work in every aspect of your software.

Visual studio templates for ASP.NET MVC are the best I've found compared to django, rails, laravel, and others.

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We needed to incorporate Big Data Framework for data stream analysis, specifically Apache Spark / Apache Storm. The three options of languages were most suitable for the job - Python, Java, Scala.

The winner was Python for the top of the class, high-performance data analysis libraries (NumPy, Pandas) written in C, quick learning curve, quick prototyping allowance, and a great connection with other future tools for machine learning as Tensorflow.

The whole code was shorter & more readable which made it easier to develop and maintain.

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Pros of .NET
Pros of Scala
  • 271
    Tight integration with visual studio
  • 261
    Stable code
  • 189
    Great community
  • 182
    Reliable and strongly typed server side language.
  • 140
    Microsoft
  • 119
    Fantastic documentation
  • 89
    Great 3rd party libraries
  • 80
    Speedy
  • 71
    Great azure integration
  • 63
    Great support
  • 34
    Highly productive
  • 34
    C#
  • 34
    Linq
  • 31
    High Performance
  • 28
    Great programming languages (C#, VB)
  • 25
    Open source
  • 19
    Powerful Web application framework (ASP.NET MVC)
  • 16
    Clean markup with razor
  • 16
    Fast
  • 15
    Powerful ORM (EntityFramework)
  • 13
    Dependency injection
  • 10
    Constantly improving to keep up with new trends
  • 10
    Visual studio + Resharper = <3
  • 9
    High-Performance
  • 8
    Security
  • 8
    TFS
  • 7
    Huge ecosystem and communities
  • 7
    Integrated and Reliable
  • 7
    Job opportunities
  • 6
    Light-weight
  • 6
    Lovely
  • 5
    Asynchrony
  • 5
    Variations
  • 5
    {get; set;}
  • 4
    Concurrent
  • 4
    Support and SImplicity
  • 4
    Default Debuging tools
  • 4
    Useful IoC
  • 4
    Scaffolding
  • 4
    Entity framework
  • 3
    Blazor
  • 2
    F♯
  • 2
    Nuget package manager
  • 187
    Static typing
  • 178
    Pattern-matching
  • 177
    Jvm
  • 172
    Scala is fun
  • 138
    Types
  • 95
    Concurrency
  • 88
    Actor library
  • 86
    Solve functional problems
  • 81
    Open source
  • 80
    Solve concurrency in a safer way
  • 44
    Functional
  • 24
    Fast
  • 23
    Generics
  • 18
    It makes me a better engineer
  • 17
    Syntactic sugar
  • 13
    Scalable
  • 10
    First-class functions
  • 10
    Type safety
  • 9
    Interactive REPL
  • 8
    Expressive
  • 7
    SBT
  • 6
    Case classes
  • 6
    Implicit parameters
  • 4
    Rapid and Safe Development using Functional Programming
  • 4
    JVM, OOP and Functional programming, and static typing
  • 4
    Object-oriented
  • 4
    Used by Twitter
  • 3
    Functional Proframming
  • 2
    Spark
  • 2
    Beautiful Code
  • 2
    Safety
  • 2
    Growing Community
  • 1
    DSL
  • 1
    Rich Static Types System and great Concurrency support
  • 1
    Naturally enforce high code quality
  • 1
    Akka Streams
  • 1
    Akka
  • 1
    Reactive Streams
  • 1
    Easy embedded DSLs
  • 1
    Mill build tool
  • 0
    Freedom to choose the right tools for a job

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Cons of .NET
Cons of Scala
  • 13
    C#
  • 12
    Too expensive to deploy and maintain
  • 8
    Microsoft dependable systems
  • 8
    Microsoft itself
  • 5
    Hard learning curve
  • 3
    Tight integration with visual studio
  • 3
    Not have a full fledged visual studio for linux
  • 1
    Microsoft itself 🤡🥲
  • 11
    Slow compilation time
  • 7
    Multiple ropes and styles to hang your self
  • 6
    Too few developers available
  • 4
    Complicated subtyping
  • 2
    My coworkers using scala are racist against other stuff

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What is .NET?

.NET is a general purpose development platform. With .NET, you can use multiple languages, editors, and libraries to build native applications for web, mobile, desktop, gaming, and IoT for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and more.

What is Scala?

Scala is an acronym for “Scalable Language”. This means that Scala grows with you. You can play with it by typing one-line expressions and observing the results. But you can also rely on it for large mission critical systems, as many companies, including Twitter, LinkedIn, or Intel do. To some, Scala feels like a scripting language. Its syntax is concise and low ceremony; its types get out of the way because the compiler can infer them.

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