Basic knowledge
Three programming languages for the development of the Internet of Things
Although Java is the most used language for IoT development, Java and Python follow closely behind in different subdomains of IoT development. The future of IoT development may still be multilingual.
Ten years ago, no one might imagine that the air conditioners and refrigerators we use one day could be intelligent and controllable, and cars driving on the road could be driven by themselves. Now, these will become reality, and the Internet of Things is what makes these reality. As we all know, the purpose of IoT technology is to measure, collect and analyze data to provide a better user experience and improve product quality. Simply put, it makes our lives better.
Development under different constraints
Each of the three stages of measurement, collection, and analysis requires a different working environment and a different set of constraints.
For example, data is measured by sensors with limited capabilities on the device. This data is then aggregated and transmitted using a gateway, such as an app on a smartphone or a small console, which has computing power that is completely different from the device. Use cloud to store and analyze this data.
Therefore, each stage of the software development field can provide a different programming language for the Internet of Things. Developers use several different IoT programming languages such as C, C ++, Java, JavaScript, Python, PHP and many more.
For IoT hardware with low computing power and limited RAM, C is the preferred programming language, but for gateways and cloud platforms, Java is the preferred programming language. Then let's analyze the reasons for the three most popular programming languages developed by the Internet of Things.
1 C.
At the device level, computing power is often very limited. The language C is very suitable for writing low-level code (ie code close to the hardware layer), it does not require much processing power, and can directly use RAM.
C is also a common language for microcontroller programming, making it a smart choice for sensors and gateway hardware layer applications. However, because C is a low-level language, its syntax can become messy and confusing if developers are not familiar with best practices.
2 Java
Java is widely used and taught in the programming world. For IoT applications, Java virtual machine (JVM) function code can be transferred to any chip.
The code can be used in places where the JVM is common, such as smartphones and servers. This code can also be used on the smallest machines, making it ideal for IoT software.
Java is an object-oriented programming language for the Internet of Things.
Java has built-in functions useful for IoT applications.
Java is very portable and has no hardware limitations.
3 Python
Python began its journey as a high-level scripting language. It has a lot of useful libraries, and it can do more with less lines of code. It is ideal for the data analysis part of IoT systems.
The source code is compact and readable because the syntax is clean.
Python is easy to learn, widely used, and powerfully supported.
A great choice for managing and organizing complex data flows without having to maintain the same complex code base.
For simple modular projects, Python is becoming more and more popular, with computing requirements ranging from medium to low.
As the use of the Internet of Things increases, more and more data on product performance, challenges and opportunities will be generated. You will be able to better understand which programming language is better for which IoT products or services.