--- description: In this Difference between C and Java tutorial, we will learn C Vs. Java Definition, History, Features, Applications, Advantages, and Disadvantages. title: Difference Between C and Java image: https://www.guru99.com/images/2/022220_0508_Differenceb1.png --- [Skip to content](#main) ## What is C? C is a programming language that was developed at Bell Lab in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie. The C language was developed with an objective of writing system software. It is an ideal language for developing firmware systems. C language combines the features of Low level as well as High-level Language. Hence it’s considered a middle-level Language. ## What is Java? Java is a multi-platform, object-oriented, and network-centric programming language. It is among the most used programming language. Java is also used as a computing platform, and it was first released by Sun Microsystem in 1995\. It was later acquired by Oracle Corporation. [![Google Trends C vs. Java](https://www.guru99.com/images/2/022220_0508_Differenceb1.png)](https://www.guru99.com/images/2/022220%5F0508%5FDifferenceb1.png) Google Trends C vs. Java ## KEY DIFFERENCES: * C is a Procedural Programming Language whereas Java is an Object-Oriented language. * C is middle level language while Java is high level language. * C does not support threading on the other hand Java has a feature of threading. * C supports pointers but Java does not support pointers. * In C garbage collection needs to managed manually while in Java, it is automatically managed by a garbage collector * C offers support for call by value and call by reference but Java only supports call by value. * In C language memory allocation can be done by malloc while in Java memory allocation can be done by the new keyword. ## History of C language Here, are important landmarks from the history of C language: * In 1967, a new computer programming language was announced called ‘BCPL,’ which stands for Basic Combined Programming Language. * In 1970 a new programming language called ‘B’ was introduced by Ken Thompson that contained multiple features of ‘BCPL’. * In 1972, after B language a great computer scientist Dennis Ritchie created a new programming language called ‘C’ at the Bell Laboratories. * American National Standards Institute (ANSI) defined a commercial standard for ‘C’ language in 1989. * It was approved by the International Standards Organization (ISO) in 1990 ## History of Java Here, are important landmarks from the history of the Java language: * The [Java language](https://www.guru99.com/java-tutorial.html) was initially called OAK. Originally, it was developed for handling portable devices and set-top boxes. Oak was a massive failure. * In 1995, Sun changed the name to “Java” and modified the language to take advantage of the burgeoning www (World Wide Web) development business. * Later, in 2009, Oracle Corporation acquired Sun Microsystems and took ownership of three key Sun software assets: Java, [MySQL](https://www.guru99.com/mysql-tutorial.html), and Solaris. [![Stack Overflow Questions C vs. JAVA](https://www.guru99.com/images/2/022220_0508_Differenceb2.png)](https://www.guru99.com/images/2/022220%5F0508%5FDifferenceb2.png) Stack Overflow Questions C vs. JAVA ## C Vs. Java in Programming [![C Vs Java](https://www.guru99.com/images/2/022220_0508_Differenceb3.png)](https://www.guru99.com/images/2/022220%5F0508%5FDifferenceb3.png) C Vs Java Here, are important differences between C vs Java | C | Java | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [C](https://www.guru99.com/c-programming-language.html) is a Procedural Programming Language. | [Java](https://www.guru99.com/introduction-to-java.html) is an Object-Oriented language. | | C was developed by Dennis M. Ritchie in 1972. | Java language was developed by James Gosling in 1995. | | It is a middle-level language as it is binding the gaps between machine level and high-level languages. | It is a high-level language because the translation of code is taken place into machine language, which uses compiler or interpreter. | | In the C declaration variable are declared at the beginning of the block. | In Java, you can declare a variable anywhere. | | Free is a variable used for freeing the memory in C. | A compiler will free up the memory by calling the garbage collector. | | C does not support threading. | Java has a feature of threading. | | C support pointers. | Java does not support pointers. | | Memory allocation can be done by malloc. | Memory allocation can be done by a new keyword. | | Garbage collector needs to manage manually. | In Java, it is automatically managed by a garbage collector | | C does not have a feature of overloading functionality. | Java supports method overloading. | | C offers support for call by value and call by reference. | Java only supports a call by value. | | The average salary for a C Developer is $104,051 per year in the United States. | The average salary for a java developer is $104,710 per year. | | TIOBE rating is 2 | TIOBE rating is 1 | ## Features of C Here, are important features of C * Easy to learn * Structured language * It produces efficient programs * C is a basic and core computer programming language. If anyone knows C learning other programs becomes easier. * Portable and extensible programming language. * Small in size because it has only 32 keywords, this makes it easy to learn. ## Features of Java Here are the important features of the Java language. * Write code once and run it on almost any computing platform * It is designed for building object-oriented applications. * It is a multithreaded language with automatic memory management. * Facilitates distributed computing as its network-centric. ### RELATED ARTICLES * [ Difference Between C and C++ ](https://www.guru99.com/c-vs-cpp.html "Difference Between C and C++") * [ Pointers in C: What is Pointer in C Programming? Types ](https://www.guru99.com/c-pointers.html "Pointers in C: What is Pointer in C Programming? Types") * [ Top 50 COBOL Interview Questions (2026) ](https://www.guru99.com/cobol-interview-questions.html "Top 50 COBOL Interview Questions (2026)") * [ 20 Best C IDE (Editor) for Windows & Mac in 2026 ](https://www.guru99.com/best-c-ide.html "20 Best C IDE (Editor) for Windows & Mac in 2026") ## Application of C Here, are important applications of C language: * Contain basic feature of all [programming language](https://www.guru99.com/best-programming-language.html) * C can be learned to build programming skills * Very useful for hardware-dependent programming * It is used for compiler production. * ‘C’ language is used in embedded systems. * Use for developing an operating system. * It is used to develop databases. MySQL is the most popular database software that is built using ‘C’. * It is used for developing system applications. * It is used for developing desktop applications. * C is also used for developing browsers and their extensions. For example, Google’s Chromium. * Used popularly in IoT applications. ## Applications of Java Here, are important applications of Java language: * Android apps * Enterprise software * Scientific computing applications * Big data Analytics * Java programming of hardware devices * Used for server-side technologies like [Apache](https://www.guru99.com/apache.html), JBoss, GlassFish, etc. ## Advantages of C Here, are pros/benefits of C language: * Procedure oriented language * Speed of compilation * Program code is secured * C program can easily run on another computer without any change or by doing a little change. * Language code or syntax of C is easy to understand. It uses a keyword like if, else, switch, etc. * The C compiler is fast compared to other high language compilers. * It is more efficient than unstructured code because it creates of minimized branching of the code. * Maintenance of the C code is easy due to the readability of the code. * Building block for many other programming languages * Powerful and efficient language * Portable language * Built-in functions * Quality to extend itself * Structured programming language * Middle-level language * Easy Implementation of algorithms and data structures ## Advantages of Java Here, are benefits/ pros of using Java * Detailed documentation is available. * A large pool of skilled developers available * A huge array of 3rd party libraries * It allows you to form standard programs and reusable code. * It is a multi-threaded environment that allows you to perform many tasks at the same time in a program. * Excellent performance * Easy to navigate libraries ## Disadvantage of C * C does not offer the concept of OOPs * In the [C programming language](https://www.guru99.com/c-programming-tutorial.html), the errors or the bugs not detected after each line of code. * You can’t define a variable with the same name in C. * It is a small and core machine language that offers minimum data hiding and exclusive visibility that affects the security of this language. * C doesn’t have the concept of namespace , constructor, and destructor. * Run time type checking is Not Available ## Disadvantage of Java Here, are cons/drawback of using Java language * JIT compiler makes the program comparatively slow. * Java has high memory and processing requirements. Therefore, hardware cost increases. * It does not provide support for low-level programming constructs like pointers. * You don’t have any control over garbage collection as Java does not offer functions like delete(), free(). #### Summarize this post with: ChatGPT Perplexity Grok Google AI **Stay Updated on AI** **Get Weekly AI Skills, Trends, Actionable Advice.** ##### Sign up for the newsletter Subscribe for Free You have successfully subscribed. 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