Getting started with Scala Programming — Features and Applications

Scala development services are on the rise, with developers frustrated with coding in Java. Scala is a few programming languages used as both general-purpose and OOPS. Scala programming is hard but worth learning for developers looking to progress in their careers quickly. Developers already working with Java can compile Scala code inside a Scala compiler run by JVM (Java Virtual Machine).

Scala was created to ease out the programming complexities w.r.t. other languages. This gives an advantage to Scala over Java that is restrictive, requires more effort to program, and eventually frustrates developers.

Scala is a cleaner OOP language that has increased workplace productivity and proves easier to use. The popularity of Scala is rapidly increasing. Hiring Scala developers for Scala development companies has become a trend on job portals.

What must a developer know before getting into Scala?

Becoming an expert in Scala is easy, and in a short period, you can start developing Scala applications. Scala programming language runs in synchronization with Java. Developers having the basic know-how of Java language easily and quickly develop their expertise in Scala. The syntax of Scala is similar to the syntax of Java. However, while Java mandates it, Scala does not require a semicolon (;) to be put at the end of every statement.

Programmers aspiring to become Full Stack Developers must learn Scala and upgrade their profiles. Fundamental knowledge in Java programming about OOPS concepts of variables, loops, arrays, classes, and objects likewise is a must. A programmer must also know how to define and initialize various data structures in Java.

The knowledge of MVC (Model-View-Controller) is an addon to understanding the Scala language programming constructs. The frontend-backend data exchange links in Java are similar to those in the Scala programming language.

Developers must also be proficient in downloading and installing various software applications. Using Java requires one to install the latest stable release of JDK (Java Development Kit). This includes JRE (Java Runtime Environment), shared between Java and Scala. Also, JDK includes setting up JVM (Java Virtual Machine), which comprises JRE.

Coders must know how to install and configure various paths of an IDE and configure their compilers as well. Installation paths of JVM and JRE are to be fed into the IDE that is to be used for programming. However, it will be good even if experienced developers do not know Java but are familiar with other programming languages. One can develop expertise in the Scala programming language even if the program is in C, C++, or Python.

One can implement Scala on a CLI (Command Line Interface) or an operating system terminal. Developers hired by a Scala development company often use Scala inside IDES such as NetBeans, Eclipse, or IntelliJ. IDE is an Integrated Development Environment that provides an interface for your code constructs to be written correctly. Also, IDEs link the code to language-specific backend compilers for compilation and execution.

Here is a simple Hello world program in Scala. Look at the number of lines required instead of the code complexities in Java.

object HelloScala

{ def main (args: Array [String] ) : Unit = { println (“Hello World!”) }

}

Scala is often less verbose than many other OOP languages. Hence it is the most preferred choice for quicker execution of the code. For a more real-world scenario where strings are to be input, this is how it’s done: -

val list = List ( “1”, “2”, “3” )

A few tips, tricks, and techniques exist in other languages to shorten the code length. But those are seldom used by developers daily for client projects. Many-a-times, quite a lot of clients do not like their code to be shortened and require to be elaborated.

Maybe because their in-house developers fail to understand the shortened code as it isn’t a daily practice by many. For example, we have this list of numerical strings. Now, we require them to convert into integers: -

val ints = list.map ( s => s.toInt )

Why does Scala programming language feature in the topmost list of any Full Stack Developer?

Apart from just being another OOP language, Scala has unique features that differentiate itself from other languages: -

1. Numerous technologies, tools, and frameworks support Scala and developers in their development journey.
2. Scala is considered an extensible language that extends its capabilities to other OOP languages. Multiple languages coding styles are supported in Scala.
3. Scala allows developers to create Scala applications in a DSL format.
4. Scala is an inherent OOP language.
5. Scala has a lightweight independent syntax that developers use to create high-order functions.
6. Scala allows developers to write immutable codes in an immutable manner.
7. Scala supports static programming.
8. Scala and Java share their runtime environment, i.e., the JRE.
9. Scala does not enforce a semicolon after every statement.
10. Scala is one of the most widely used programming languages by big data developers.

Where do developers prefer to use the Scala programming language?

Scala is a compelling programming language that supports many functionalities such as: -

1. DSL format.
2. Cloud and Distributed computing.
3. Android applications and API calls.
4. Big data computing with Apache Spark.
5. Web-based and desktop standalone applications.
6. Linking the frontend and backend of web applications.
7. Supports the AWS Lambda function for cloud computing.
8. Concurrent, parallel, and batch data processing mechanisms.
9. Supports machine learning algorithm scripts to build complex algorithms.
10. Real-time data transfer/streaming and messaging applications using the Spark framework.

Why is Scala so scalable?

Enterprises, corporations, organizations, and companies want to **hire Scala Developers**. The OOP-based language constructs of Scala have created a very high demand for Scala expertise. Scala was introduced on 20th January 2004 and hence is late compared to many of its competitor languages.

Yet, it took over the reins of becoming the most popular and favorite of developers across business sectors and industries. Scala has emerged as one of the most robust languages for high productivity at workplaces with lesser compile-run times.

Scala development companies motivate their in-house developers by these ten reasons to give them heads-up in learning Scala. Conglomerates across various business sectors have moved most of their programs to Scala from other languages.

The primary reasons are concurrency, scalability, and the ability to code backend scripts for performing backend operations. Apple, Twitter, Walmart, Netflix, LinkedIn, Meetup.com, Google, Amazon, IBM, and Autodesk are hiring Scala developers.