Programming Paradigms

Programming paradigm refers to the writing style and method of structuring code. It refers to tools and strategies to solve problems in a certain way, following a certain structure. There are many well-known styles; teams should always adhere to a paradigm’s philosophy or approach when choosing to focus on one.

Each paradigm has a unique set of structures, attributes, and ideas about how to approach typical programming issues. It makes perfect sense to employ several paradigms for various projects since different paradigms are well suited for multiple challenges. Additionally, each paradigm’s practices have changed over time. Due to improvements in hardware and software, new strategies that were not previously possible have emerged. All these have opened up a wide range of possibilities for writing and structuring a particular program.

There are two basic categories for programming paradigms. The features of the programming language and a particular method of arranging the computer code determine the paradigm type.

Imperative Programming

An imperative paradigm is a command-driven approach used by programmers to instruct the machine to do a particular task in a specific way. A program written imperatively consists of several program statements. Every command requires the machine to carry out a specific action. The programming language controls the program’s execution as a series of statements performed one at a time.

The imperative approach has two key categories, and they are as follows:

• Object-oriented programming (OOP) Programming that uses objects to represent program elements is known as object-oriented programming. The program comprises classes and objects with communication as its primary purpose. Objects, the simplest and most fundamental entities, do all types of computations. Some essential elements of OOP include Abstraction, Encapsulation, Inheritance, and Polymorphism.

  The data and corresponding methods are joined as one cohesive entity by an object. Thus, the programmer can regulate the authorization for data access by specifying the access specifier. The focus is mainly on the data than the procedure. OOP delivers significant security features since OOP programming guards against accidental manipulation of the program data by another procedure. OOP is used extensively in three popular areas: software, game, and graphic development. Enterprise-level software projects frequently employ languages that adhere to the OOP paradigm, such as C++ and Java.

Object-oriented programming offers a sustainable way to write spaghetti code. It lets you accrete programs as a series of patches.

• Paul Graham, Hackers & Painters Author

• Procedural programming The procedural paradigm-based program consists of several steps. Function and subroutines are other terms for the procedures. In procedural programming, several functions make up the program structure. Each has a particular job to perform. The computations that make up the function instruct the machine to carry out one specific task. The function can be called multiple times within the program to redo an action when defined. The programmer can either develop a library of user-defined functions or use functions from the standard library. The C language is the most widely employed language that this approach uses.

  One more imperative approach is the parallel processing paradigm. This paradigm entails fundamental presumptions regarding the interconnection of essential hardware elements like processors and memory. These fundamental presumptions are vital in creating parallel code that is both functionally sound and effective.

Declarative Programming

Declarative programming is a method of creating programs that exposes computing theory without discussing its control flow. It might make it easier to write parallel programs. The emphasis is on what must be performed, not how it performs, and on what the code accomplishes. It simply states the desired outcome without specifying how it achieves.

• Functional programming The functional programming paradigms are language-independent and have their origins in mathematics. The paradigm’s fundamental concept is executing several mathematical operations. Instead of data structures, functions intended for certain computations serve as the primary model for abstraction. Data and functions have loose coupling, and the function hides their implementation method. Programmers can swap out functions and values without altering the program’s essence. This paradigm is utilized primarily by some languages, including JavaScript.

Why is it important to follow programming paradigms?

The practice of programming paradigms minimizes program complexity. Every developer must build their programs using a paradigm method where each has benefits and drawbacks of its own.

New developers should learn OOP and functional programming initially. OOP mainly solves real-world issues. They should make an effort to recognize their ideas and include them in their initiatives. Learning them through practice is the most effective way to implement them. Developers can understand their views, resulting in more straightforward, effective, and efficient code.

The most important property of a program is whether it accomplishes the intention of its user.

• Tony Hoare, Computer Scientist

Recap

Different paradigms are available under imperative and declarative approaches, and structuring a program code with a suitable paradigm is crucial. There are numerous paradigms to meet any need, just as there are various programming languages.

The future of software and programming is inevitably multi-paradigm. A large portion of real optimization involves running tests to determine whether an approach is more effective or superior overall.