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Crystal (programming language) VS C (programming language)

Compare Crystal (programming language) VS C (programming language) and see what are their differences

Crystal (programming language) logo Crystal (programming language)

Programming language with Ruby-like syntax that compiles to efficient native code.

C (programming language) logo C (programming language)

C is a general-purpose computer programming language.
  • Crystal (programming language) Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-26
  • C (programming language) Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-31

Crystal (programming language) features and specs

  • Performance
    Crystal is designed to have the performance of C, thanks to its compilation to efficient native code. Its static type system and low-level memory management capabilities allow optimized execution.
  • Syntax
    Crystal offers a syntax that is heavily inspired by Ruby, making it intuitive and familiar for Ruby developers. This can significantly reduce the learning curve and improve developer productivity.
  • Type Inference
    Crystal provides powerful type inference, enabling developers to write less boilerplate code while still benefiting from the safety and performance of a statically-typed language.
  • Concurrency
    Crystal supports lightweight concurrency with fibers, which allows developers to write efficient and scalable concurrent programs with a simpler syntax compared to traditional threading models.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    Crystal has an active and growing community. It also boasts a rich ecosystem with libraries and tools, making it easier for developers to find resources and support.

Possible disadvantages of Crystal (programming language)

  • Maturity
    Crystal is still a relatively young language compared to more established languages like Python or Java. This can mean fewer resources, libraries, and tools, as well as potential instability in certain areas.
  • Compilation Time
    Crystal's compilation times can be slower compared to interpreted languages, particularly for larger codebases. This can impact development workflows and iteration speed.
  • Binary Size
    Compiled Crystal programs tend to generate larger binary sizes compared to other compiled languages like Go or Rust. This can be a consideration for resource-constrained environments.
  • Platform Support
    Being less mature, Crystal may have fewer options for platform-specific optimizations and integrations, which could limit its use in certain specialized applications.
  • Tooling
    Although the situation is improving, Crystal's tooling ecosystem is not as mature as those of older languages. This can affect the availability and quality of IDE support, debugging tools, and other development aids.

C (programming language) features and specs

  • Efficiency
    C programming language is known for its performance efficiency due to minimal runtime and direct mapping to machine instructions.
  • Portability
    Programs written in C can be compiled and run on various platforms with minimal modifications, making it highly portable across systems.
  • Rich Library Support
    C provides a vast collection of libraries that offer numerous functions for tasks ranging from mathematical computations to input-output operations.
  • Flexibility
    C provides a versatile framework for writing various applications, including system software, and is suitable for low-level programming.
  • Control
    C offers extensive control over system resources and memory, which allows for efficient system programming and hardware manipulation.
  • Well-Established Standards
    C has a well-defined standardization (ANSI C), which helps maintain consistency and reliability across different applications and platforms.

Possible disadvantages of C (programming language)

  • Low-level Abstraction
    C offers little abstraction from hardware, making it necessary for programmers to manage memory and system resources directly.
  • Complex Syntax
    C programming language has a somewhat complex syntax that may be difficult for beginners to grasp.
  • Manual Memory Management
    C requires explicit memory management, increasing the risk of memory leaks and buffer overflows if not handled properly.
  • Limited Error Handling
    The language provides limited support for error handling, often requiring codes to be written for error checking manually.
  • No Built-in Object-Oriented Programming
    C does not inherently support object-oriented programming paradigms like classes and inheritance, which are prevalent in modern programming.
  • Security Vulnerabilities
    The lack of built-in security features can expose programs to vulnerabilities such as buffer overflow attacks.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Crystal (programming language) and C (programming language))
Programming Language
84 84%
16% 16
OOP
78 78%
22% 22
Generic Programming Language
Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Crystal (programming language) seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 114 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Crystal (programming language) mentions (114)

  • Rhombus Language
    Did you ever see Crystal? It's more or less a typed Ruby. I've heard that you can port some code directly. https://crystal-lang.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Tiny JITs for a Faster FFI
    If you like the Ruby syntax (but want a statically typed language), you might want to take a look at Crystal: https://crystal-lang.org/ > Crystal is statically typed and type errors are caught early by the compiler, eliminating a range of type-related errors at runtime. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Advent of Code #1 (in Gleam)
    I really enjoyed using Crystal last year. It is a very ergonomic language with a featureful standard library. I was tempted to use it again this year, but I figured I should use this opportunity to try something new. After considering several languages including Go, F#, Nim, and Raku, I decided to go with Gleam. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Understanding Ruby 3.3 Concurrency: A Comprehensive Guide
    Also check https://crystal-lang.org/ which aims for ruby like syntax/dx but almost native performance. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Crystal 1.11.0 Is Released
    I like the first code example on https://crystal-lang.org
        # A very basic HTTP server.
    - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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C (programming language) mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of C (programming language) yet. Tracking of C (programming language) recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Crystal (programming language) and C (programming language), you can also consider the following products

Nim (programming language) - The Nim programming language is a concise, fast programming language that compiles to C, C++ and JavaScript.

Python - Python is a clear and powerful object-oriented programming language, comparable to Perl, Ruby, Scheme, or Java.

Go Programming Language - Go, also called golang, is a programming language initially developed at Google in 2007 by Robert...

C++ - Has imperative, object-oriented and generic programming features, while also providing the facilities for low level memory manipulation

V (programming language) - Simple, fast, safe, compiled language for developing maintainable software.

Java - A concurrent, class-based, object-oriented, language specifically designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible