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Crystal (programming language) VS Squirrel (programming language)

Compare Crystal (programming language) VS Squirrel (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.

Squirrel (programming language) logo Squirrel (programming language)

Squirrel is a high level imperative, object-oriented programming language, designed to be a light-weight scripting language that fits in the size, memory bandwidth, and real-time requirements of applications like video games.
  • Crystal (programming language) Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-26
  • Squirrel (programming language) Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-07

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.

Squirrel (programming language) features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Squirrel is designed to be a lightweight scripting language, making it ideal for applications where memory and processing power are limited, such as video games and embedded systems.
  • Embeddable
    The language is easily embeddable in C++ programs, allowing integration into a wide variety of applications without significant overhead.
  • Object-Oriented
    Squirrel supports object-oriented programming, which helps in organizing code and improves reusability and scalability of scripts.
  • Dynamic Typing
    As a dynamically typed language, Squirrel allows more flexible coding patterns and faster prototyping, as variable types do not need to be explicitly defined.
  • Coroutines Support
    Squirrel includes support for coroutines, facilitating asynchronous programming and simplifying the management of concurrent tasks.

Possible disadvantages of Squirrel (programming language)

  • Limited Libraries
    The language has a smaller ecosystem compared to more popular scripting languages like Python or Lua, limiting the available libraries and tools.
  • Niche Usage
    Squirrel is not as widely used or well-known as some other scripting languages, which can make finding community support or developers familiar with it more challenging.
  • Performance
    While adequate for most scripting needs, Squirrel may not deliver performance on par with statically typed languages or languages specifically optimized for performance.
  • Learning Curve
    For developers not familiar with C-style syntax or the language’s unique features, there can be a learning curve involved in becoming proficient.
  • Documentation
    The quality and quantity of documentation available for Squirrel is limited compared to more mainstream languages, potentially slowing down development.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Crystal (programming language) and Squirrel (programming language))
Programming Language
81 81%
19% 19
OOP
75 75%
25% 25
Generic Programming Language
Development
56 56%
44% 44

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Crystal (programming language) seems to be a lot more popular than Squirrel (programming language). While we know about 114 links to Crystal (programming language), we've tracked only 2 mentions of Squirrel (programming language). 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
View more

Squirrel (programming language) mentions (2)

  • oh, so you think you're controversial?
    Squirrel would like to have a word with this comment. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Generics can make your Go code slower
    * https://v8docs.nodesource.com/node-7.10/d5/dda/classv8_1_1_isolate.html#a24647f61d6b41f69668094bdcd6ea91f A project I worked on had a few points where it had to explicitly call GC multiple times back to back. Intertwined references from C++ -> Squirrel[1] -> C++ -> Squirrel meant the first GC would finalize some C++ objects, which would unroot some Squirrel objects, which would allow some more C++ objects fo be... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Crystal (programming language) and Squirrel (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.

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

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

Pike programming language - Dynamic programming language with a syntax similar to Java and C

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

D (Programming Language) - D is a language with C-like syntax and static typing.