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OCaml VS C

Compare OCaml VS C and see what are their differences

OCaml logo OCaml

(* Binary tree with leaves carrying an integer.

C logo C

One of the most widely used programming languages of all time
  • OCaml Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-03

We recommend LibHunt OCaml for discovery and comparisons of trending OCaml projects.

  • C Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-17

We recommend LibHunt C for discovery and comparisons of trending C projects.

OCaml features and specs

  • Strong Type System
    OCaml's type system is robust and supports type inference, which helps catch errors at compile time and increases code maintainability.
  • Functional Programming Features
    OCaml provides strong support for functional programming paradigms, which can lead to more concise and expressive code.
  • Performance
    OCaml compiles to native code, making it suitable for performance-critical applications while retaining the high-level language benefits.
  • Interactive Top-Level
    OCaml provides an interactive top-level or REPL (Read-Evaluate-Print Loop), useful for quickly testing code snippets and prototyping.
  • Pattern Matching
    OCaml's pattern matching is powerful and expressive, allowing for cleaner and more readable code when dealing with complex data structures.

Possible disadvantages of OCaml

  • Steep Learning Curve
    OCaml can be challenging to learn for developers unfamiliar with functional programming or type inference systems.
  • Limited Libraries
    Compared to more popular languages, OCaml has a smaller ecosystem of libraries and tools, which might limit its applicability in some domains.
  • Documentation
    The documentation for OCaml and its libraries can be sparse or insufficient, which can be a barrier for new users.
  • Verbose Syntax
    OCaml syntax can be verbose and may require more boilerplate code compared to some other functional languages.
  • Lack of Parallelism Support
    OCaml's support for parallelism and concurrency is limited compared to some other languages, which could be a disadvantage for highly concurrent applications.

C features and specs

  • Efficiency
    C provides low-level access to memory and is closely aligned with machine instructions, offering high-performance and efficient use of resources.
  • Portability
    Code written in C can be compiled on various platforms with minimal modification, making it highly portable across different systems.
  • Rich Library Support
    The C programming language has a powerful set of standard libraries that facilitate various operations (e.g., input/output, string handling).
  • Control and Flexibility
    C offers extensive control over system resources and hardware operations, allowing fine-tuning and optimization for specific use cases.
  • Foundation for Other Languages
    Many modern programming languages, like C++, Python, and Java, have their roots in C, making it a foundational language that's beneficial to learn.

Possible disadvantages of C

  • Lack of Abstraction
    C provides less abstraction compared to higher-level languages, which may result in more complex and error-prone code for certain tasks.
  • Manual Memory Management
    The programmer is responsible for managing memory allocation and deallocation, which can lead to memory leaks and other errors if not handled properly.
  • No Built-in Support for Object-Oriented Programming
    C does not natively support object-oriented programming paradigms, which can make modeling complex systems less intuitive compared to OOP languages.
  • Safety Issues
    Lack of bounds checking can lead to buffer overflows and other vulnerabilities, posing security risks in C programs if not carefully addressed.
  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Due to its low-level operations, beginners might find C more difficult to learn compared to higher-level languages with simpler syntax and automatic memory management.

OCaml videos

Uncommon Languages: OCaml

More videos:

  • Review - What is Ocaml?
  • Review - OCaml – The Best Coding Language for Blockchain – Dr. Dray at Tezos LA

C videos

Mercedes C-Class 2020 in-depth review | carwow Reviews

More videos:

  • Review - New Fractal Define Mini C - Build + Review!
  • Review - Fractal Meshify C Review: Thermals & Noise vs. Define C

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OCaml and C)
Programming Language
63 63%
37% 37
OOP
66 66%
34% 34
Generic Programming Language
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare OCaml and C

OCaml Reviews

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C Reviews

Top 5 Most Liked and Hated Programming Languages of 2022
C is one of the oldest programming languages. There are numerous other languages that came in after C like Java, PHP, etc., and have managed to outshine the former. When compared to C, other languages boast of a series of features thereby making it a less favourable one.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OCaml seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 32 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.

OCaml mentions (32)

  • TypeScript's Lack of Naming Types and Type Conversion in Angular
    Elm, ReScript, F#, Ocaml, Scala… it’s just normal to name your types, then use them places. In fact, you’ll often create the types _before_ the code, even if you’re not really practicing DDD (Domain Driven Design). Yes, you’ll do many after the fact when doing functions, or you start testing things and decide to change your design, and make new types. Either way, it’s just “the norm”. You then do the other norms... - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • ReScript has come a long way, maybe it's time to switch from TypeScript?
    Ocaml is still a wonderful language if you want to look into it, and Reason is still going strong as an alternate syntax for OCaml. With either OCaml or Reason you can compile to native code, or use the continuation of BuckleScript now called Melange. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Bringing more sweetness to ruby with sorbet types 🍦
    If you have been in the Ruby community for the past couple of years, it's possible that you're not a super fan of types or that this concept never passed through your mind, and that's totally cool. I myself love the dynamic and meta-programming nature of Ruby, and honestly, by the time of this article's writing, we aren't on the level of OCaml for type checking and inference, but still, there are a couple of nice... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Notes about the ongoing Perl logo discussion
    An amazing example is Ocaml lang logo / mascot. It might be useful to talk with them to know what was the process behind this work. The About page camel head on Perl dot org header is also a pretty good example of simplification, but it's not a logo, just a friendly illustration, as the O'Reilly camel is. Another notable logo for this animal is the well known tobacco industry company, but don't get me started on... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • What can Category Theory do?
    Haskell and Agda are probably the most obvious examples. Ocaml too, but it is much older, so its type system is not as categorical. There is also Idris, which is not as well-known but is very cool. Source: almost 2 years ago
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C mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OCaml and C, you can also consider the following products

Rust - A safe, concurrent, practical language

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

GoCD - Open source continuous delivery tool allows for advanced workflow modeling and dependencies management.

NIM - GB64.COM is the home of The Gamebase Collection of C64 games.

Elixir - Dynamic, functional language designed for building scalable and maintainable applications

JavaScript - Lightweight, interpreted, object-oriented language with first-class functions