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One of the factors fueling the popularity of smart contracts is the rapidly expanding usage of blockchain. Many emerging blockchain platforms are attempting to develop their own smart contract languages to improve user engagement and coordination. Many decentralized apps based on the Ethereum blockchain are currently available, using Solidity as their core programming language. But there are many more equally competent languages that can work the magic just as good.
In reality, the argument over Solidity vs. Move vs. Clarity is primarily about the benefits of having many smart contract programming languages for different use cases. The following discussion will assist you in considering the three most popular programming languages for smart contract development. However, the difference between these three players based on many variables will be the focus of the following debate.
What Are the Benefits of Solidity, Move, and Clarity?
Before comparing Solidity, Move, and Clarity, it’s necessary to consider why they’re needed. Smart contracts are computer programs that regulate the exchange of resources or assets, such as services and financial transactions. The execution of smart contracts is based on blockchain technology. Without the interference of central authority, blockchain allows mutually untrustworthy individuals to establish agreements on a given state of a transaction.
Smart contracts are, at their most basic level, just code with precise instructions that must be carried out when certain circumstances are met. A smart contract between a lender and a borrower, for example, might describe the loan’s duration, interest rate, and amount. The smart contract in this example may be set to terminate whenever the borrower has paid back the specified loan amount plus interest calculated over the defined period.
The Best Programming Languages for Smart Contracts
You’ll need a programming language that supports this if you wish to specify the terms of the agreement in the smart contract. Surprisingly, there are a plethora of trustworthy smart contract programming languages available today. On the other side, having so many options may cause uncertainty when it comes to making a final decision.
As a result, it’s critical to compare and contrast the best smart contract programming languages to make informed selections. However, to win the battle to become the greatest smart contract programming language, it’s also critical to identify the top rivals. Here’s a quick rundown of three prominent smart contract development languages, followed by a comparison of their features.
Solidity
Solidity is the first entrant in the Solidity vs. Move vs. Clarity comparison, indicating that it is presently the preferred language for smart contract creation. Why? It was created exclusively for the purpose of establishing smart contracts on the Ethereum network. Solidity, which was created by the Ethereum network’s key developers, is a viable alternative for implementing smart contracts in the Ethereum Virtual Machine and other blockchain development platforms.
It’s an object-oriented, high-level, curly-bracket programming language that borrows heavily from other computer languages like JavaScript, C++, and Python. Solidity may make it possible for programmers to write scripts that rely on self-enforcing business logic. Most importantly, the design inspiration for Solidity comes from the JavaScript syntax, which makes it easier for developers to comprehend and apply JavaScript. Enrol into a solidity course and become a solidity developer
Move
The Move programming language provides the framework for Diem blockchain implementation. It allows programmers to create programs that assist asset management and transfer in a flexible manner, therefore increasing asset security. Furthermore, the Move programming language was created with several key use cases outside of the blockchain domain in mind.
Copying or implicitly discarding any resource in Move is impossible. Resources, on the other hand, could only be transferred between program storage sites. Move’s type system is in charge of statically enforcing such safety guarantees. Despite extra protections, resources are essentially regular program values.
Clarity
One of the key characteristics of smart contracts is the requirement for putting critical business logic on a blockchain. Smart contracts may be executed with perfect transparency, security, and verifiability without the use of trusted third parties. Smart contracts, on the other hand, are only useful in rare circumstances, therefore Clarity is a useful language for implementing smart contract capabilities.
The feature of certainty is the most likely value benefit using Clarity as a smart contract creation language. Clarity has the advantage of being a ‘decidable’ programming language, which means you can tell what the program will perform just by looking at the code. Clarity is also Turing-incomplete by design to avoid worries about ‘Turing Complexity.’ As a result, it can do a complete static analysis of a smart contract’s whole call graph.
Key differences between Solidity, Move, and Clarity
Blockchain Platform
The supported blockchain platforms are the first factor to consider while deciding between Solidity, Move, and Clarity. In this situation, you can link to the blockchain platform for which programming languages have been expressly designed. Solidity is optimized for Ethereum blockchain applications, whereas Move is suitable for Diem blockchain applications. Clarity, on the other hand, is well-suited to building apps on the Stacks 2.0 blockchain that includes smart contract functionality.
Need for Compilation
Once you’ve created your code, you’ll need to run it, which necessitates the use of a compiler. The requirement for compilation in programming languages also serves as a foundation for the Solidity vs Move vs Clarity distinctions. The two languages that need compilation are Solidity and Move, with Clarity being the odd one out.
Move has a compiler called Move IR, whereas Solidity has a compiler called solc. Clarity, on the other hand, is an interpreted language that does not require a compiler. The code written by developers is updated on all blockchain nodes, ensuring error-free compilation code.
Supported Data Types
The types that smart contract programming languages enable are obviously the next important distinction. Booleans, enums, functions, addresses, integers, strings, byte arrays, and more types are supported by Solidity. Booleans, references, unsigned 64-bit integers, fixed-size byte arrays, and 256-bit addresses are all supported by Move. Integers, buffers, Booleans, response, list, optional, tuple, and principal types are supported by the third participant, Clarity.
Wrapping up
For many reasons, the ultimate choice from the Solidity vs Move vs Clarity comparison would be rather perplexing. Solidity, Move, and Clarity, for example, have their own set of commonalities in addition to their distinctions. All three languages are statically typed and offer the data types Booleans and Integers. The distinctions between the three most popular smart contract development languages, on the other hand, demonstrate that each has different value benefits.
