Learning Scala enriches a programmer's knowledge of several novel abstractions in the type system, new functional programming features, and immutable data. Let's explore some important factors to consider before deciding on Scala over Python as the primary programming language for Apache Spark. Reports have also shown that Scala is securing the 30th position in the list of top 50 trendy programming languages. Scala is a combination of object-oriented and functional programming in a concise, high-level language.
Before choosing a language for programming with Apache Spark, it is necessary for developers to learn Scala and Python to become familiar with their features. Many organisations favour the speed and simplicity of Spark, which supports many application programming interfaces (APIs) available from languages such as Java, R, Python and Scala. Scala allows developers to write efficient, readable and maintainable services without hanging program code in an unreadable web of callbacks. Scala is arguably the best choice for Spark Streaming because Python Spark support is not as advanced and mature as Scala.
Scala was developed to allow common programming patterns to be expressed in a concise and safe format. There is a growing demand for Scala developers because big data companies value developers who can master a productive and robust programming language for data analysis and processing in Apache Spark. Both Python and Scala are excellent tools that can meet a variety of programming and data science needs. Using Scala for Spark provides access to the latest features of the Spark framework, as they are first available in Scala and then ported to Python.
Choosing a programming language for Apache Spark is a subjective matter because the reasons why a particular data scientist or data analyst likes Python or Scala for Apache Spark may not always apply to others. You will master the essential skills of the open source Apache Spark framework and the Scala programming language. Scala allows the expression of general programming patterns in a very concise and efficient format while minimising the number of lines of code.