Scala allows you to express general programming patterns in a very concise and efficient format that minimises the number of lines of code. Performance is mediocre when using Python programming code to make calls to Spark libraries, but if there is a lot of processing involved, Python code becomes much slower than the equivalent Scala code. Hands-on experience in working with Scala for Spark projects is an added advantage for developers who want to enjoy programming in Apache Spark seamlessly. Scala and Python languages are equally expressive in the Spark context, so using Scala or Python can achieve the desired functionality.
Scala also provides better performance than Python due to its speed and can therefore be the preferred choice of programming language when it comes to handling large data sets. The Scala programming language, developed by the founder of Typesafe, provides the confidence to design, develop, code and deploy things the right way making the best use of the capabilities provided by Spark and other big data technologies. The biggest names in the digital economy are investing in programming with Scala for big data processing are - Kafka created by LinkedIn and Scalding created by Twitter. Before choosing a language to program with Apache Spark it is necessary for developers to learn Scala and Python to familiarise themselves with its features.
With the advent of various big data frameworks such as Apache Kafka and Apache Spark, the Scala programming language has gained importance among big data developers. With support for immutable data structures, for-comprehensions, immutably named values - Scala provides remarkable support for functional programming. Many organisations prefer the speed and simplicity of Spark, which supports many application programming interfaces (APIs) available from languages such as Java, R, Python and Scala. Data scientists often prefer to learn both Scala for Spark and Python for Spark, but Python is often the second favourite language for Apache Spark, as Scala came first.
Scala and Java are more engineering-oriented and are ideal for those with a programming background, especially in Java. Learning Scala enriches a programmer's knowledge of several novel abstractions in the type system, novel functional programming features and immutable data. You will master the essential skills of the open source Apache Spark framework and the Scala programming language. Scala allows developers to write efficient, readable and maintainable services without hanging program code in an unreadable web of callbacks.
