Difference between procedural and object oriented programming (2024)

Procedural programming and object-oriented programming (OOP) are two different paradigms used in software development. Here’s a comparison between the two with examples:

Procedural Programming:

1. Focus: Procedural programming focuses on creating a step-by-step procedure or algorithm to solve a problem. It revolves around functions or procedures that manipulate data.
2. Data and Functions: In procedural programming, data and functions are treated separately. Data is stored in variables, and functions operate on this data.
3. Top-down Approach: Procedural programming typically follows a top-down approach, where the main program calls various functions to accomplish a task.
4. Example: Consider a program to calculate the area of a rectangle in procedural programming:

# Procedural Programming Example (Python)def calculate_area(length, width): return length * width 

# Main Programlength = 5width = 3area = calculate_area(length, width)print("Area of the rectangle:", area) 

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP):

1. Focus: Object-oriented programming focuses on modeling real-world entities as objects that have data (attributes) and behavior (methods).
2. Objects: In OOP, objects are instances of classes. Classes define the structure and behavior of objects.
3. Encapsulation: OOP promotes encapsulation, where data and methods that operate on the data are bundled together within a class, providing data hiding and abstraction.
4. Example: Consider a program to model a rectangle using OOP principles:

# Object-Oriented Programming Example (Python)class Rectangle: def __init__(self, length, width): self.length = length self.width = width 

 def calculate_area(self): return self.length * self.width# Main Programrectangle = Rectangle(5, 3)area = rectangle.calculate_area()print("Area of the rectangle:", area) 

Comparison:

• Procedural programming focuses on procedures or functions that manipulate data, whereas OOP focuses on modeling real-world entities as objects with data and behavior.
• In procedural programming, data and functions are treated separately, while OOP promotes encapsulation by bundling data and methods together within classes.
• Procedural programming follows a top-down approach, whereas OOP promotes a bottom-up approach, where objects collaborate to achieve a task.

In summary, while both paradigms have their strengths and weaknesses, object-oriented programming is often preferred for its modularity, reusability, and ease of maintenance, especially for larger and more complex software projects.

Object Oriented Programming in Java