Comparison of multi-paradigm programming languages

Programming languages can be grouped by the number and types of paradigms supported.

Paradigm summaries

A concise reference for the programming paradigms listed in this article.

• Concurrent programming – have language constructs for concurrency, these may involve multi-threading, support for distributed computing, message passing, shared resources (including shared memory), or futures
  • Actor programming – concurrent computation with actors that make local decisions in response to the environment (capable of selfish or competitive behavior)
• Constraint programming – relations between variables are expressed as constraints (or constraint networks), directing allowable solutions (uses constraint satisfaction or simplex algorithm)
• Dataflow programming – forced recalculation of formulas when data values change (e.g. spreadsheets)
• Declarative programming – describes actions (e.g. HTML describes a page but not how to actually display it)
• Distributed programming – have support for multiple autonomous computers that communicate via computer networks
• Functional programming – uses evaluation of mathematical functions and avoids state and mutable data
• Generic programming – uses algorithms written in terms of to-be-specified-later types that are then instantiated as needed for specific types provided as parameters
• Imperative programming – explicit statements that change a program state
• Logic programming – uses explicit mathematical logic for programming
• Metaprogramming – writing programs that write or manipulate other programs (or themselves) as their data, or that do part of the work at compile time that would otherwise be done at runtime
  • Template metaprogramming – metaprogramming methods in which templates are used by a compiler to generate temporary source code, which is merged by the compiler with the rest of the source code and then compiled
  • Reflective programming – metaprogramming methods in which a program modifies or extends itself
• Object-oriented programming – uses data structures consisting of data fields and methods together with their interactions (objects) to design programs
  • Class-based – object-oriented programming in which inheritance is achieved by defining classes of objects, versus the objects themselves
  • Prototype-based – object-oriented programming that avoids classes and implements inheritance via cloning of instances
• Pipeline programming – a simple syntax change to add syntax to nest function calls to language originally designed with none
• Rule-based programming – a network of rules of thumb that comprise a knowledge base and can be used for expert systems and problem deduction & resolution
• Visual programming – manipulating program elements graphically rather than by specifying them textually (e.g. Simulink); also termed diagrammatic programming^[1]

Language overview

List of multi-paradigm programming languages

Lan­guage	Num­ber of Para­digms	Con­cur­rent	Con­straints	Data­flow	De­clar­at­ive	Dis­trib­uted	Func­tion­al	Meta­pro­gram­ming	Gen­er­ic	Im­per­at­ive	Lo­gic	Re­flec­tion	Ob­ject-ori­ented	Pipe­lines	Visu­al	Rule-based	Oth­er para­digms
Ada[2][3][4][5][6]	5	Yes[a 1]	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
ALF	2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
AmigaE	2	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
APL	2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
BETA	3	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
C++	7 (13)	Yes[7][8][9]	Library[10]	Library[11][12]	Library[13][14]	Library[15][16]	Yes	Yes[17]	Yes[a 3]	Yes	Library[18][19]	Library[20]	Yes[a 2]	Yes[21]	No	Library[22]	No
C#	6 (7)	Yes	No	Library[a 4]	No	No	Yes[a 5]	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	reactive[a 6]
ChucK	3	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Claire	2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Common Lisp (some other paradigms are implemented as libraries)	5	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Curl	5	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes[a 3]	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Curry	4	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
D (version 2.0)[23][24]	6	Yes[a 7]	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes[25][a 3]	Yes[a 3]	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Dylan	2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
E	3	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
ECMAScript[26][27] (ActionScript, E4X, JavaScript, JScript)	3	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 8]	No	No	No	No
Embarcadero Delphi	3	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes[a 3]	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Erlang	3	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Elixir	4	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Elm	42	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	reactive
F#	7 (8)	Yes[a 7]	No	Library[a 4]	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	reactive[a 6]
Falcon	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Fortran	4	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes[a 9]	No	Yes[a 10]	No	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Io	4	Yes[a 7]	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 8]	No	No	No	No
J	3	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Java	6	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Julia	9	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes "multiple dispatch"	Yes	No	No	Multiple dispatch and Array
LabVIEW	2	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Lava	2	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	Yes	No	No
Leda	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
LispWorks (version 6.0 with support for symmetric multi-processing, rules, logic (Prolog), CORBA)	9	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	Yes	No
Lua	3	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 8]	No	No	No	No
MATLAB	9	Yes[28]	Yes[29]	Yes[30]	No	Yes[31]	No	Yes[32]	Yes[33]	No	No	Yes[34]	Yes[35]	No	Yes[36]	No	Array
Nemerle	7	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Object Pascal	4	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
OCaml	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Oz	9	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	Yes	No
Perl	8 (9)	Yes[37]	Library[38]	Yes[39]	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes[a 2]	Yes[a 2]	Yes	No	No	No
PHP[40][41][42]	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Picat[43]	9	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Pliant	3	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
PointDragon	3	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Poplog	3	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No
Prograph	3	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	Yes	No	No
Python	4	Library	No	No	No	No	Partial	Yes	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
R	5	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	Array
Racket	6	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No
ROOP	3	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	No
Ruby	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Rust (version 1.0.0-alpha)	8	Yes[a 7]	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes[44][45]	Yes[46]	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	linear, affline, and ownership types
Sather	2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Scala[47][48]	9	Yes[a 7]	No	Yes [a 11]	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
Simula	2	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	No
SISAL	3	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Spreadsheets	2	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No
Swift	4	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	block-structured
Tcl with Snit extension	3	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes[a 8]	No	No	No	No
Visual Basic .NET	6 (7)	Yes	No	Library[a 4]	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	No	No	No	reactive[a 6]
Windows PowerShell	6	No	No	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes[a 2]	Yes	No	No	No
Wolfram Language & Mathematica	14[49]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No	Yes	Knowledge Based
rendezvous and monitor-like based Class-based Template metaprogramming using TPL Dataflow only lambda support (lazy functional programming) using Reactive Extensions (Rx) actor programming Prototype-based purely functional parameterized classes Akka

See also

• Programming paradigm
• Categorical list of programming languages
• Domain-specific programming language
• Domain-specific multimodeling

References

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2. Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, Section 9: Tasks and Synchronization
3. Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3 Annex E: Distributed Systems
4. Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, Section 12: Generic Units
5. Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, Section 6: Subprograms
6. Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, 3.9 Tagged Types and Type Extensions
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13. Boolinq
14. AraRat
15. OpenMPI
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17. Boost.MPL
18. LC++
19. Castor
20. Reflect Library
21. N3534
22. Boost.Spirit
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28. Execute loop iterations in parallel with parfor
29. Write constraints with Optimization Toolbox
30. SimEvents
31. Execute loop iterations in parallel with parfor
32. Execute MATLAB expression in text string with eval
33. Determine class of object
34. Getting information about classes and objects
35. Object-oriented programming with MATLAB
36. Simulink
37. interpreter based threads
38. Moose
39. Higher Order Perl
40. PHP Manual, Chapter 17. Functions
41. PHP Manual, Chapter 19. Classes and Objects (PHP 5)
42. PHP Manual, Anonymous functions
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45. "The Rust compiler plugins guide". http://rust-lang.org. Retrieved 19 January 2015. External link in |website= (help)
46. The Rust Reference §6.1.3.1
47. An Overview of the Scala Programming Language
48. Scala Language Specification
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• Multiparadigm Design for C++, by Jim Coplien, 1998.
• Constraint Solving and Planning with Picat, Book by Neng-Fa Zhou, Håkan Kjellerstrand, and Jonathan Fruhman: Constraint Solving and Planning with Picat, Springer Verlag. ISBN 9783319258812 (paper)