Object-Oriented Programming vs Functional Programming

In software development, there are two popular paradigms - Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and Functional Programming (FP). These paradigms have distinct differences:

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP):

• Focuses on objects and data, with behavior encapsulated within the objects.
• Uses classes and objects to model real-world entities and their relationships.
• Key concepts include inheritance, encapsulation, and polymorphism.

Functional Programming (FP):

• Focuses on functions as the primary building blocks.
• Emphasizes immutability and avoids side effects.
• Functions are first-class citizens and can be passed as arguments or returned as results.

When to Choose Object-Oriented Programming:

Choose OOP when:

• You need to model real-world entities with their behaviors and relationships.
• Codebase will have multiple entities with shared behavior that can benefit from inheritance.
• Emphasis is on organizing code into reusable and maintainable components.

When to Choose Functional Programming:

Choose FP when:

• You need a more declarative and concise style of programming.
• Concurrency and parallelism are important, as FP promotes immutability and avoids mutable state.
• Your project requires higher order functions, pure functions, and function composition.

Both OOP and FP have their strengths and weaknesses, and the choice between them depends on the specific requirements and goals of the software project.