Difference Between C, C++, and Java

Last Updated : 16 Jan 2026

C Language

C is a general-purpose, structured, procedural, and high-level programming language developed by Dennis MacAlistair Ritchie in 1972 at Bell Laboratories. The successor of the C language was CPL (Combined Programming Language). It is mainly used for system programming, such as to develop the operating system, drivers, compilers, etc.

The best-known example of an operating system that was developed using the C language is Unix and Linux, and the kernel.

Features

Machine-Independent and Portable
Modern Control Flow and Structure
Rich Set of Operators
Simple, Fast, And Efficient
Case-Sensitive
Low Memory Use
Easily Extendable
Statically-Type

C Program Example

Example

#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
    printf("Hello, World!\n");
    return 0;
}

Compile and Run

Output:

Hello, World!

C++ Language

C++ is an object-oriented, general-purpose programming language developed by Bjarne Stroustrup at Bell Labs in 1979. It is based on the C language, or we can say that it is an extension of the C language. It is used to develop high-performance applications.

Features

Case-Sensitive
Compiler-Based
Portability
Dynamic Memory Allocation
Supports both procedural and object-oriented programming paradigms.
Supports low-level memory manipulation through pointers.

C++ Program Example

Example

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
    cout << "Hello, World!" << endl;
    return 0;
}

Compile and Run

Output:

Hello, World!

Java Language

Java is also an object-oriented, class-based, static, strong, robust, safe, and high-level programming language. It was developed by James Gosling in 1995. It is both compiled and interpreted. It is used to create enterprise, mobile, and web-based applications

Features

Object-Oriented
Architecture-Neutral
Platform Independent
Dynamic And Distributed
Robust
Secure
Multithreaded
No direct memory access (no pointers)
Automatic memory management through garbage collection.

Java Program Example

Example

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello, World!");
    }
}

Compile and Run

Output:

Hello, World!

The following figure demonstrates that C++ is based on the C language, and Java is based on C++ and the C language.

Popularity of C, C++ and Java according to TIOBE Index.

C Vs. C++ Vs. Java

The languages are based on each other, but still, they are different in design and philosophy. The following table describes the major differences between C, C++, and Java. It will help you to select which language you have to learn.

Basis	C	C++	Java
Origin	The C language is based on BCPL.	The C++ language is based on the C language.	The Java programming language is based on both C and C++.
Programming Pattern	It is a procedural language.	It is an object-oriented programming language.	It is a pure object-oriented programming language.
Approach	It uses the top-down approach.	It uses the bottom-up approach.	It also uses the bottom-up approach.
Dynamic or Static	It is a static programming language.	It is also a static programming language.	It is a dynamic programming language.
Code Execution	The code is executed directly.	The code is executed directly.	The JVM executes the code.
Platform Dependency	It is platform-dependent.	It is platform-dependent.	It is platform-independent because of bytecode.
Translator	It uses a compiler only to translate the code into machine language.	It also uses a compiler only to translate the code into machine language.	Java uses both compiler and interpreter and it is also known as an interpreted language.
File Generation	It generates the .exe, and .bak, files.	It generates .exe file.	It generates .class file.
Number of Keyword	There are 32 keywords in the C language.	There are 60 keywords in the C++ language.	There are 52 keywords in the Java language.
Source File Extension	The source file has a .c extension.	The source file has a .cpp extension.	The source file has a .java extension.
Pointer Concept	It supports pointers.	It also supports pointers.	Java does not support the pointer concept because of security.
Union and Structure Datatype	It supports union and structure data types.	It also supports union and structure data types.	It does not support union and structure data types.
Pre-processor Directives	It uses pre-processor directives such as #include, #define, etc.	It uses pre-processor directives such as #include, #define, #header, etc.	It does not use directives but uses packages.
Constructor/ Destructor	It does not support a constructor and a destructor.	It supports both the constructor and the destructor.	It supports constructors only.
Exception Handling	It does not support exception handling.	It supports exception handling.	It also supports exception handling.
Memory Management	It uses the calloc(), malloc(), free(), and realloc() methods to manage the memory.	It uses the new and delete operators to manage the memory.	It uses a garbage collector to manage the memory.
Overloading	It does not support the overloading concept.	Method and operator overloading can be achieved.	Only method overloading can be achieved.
goto Statement	It supports the goto statement.	It also supports the goto statement.	It does not support the goto statements.
Used for	It is widely used to develop drivers and operating systems.	It is widely used for system programming.	It is used to develop web applications, mobile applications, and Windows applications.
Array Size	An array should be declared with a size. For example, int num[10].	An array should be declared with a size.	An array can be declared without declaring the size. For example, int num[].
Multi-threading Support	It does not support multi-threading.	It does not support multi-threading directly.	It supports built-in multi-threading through the Thread class and the Runnable interface.
Inheritance	Inheritance is not supported.	It supports all types of inheritance, including multiple inheritance.	It supports single, multilevel, and hierarchical inheritance. Multiple inheritance is supported via interfaces.
Security	It is less secure due to direct memory access.	It is more secure than C but still allows pointers.	It is highly secure; no pointers, with built-in security features and sandboxing.
Method Overriding	Not supported.	It supports using virtual functions.	It supports method overriding and runtime polymorphism.
Namespace	It does not support namespaces.	It supports namespaces via the namespace keyword.	It uses packages for namespace management.
Platform for Execution	Native machine platform.	Native machine platform.	Executes on Java Virtual Machine (JVM).
Exception Propagation	It does not have a built-in exception mechanism.	It provides exception handling with try-catch.	It provides robust exception handling with try-catch-finally and checked exceptions.
File Handling	It uses functions like fopen(), fclose().	It uses C-style functions and fstream classes.	It uses high-level classes from java.io and java.nio packages.

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