Programming paradigm

A programming paradigm is a fundamental style of computer programming, serving as a way of building the structure and elements of computer programs.

Description

Capabilities and styles of various programming languages are defined by their supported programming paradigms.

Some programming languages are designed to follow only one paradigm, while others support multiple paradigms.

Programming paradigms that are often distinguished include:

• Imperative programming
• Declarative programming
• Functional programming
• Object-oriented programming
• Procedural programming
• Logic programming
• Symbolic programming

Using different paradigms

With different paradigms, programs can be seen and built in different ways.

For example:

• In object-oriented programming, a program is a collection of objects interacting in explicitly defined ways.
• In declarative programming the computer is told only what the problem is, not how to actually solve it.

Analogy: syllabus versus curriculum

Two principles from education -- the syllabus, and the curriculum -- offer a useful analogy.

Declarative programming is to syllabus

As imperative programming is to curriculum

See Syllabus versus curriculum.

See also

• Computation
• Computer program
• Computer programming
• Declarative programming
• Imperative programming
• Logic programming
• Object-oriented programming
• Programming language
• Programming language theory
• Structured programming
• Syllabus versus curriculum

External links

• Programming paradigm @ Wikipedia