Scala development became popular because of a number of reasons. Many companies prefer working with Scala thanks to its simplicity and conciseness compared to Java. Machine-compiled and static it provides more stable and reusable code. At the same time, it’s fully compatible with Java libraries and can be used alongside Java within one project.
The most popular dynamic Java programming language is prone to errors and unstable work while the static and concise Scala provides a stable and easily scalable solution. So, do you want to try some Scala development for your project and hire a Scala programmer? Let this article explain this intention’s perspectives and tell you a bit more about the Scala programming language.
What Is Scala and Why Is It Noteworthy?
Scala is a programming language developed in 2003 by German computer scientist Martin Odersky and released publicly on the Java platform in 2004. It was named after its scalability feature which makes it different from other languages for programming. Scala can be considered both an object and function-oriented programming language and is known and praised for the simplicity of its syntax, conciseness, and elegance compared to, for example, Java.
Still, this language is also known for its ability to inter-operate with Java and use many Java libraries together with third-party ones. It can be called flexible but at the same time, if you hire a Scala engineer he can deliver reliable and reusable code in significantly fewer lines than if he worked with Java.
The advantages of Scala are:
- The code is more reliable, concise, and less prone to errors
- The syntax is simple, thus it’s easier to write, debug, and run programs written in Scala than in other programming languages
- It’s both object- and function-oriented
- Tasks parallelizing in Scala is easy
- It can work with a lot of third-party libraries that can be added in the language construct form.
Where Can Scala Be Applied?
Here are a few examples of how the Scala programming language is used in practical situations:
- Web application development
- Utilizing streaming data app
- Development and maintenance of data-intensive, distributed, and concurrent applications
- Building modular and scalable software
- Building fast-working software
- Batch processing in parallel
- Apache Spark data analysis.
Scala gives the opportunity to work with big data with comfort and produce error-free, concise, and reliable code. That is why, many reputable and popular companies such as Netflix, Uber, and LinkedIn cannot go without Scala code and Scala developer teams.
Also, many data scientists, analytics, and computer scientists use Scala as an instrument in their work.
What to Consider Before Hiring Outsourced Scala Developers?
If you seriously intend to expand your team by using Scala development outsourcing, the main 3 things you should thoroughly consider are the specialist’s portfolio and references, skill set, and communicative skills. This list is rather standard for hiring developers working with any programming language and IT specialists in general, but it’s anyway worth closer consideration:
- Portfolio and references. It’s most preferable to hire Scala programmers who have experience creating high-performance, high-load software. Study their portfolio carefully because it can reveal a lot about the level of expertise they can provide. Additionally, you could look for feedback on their work in the community forums or ask for references.
- Skill set. Surely, the more skills your potential Scala coder has the better, but proceeding with the recruitment process is definitely senseless for those who don’t have at least this basic skill set:
- Scala proficiency.
- Knowledge of Python and Java, two other object-oriented programming languages.
- Building software solutions experience.
- Solid technical abilities
- Understanding of the principles and patterns of object-oriented programming.
- Spark, Hadoop, and MapReduce fundamentals.
- Communicative skills. The success of your project will primarily be determined by how well you communicate with your offshore developers. You must consider factors like the nature of the partnership, the size of the team, the provider’s location, the time difference, cultural quirks, etc. It’s also important to assess the English proficiency of your future Scala developers.
Conclusion
Scala is becoming a more and more popular programming language thanks to the stability and conciseness of the code it provides which results in the error-free user experience of applications and web projects. It can be the so-called moral compensation for errors provided by Java (as it was designed to address Java criticisms) but at the same time, it easily works with its libraries and can be used alongside Java with the same code line. Thanks to its multiple advantages, Scala is used by many reputable companies that deal with big data processing: LinkedIn, Netflix, Google, etc. Your company might also largely benefit from working with Scala. If you seriously consider hiring Scala developers, pay close attention to such features of your potential Scala developers as their portfolio and references, skill set, and communicative skills.
