Why use Scala in 2026 (H2 edition)

Transcript

1. Scala • A statically-typed programming language that integrates object-oriented and functional programming (https://www.scala-lang.org/) • Convenient and safe with rigorous theoretical foundations – Modern, compact syntax – Flexible type system • Type classes, implicit parameters, capabilities, … – Powerful type inference • Fully interoperable with Java and JavaScript (Scala.js) – Also: native code compiler (Scala Native) • About as fast as Java • Pushes the boundaries of what is possible to express in a type-safe way given the above properties of the language Philipp Haller 1
2. Motivation for Using Scala • Scala is an excellent choice for implementing interpreters, type checkers, and compilers – Excellent fit for the programming assignments – Language features of particular interest: case classes and pattern matching, tuples, higher-order functions, etc. • Scala has received the highest international award for its significant impact on both industrial software development and programming language research (ACM SIGPLAN Programming Languages Software Award) • In addition, learning a new language… – is beneficial when studying the principles of programming languages – can make you a better programmer, regardless of the languages you are going to use for future tasks Philipp Haller 2
3. Latest RedMonk Ranking Scala Scala tied with Kotlin and ranked higher than Rust 6) 2 0 2 y r a u n a king (J n a R k n o M d Latest Re Source: Stephen O’Grady, The RedMonk Programming Language Rankings: January 2026 https://redmonk.com/sogrady/2026/04/14/language-rankings-1-26/ Philipp Haller 3
4. A Growing Job Market for Scala Developers IEEE Spectrum ranking “The Top Programming Languages 2024” (“Jobs” preset) https://spectrum.ieee.org/top-programming-languages-2024 • Ranking of Scala benefits when availability of jobs is weighted higher (“Jobs” preset) • Scala is in the top 8 when non-general-purpose languages are excluded (SQL, SAS, HTML, Shell) Philipp Haller 4
5. Governance and Commercial Users • Scala was created by Prof. Martin Odersky at EPFL, Switzerland • The Scala language is a cooperative project led by three groups (see Scala Governance): – the Scala team in the research group of Prof. Martin Odersky at EPFL – the Scala team at VirtusLab – the Scala Center at EPFL • Many individuals, companies, and organizations contribute as part of the broader Scala community – Scala community with forums, conferences, meetups, news, learning resources etc. • Prominent Scala users: – Airbnb, Akka, Apple, Databricks, Goldman Sachs, Gradle, ING Bank, JPMorgan, Klarna, Lego, Microsoft, MOIA, Morgan Stanley, Netflix, PayPal, Procter & Gamble, REWE Group, Shopify, SiriusXM, Spotify, Starbucks, Tesla, Verizon, VirtusLab, Walmart, Walt Disney, Wolt, Zalando Philipp Haller 5