Programming Paradigms

Programming paradigms are ways of thinking about and structuring code. Each paradigm provides a different lens through which developers can approach problem-solving. Below are the major paradigms and their core principles:

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

Object-Oriented Programming is a paradigm that organizes code around objects—instances of classes that combine both data and behavior. It is built on four pillars: abstraction, encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism.
This paradigm promotes reusability, modularity, and maintainability.

Examples of OOP languages: Java, C#, C++, Python.

Concurrent Programming

Concurrent programming focuses on executing multiple tasks at the same time. This can mean breaking down a large task into smaller subtasks that run concurrently, or managing several independent tasks in parallel.

Key considerations include synchronization, communication between tasks, and avoiding race conditions.

Examples of languages that support concurrency: Go, Rust, Java.

Event-Driven Programming

In event-driven programming, the flow of the application is controlled by events—such as user clicks, sensor readings, or messages. Developers define event handlers that trigger when a specific event occurs.

This paradigm is common in GUIs, real-time systems, and serverless computing.

Examples: JavaScript, Node.js, Python's Twisted.

Logic Programming

Logic programming is based on formal logic. A program consists of facts and rules about a domain. The interpreter applies inference rules to answer queries, effectively proving them.

Examples: Prolog, Mercury.

Functional Programming

Functional programming treats computation as evaluating pure functions with no side effects. It emphasizes immutability, higher-order functions, and referential transparency.

The result is more predictable, composable, and easier-to-debug programs.

Examples: Haskell, Lisp, Erlang, Clojure.

Procedural Programming

Procedural programming is one of the oldest paradigms. It structures code into procedures (functions, routines, subroutines), emphasizing the explicit sequence of steps required to solve a problem.

Common constructs include loops, conditionals, and variables.

Examples: C, Pascal, Fortran.

Core OOP Principles

While many paradigms exist, OOP remains dominant in enterprise and application development. Let's look deeper at three of its key principles: abstraction, encapsulation, and polymorphism.

Abstraction

Abstraction hides implementation details and exposes only the essential functionality. It allows developers to think in terms of what a component does rather than how it does it.

In TypeScript:

Classes define blueprints for creating objects.
Interfaces define contracts that classes must adhere to.

This reduces complexity and makes systems more extensible.

Encapsulation

Encapsulation bundles data (attributes) and methods (behaviors) into a single unit, typically a class.

Internal state is protected from direct external access.
Data access and modification are controlled through getters and setters.
It ensures data integrity and provides a clear API surface for interaction.

Encapsulation is not just hiding data—it's about bundling related state and behavior together.

Polymorphism

Polymorphism allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass. This makes code more flexible and extensible.