What is the Difference Between Namespace and Package

The main difference between namespace and package is that namespace is available in C# (.NET) to organize the classes so that it is easier to handle the application, while package is available in Java and groups similar type of classes and interfaces to improve code maintainability.

Generally, a computer program is a set of instructions that instruct the CPU to perform a specific task. A programmer can write a program using a programming language. One such programing language type is a high-level programming language. It is easier for a programmer to read and understand the syntax of high-level programming languages. Two such programming languages are Java and C#. Of these, Java has a concept called packages while C# has a concept called namespace.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Namespace
      -Definition, Functionality
2. What is Package
     -Definition, Functionality
3. Difference Between Namespace and Package
     -Comparison of key differences

Key Terms

C#, Java, Namespace, Package

Difference Between Namespace and Package - Comparison Summary

What is Namespace

Namespace in C# helps to organize classes. Therefore, namespaces help to manage the application. In a simple C# program, the programmer uses the statement System.Console. It describes that the namespace is System and the class is Console.

Besides, to access the class of a namespace, the programmer should write this syntax, namespace_name.classname. However, the programmer can avoid writing the entire name each time by “using” keyword.

Difference Between Namespace and Package

Figure 1: C# program with namespace

In the above program, the namespace is ConsoleApplication1. It has a class and the main program is inside that class. Therefore, it will print the message on the console. Here, the “using statement” is used instead of writing the complete name to access a namespace.

Furthermore, global namespace is a root namespace. Moreover, global::System will always refer to the “System” namespace in the .NET framework.

What is Package

Package in Java is a set of similar classes and interfaces. Packages help to organize the classes and interfaces. Therefore, it improves maintainability. It also prevents naming collisions and provides access protection.

There are two types of packages; lang, awt, swing, io, and sql are some built-in packages available in Java. Programmer can use those classes in these packages on his program. Moreover, he can create his own packages. Those are user-defined packages.

Main Difference - Namespace vs Package

Figure 2: Java program with class P

Namespace vs Package

Figure 3: Java program with class Q

According to the above program, there is a package ‘a’ and a class P. The class has a method called msg. Q is another class. It has the main method. Inside the method, there is an object of P and msg method of Q is called inside main. It displays the “Hello World” on the console.

As msg method is inside class P and the class is in package a, to access the msg method, class Q has to import package a. If there is no import statement, it is not possible to access the msg method.

Difference Between Namespace and Package

Definition

A namespace is a logical division of classes in the .NET framework, while the package is an organized set of related classes and interfaces. Hence, this explains the main Namespace is a logical division of classes in the .NET framework, while the package is an organized set of related classes and interfaces.

Usage

Furthermore, the namespace is used to organize programs, both as an “internal” organization system for a program and as an “external” organization system. But, the package is used to organize files or public types to avoid type conflicts. Thus, this is another difference between namespace and package.

Conclusion

Namespace and package are two concepts available in programming. The main difference between namespace and package is that namespace is available in C# to organize the classes so that it is easier to handle the application while package, which is available in Java, group similar type of classes and interfaces to improve code maintainability. In brief, they both are similar but they belong to different languages. 

References:

1.“Java Package – Javatpoint.” Www.javatpoint.com, Available here.
2.“C# Namespaces – Javatpoint.” Www.javatpoint.com, Available here.

About the Author: Lithmee

Lithmee holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Systems Engineering and is reading for her Master’s degree in Computer Science. She is passionate about sharing her knowldge in the areas of programming, data science, and computer systems.

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