ABAP vs. COBOL vs. JSON vs. JavaScript Comparison Chart

ABAP (Advanced Business Application Programming) is SAP’s proprietary fourth‑generation programming language, purpose‑built for mass data processing in SAP business applications. Utilized within SAP NetWeaver, it enables companies running SAP ERP and S/4 HANA to tailor systems precisely to their needs. ABAP is a multi‑paradigm language that supports procedural, object‑oriented, and other programming styles. It can seamlessly interoperate with languages such as Java, JavaScript, and SAPUI5. ABAP embraced object orientation with release 4.6C (2000) and saw even greater efficiency gains in ABAP 7.4/7.5, cutting code length by up to 50% via richer syntax, enhanced Open SQL, ABAP Managed Database Procedures, and Core Data Services (CDS) Views. The arrival of SAP HANA in 2011 shifted much processing into the in‑memory database layer, enabling real‑time operations and unlocking powerful new programming possibilities.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data-interchange format. It is easy for humans to read and write. It is easy for machines to parse and generate. It is based on a subset of the JavaScript Programming Language Standard ECMA-262 3rd Edition - December 1999. JSON is a text format that is completely language independent but uses conventions that are familiar to programmers of the C-family of languages, including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Python, and many others. These properties make JSON an ideal data-interchange language. JSON is built on two structures: 1. A collection of name/value pairs. In various languages, this is realized as an object, record, struct, dictionary, hash table, keyed list, or associative array. 2. An ordered list of values. In most languages, this is realized as an array, vector, list, or sequence. These are universal data structures. Virtually all modern programming languages support them in one form or another.