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Go, PHP, and Java Performance Comparison: Which Programming Language is the Fastest?

M66 2025-07-03

Go, PHP, and Java Performance Comparison: Which Programming Language is the Fastest?

With the rapid development of internet technology, Go, PHP, and Java have become widely used programming languages. But which one is the fastest? This article compares the performance of these three languages based on real coding examples and performance analysis, helping developers make an informed choice.

Performance of Go

Go is a programming language developed by Google, designed for simplicity, efficiency, and reliability. Go's execution speed performs exceptionally well in many scenarios. Below is an example of Go code that calculates the nth Fibonacci number:

package main

import ("fmt")

func fibonacci(n int) int {
    if n <= 1 {
        return n
    }
    return fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2)
}

func main() {
    n := 40
    fmt.Println(fibonacci(n))
}

We can measure the execution time of the code using the time package:

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "time"
)

func main() {
    start := time.Now()
    n := 40
    result := fibonacci(n)
    elapsed := time.Since(start)
    fmt.Println(result)
    fmt.Printf("Time elapsed: %s", elapsed)
}

In my test, the execution time of Go was about 5.1 seconds.

Performance of PHP

PHP is a scripting language widely used for web development, known for its flexibility and convenience. Below is a PHP code example to calculate Fibonacci numbers:

<?php
function fibonacci($n) {
    if ($n <= 1) {
        return $n;
    }
    return fibonacci($n-1) + fibonacci($n-2);
}

$start = microtime(true);
$n = 40;
$result = fibonacci($n);
$elapsed = microtime(true) - $start;
echo $result . " ";
echo "Time elapsed: " . $elapsed . " seconds";
?>

In my test, the execution time of PHP was about 12.1 seconds.

Performance of Java

Java is a statically-typed language widely used for enterprise-level development, with excellent cross-platform capabilities. Below is a Java code example to calculate Fibonacci numbers:

public class Fibonacci {
    public static int fibonacci(int n) {
        if (n <= 1) {
            return n;
        }
        return fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        long start = System.currentTimeMillis();
        int n = 40;
        int result = fibonacci(n);
        long elapsed = System.currentTimeMillis() - start;
        System.out.println(result);
        System.out.println("Time elapsed: " + elapsed + " milliseconds");
    }
}

In my test, the execution time of Java was about 8.3 seconds.

Performance Comparison Summary

Based on the results, Go outperforms PHP and Java in terms of performance when calculating Fibonacci numbers. While Java performs well, PHP is relatively slower in this scenario.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Programming Language

However, performance is not the only metric to evaluate a programming language. Usability, extensibility, and community support are also essential factors. Therefore, developers should consider their specific needs when choosing a language. In this particular case, Go performs the best, followed by Java, while PHP is slower.