From what I've seen of Groovy and Grails, its biggest hurdle is adoption. Why else would anyone resist using a language that improves on Java and a framework based on Rails?

Views: 101

Replies to This Discussion

Robert Dempsey said:
What I am looking for is performance comparisons of Groovy/Grails with other frameworks combined with Java such as Spring.

Hello Robert, Have you explored Scala programming? It gives you the short and flexibility of Groovy like expressiveness, but yet has good performance as close as to Java itself! Scala is static typed instead of dynamic though. Check out other post I made few days ago under Other JVM Group on this site see if you like it.
-Z
What needs to be performant and why? Things like Twitter are built on a notoriously slow platform (ie, Ruby on Rails) but it's plenty fast enough.

Grails is obviously slower than Spring MVC since it's built on old versions of Spring MVC and Spring WebFlow. Does it matter? For the vast majority of web sites the answer is trivially simple: No.

Scala is faster and slower than Java depending on what you're doing. Groovy is slower than both, but who cares? It's more than fast enough for what it's used for.

If you really need speed, write in assembly code. If you think that's not reasonable, then ask yourself why you're willing to sacrifice that speed to be able to write in Java. Then apply the same reasoning to why you would program in something like Grails.

Note that I'm not saying that you should use Grails, just that looking at performance without solid reasons *why* is well beyond foolish.
There are some performance issues (For example I have been told my IDE friendly specific typing can cause issues) that make Scala/Java better for some high volume projects. However, for simplicity and readability groovy is a better way to develop, IMHO

Jackie
To answer adoption - Grails is becoming more and more mainstream. Sky.com, Wired, and Walmart (specifically mp3.walmart.com) are some notable sites using Grails.

In benchmarking, yes, Grails is slower. But improvements are being made, both to Groovy and Grails itself.

And benchmarks are generally useless in the real world. Every application is different. Bad code, poor database design, poor technology choices, etc are going to have a far greater impact then the language used.

Where performance is an issue, you can always use Java (or Scala). In fact, much of the Grails framework is in Java, not Groovy. It all comes down to using the right tool for the job.

Also - in the age of distributed computing, I need to ask who cares if there is a 20-30% performance penalty. What does it matter if you need to spool up another VM or two in the cloud?

RSS

Happy 10th year, JCertif!

Notes

Welcome to Codetown!

Codetown is a social network. It's got blogs, forums, groups, personal pages and more! You might think of Codetown as a funky camper van with lots of compartments for your stuff and a great multimedia system, too! Best of all, Codetown has room for all of your friends.

When you create a profile for yourself you get a personal page automatically. That's where you can be creative and do your own thing. People who want to get to know you will click on your name or picture and…
Continue

Created by Michael Levin Dec 18, 2008 at 6:56pm. Last updated by Michael Levin May 4, 2018.

Looking for Jobs or Staff?

Check out the Codetown Jobs group.

 

Enjoy the site? Support Codetown with your donation.



InfoQ Reading List

Improved Application Insights Code Optimizations Identify .NET Performance Bottlenecks Automatically

Microsoft is expanding .NET developers’ toolset with enhancements to Code Optimizations. This feature is part of Azure Monitor offering and now works with the .NET Profiler in Application Insights to automatically detect CPU, memory, and threading issues in production apps and give code‑level recommendations to fix them.

By Edin Kapić

Presentation: Questioning Convention: C# as a Shortcut to Startup Velocity

Sam Cox shares a case study on building a startup platform with C#. He explains how C#’s modern, open-source ecosystem, integrated tooling, and robust libraries enabled him to achieve high developer productivity, rapid iteration, and overcome significant performance challenges, ultimately helping the company secure its first paying customer.

By Sam Cox

Hugging Face Brings Open-Source LLMs to GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code

Hugging Face has introduced a new integration that allows developers to connect Inference Providers directly with GitHub Copilot Chat in Visual Studio Code. The update means that open-source large language models — including Kimi K2, DeepSeek V3.1, GLM 4.5, and others — can now be accessed and tested from inside the VS Code editor, without the need to switch platforms or juggle multiple tools.

By Robert Krzaczyński

Java 25, the Next LTS Release, Delivers Finalized Features and Focus on Performance and Runtime

Oracle has released version 25 of the Java programming language and virtual machine. As the first LTS release since JDK 21, the final feature set includes 18 JEPs, seven of which are finalized having evolved through the incubation and preview processes. Nine of these features are focused on performance and runtime.

By Michael Redlich

Presentation: Accessible Innovation in XR: Maximizing the Curb Cut Effect

Dylan Fox discusses how accessibility drives innovation in extended reality. Learn how the "curb cut effect" applies to XR development, leading to advancements like AI agents, novel inputs, and multisensory experiences that improve user experience for everyone, not just those with disabilities.

By Dylan Fox

© 2025   Created by Michael Levin.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service