ABAP vs. C# vs. Crystal 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.

Crystal’s syntax is heavily inspired by Ruby’s, so it feels natural to read and easy to write, and has the added benefit of a lower learning curve for experienced Ruby devs. Crystal is statically type-checked, so any type errors will be caught early by the compiler rather than fail on runtime. Moreover, and to keep the language clean, Crystal has built-in type inference, so most type annotations are unneeded. All types are non-nilable in Crystal, and available variables are represented as a union between the type and nil. As a consequence, the compiler will automatically check for null references in compile time. Crystal’s answer to metaprogramming is a powerful macro system, which ranges from basic templating and AST inspection to types inspection and running arbitrary external programs.