IEC 61131-3 vs Python

Developers should learn IEC 61131-3 when working in industrial automation, manufacturing, or process control, as it is the dominant standard for PLC programming worldwide meets developers should learn python for automation when they need to write scripts to handle tasks like file manipulation, api interactions, or data extraction efficiently. Here's our take.

IEC 61131-3

Nice Pick

Developers should learn IEC 61131-3 when working in industrial automation, manufacturing, or process control, as it is the dominant standard for PLC programming worldwide

Pros

• It is essential for creating reliable and standardized control logic for machinery, robotics, and automated systems, enabling code reuse and reducing vendor lock-in
• Related to: programmable-logic-controller, industrial-automation

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Python

Developers should learn Python for automation when they need to write scripts to handle tasks like file manipulation, API interactions, or data extraction efficiently

Pros

• It is ideal for scenarios requiring rapid development, such as automating deployments, testing, or data analysis workflows, thanks to libraries like requests, pandas, and selenium
• Related to: scripting, data-processing

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. IEC 61131-3 is a concept while Python is a language. We picked IEC 61131-3 based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

IEC 61131-3 wins

Based on overall popularity. IEC 61131-3 is more widely used, but Python excels in its own space.