Is SQL a Programming Language?

SQL is a language for communicating with databases. When you write SQL queries, you give instructions to the computer and it performs these instructions—it sounds like programming. However, you cannot build an application with SQL as you can with Python or Java. So, is SQL a programming language?

SQL is used to communicate with databases. It allows you to find information, update or delete data, or create and modify the structure of a database. This is quite a narrow task compared to what Python, Java, C++, etc. are used for. Naturally, there is a long-lasting debate around the question—is SQL a programming language? You cannot create an application or build a webpage with SQL, but it definitely looks like programming when you use SQL to talk to your databases.

If you're new to SQL or unsure about its details, start with our SQL Basics course. It's a straightforward introduction to get you up to speed quickly.

Yes, SQL Is a Programming Language!

SQL is a domain-specific programming language used for managing and manipulating relational databases. It's not a general-purpose programming language like Python or Java. It's specifically designed for its particular domain: managing data in databases. Despite its specialized use case, SQL is still considered a programming language because it has a sctrictly defined syntax and semantics.

I suggest we start with recognizing the differences between several key concepts. We’ll have no problem answering if SQL is a programming language after we define the term “programming language” and have a clear understanding of the differences between general-purpose programming languages and domain-specific programming languages.

What is a Programming Language

According to Webopedia, “a programming language is a vocabulary and set of grammatical rules for instructing a computer or computing device to perform specific tasks.” SQL is definitely a programming language given this definition.

It has an established vocabulary and strict syntax that should be followed. For example, all SQL statements start with specific keywords (e.g., SELECT, INSERT, CREATE, UPDATE, DELETE) and end with a semicolon. The order of clauses is also important. For example, GROUP BY should follow the WHERE clause and precede the ORDER BY clause:

SELECT column_one, column_two
FROM table
WHERE column_one > 2000
GROUP BY column_one, column_two
ORDER BY column_one;

Furthermore, messages that are written using this vocabulary and syntax instruct your computer to perform specific tasks, like accessing certain data in the database or creating tables in the database, etc.

What is a General-Purpose Programming Language

Why do we have all this controversy around recognizing SQL as a programming language? The problem is that people often mean “general-purpose programming language” when saying “programming language.” And there is a big difference between these terms.

Wikipedia says that “a general-purpose programming language is a programming language designed to be used for writing software in the widest variety of application domains.” Basically, you can create all kinds of applications using a general-purpose programming language, including desktop, mobile, or web applications. The most widely used programming languages from this category include Java, JavaScript, Python, C++, and Ruby.

In contrast to these languages, SQL has a very niche role of communicating with relational databases. Thus, you cannot build an application using only SQL. This leads us to the conclusion that SQL is not a general-purpose programming language.

Now we know that SQL satisfies the definition of a programming language but not a general-purpose programming language. So, where does SQL belong?

What is a Domain-Specific Language

Apart from general-purpose programming languages, there are also domain-specific languages (DSLs). Wikipedia defines a domain-specific language as “a computer language specialized to a particular application domain.” HTML, or Hypertext Markup Language, is one of the most popular domain-specific languages used for structuring webpages.

SQL as a Domain-Specific Language

SQL, with its specific application domain, can be defined as a domain-specific language. Structured Query Language is a highly targeted language for “talking” to databases. For instance, you can use SQL to perform actions such as:

• Selecting Data: SQL can execute queries to fetch data based on specific criteria. For example,

  SELECT * 
  FROM Customers 
  WHERE City = 'London';

  retrieves all records from the Customers table where the city is London.
• Updating Data: SQL allows for updating data within the database efficiently. For instance, the command

  UPDATE Products 
  SET Price = Price * 1.1 
  WHERE Category = 'Electronics';

  increases the price of all products in the "Electronics" category by 10%.

While being an effective and powerful tool for data management and access, SQL has limited usage compared to general-purpose programming languages. However, this drawback comes with certain benefits.

Because of its narrow application domain, SQL is usually easier to learn than a general-purpose programming language. You don’t need a computer science background to start with our SQL Basics course. Moreover, even when starting with zero programming knowledge, you can become an SQL expert in a few months after taking our SQL from A to Z track.

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