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Haskell framework for the web

Speaking in Tongues

Article from ADMIN 42/2017

By Angela Minosi

The Yesod web framework includes a Haskell compiler on top of the standard web technologies, such as HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, with aggressive optimization and function checks for correctness.

Frameworks for the web are a dime a dozen. Most are based on the PHP and JavaScript programming languages, whereas others use Python, Ruby, Go, or other such languages. When a developer uses WordPress [1], Drupal [2], or Joomla [3], generally they only have to unpack the core on the server and then add other modules. Installing security updates conscientiously and in good time counteracts ubiquitous malware threats.

Quite a few reasons speak to the use of exotic frameworks such as the Haskell-based Yesod [4] [5]. It is not just that Yesod is less widespread, it is also that the security built into the compiler (Haskell is type safe) makes attacks time-consuming or impossible, and SQL and JavaScript injections unlikely. Additionally, the Glasgow Haskell Compiler (GHC) [6], version 1.0 of which has existed since April 1990, is based on the fast C compiler and processes requests to the website far more efficiently than many other programming languages. Because Haskell is a functional programming language, it facilitates other tasks, such as multithreading.

Developers mainly ask themselves one question: How do I get started with the framework? Haskell is considered difficult to learn, because it is strongly orientated on mathematical logic and uses many abstract concepts like monads and category theory. A framework like Yesod helps developers make the transition to Haskell and levels a still steep learning curve, thanks to pre-built components that promise quick results. In this article, I will help you take your first steps with Yesod.