PS or ghcjs for Frontend with Haskell Backend

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#1

Currently, I’m working on finishing a Haskell backend and am looking into creating single page web frontend for it.
I really like both languages.
Purescript seems to be easier to work with and has a more dedicated active community than ghcjs.
However, I also see a lot of potential with using ghcjs for code re-usability if I want to start pushing more to the frontend.
I’m sure that a many have looked long and hard at this, but I haven’t found any compelling comparisons.
What are your thoughts?

#2

I think your title is a bit misleading. It seems to suggest you want to know which language to use for a back-end, but your comment suggests you want to know which to use for a front-end.

AFAIK, GHCJS’s downsides are:

  • all or nothing: you can’t slowly migrate an already existing app one component at a time.
  • the entire GHC is compiled into Javascript (I think), so that might affect your bundle sizes
  • people usually have problems building it

PS’s downsides are:

  • it’s strict by default, so the equivalent Haskell code doesn’t work as expected sometimes.
  • a few language features that exist in Haskell require workarounds/hacks in PureScript because some features haven’t yet been implemented

I imagine you’re already familiar with each’s upsides and others will likely correct me where I’ve misstated something above.

1 Like
#3

Thanks for the input. Those are good considerations.
Also, I have changed the title to be more clear.

#4

Good.

Also, you might find Introduction to PureScript for Haskell Developers (PDF) useful.

1 Like
#5

Your link seems to be missing an href?

#6

Fixed it. Thanks.

Not sure why the markdown didn’t work, but possibly because it didn’t start with https://?