Haskell and Elixir are both functional programming languages, and both languages are not object-oriented, so you do not use classes and objects in them. But are you aware of the differences between the two languages? Let’s dig in and find out.
Difference between Haskell and Elixir
| Haskell | Elixir |
| It is an old language that came into existence in 1990. | It is very fresh and new and came into existence in 2012. |
| Haskell is helpful in research and academia. It is used chiefly for running mathematical operations and carrying out complex calculations, and the best example is its use in programming language research. | Elixir is mainly used for application development purposes. Companies like Lonely Planet and Pinterest use it. Pinterest uses fewer servers and is faster with Elixir, with just a few lines of code. |
| It is a static type, and the type is checked at the time of compilation. | It is a dynamic type, and all types are checked at run-time instead of compilation time. |
| Haskell is less famous than Elixir. | Elixir is comparatively more popular than Haskell. |
| For installing Haskell, you need GHC or Glasgow Haskell Compiler. | For installing Elixir on your system, you need Erlang and BEAM VM. |
| You can write safer codes by using it. | Safer codes are comparatively better in Haskell than in this one. |
| Haskell can be a little difficult to learn at first. | Elixir is smooth and can be learned quickly with ease. |
FAQs
1. Why is Haskell not used much in the industry?
Haskell’s features and elegance are pretty different from what is required by the majority of mainstream programming. You will mostly see it being used in research. However, some companies use it to develop specific segments like Google.
2. Is Elixir functional?
Yes, it is dynamically typed and a strongly functional programming language, and it is best for building scalable and maintainable applications.
3. Which is easier to learn? Haskell or Elixir?
In our opinion, Elixir is easier to learn than Haskell. Elixir has a smooth flow and simple syntax when compared to Haskell.
4. Is Elixir a backend language?
Elixir can be used for backend development, and it can be used for full-stack development. Many projects have been scripted in Elixir, one of the popular choices for backend development.
5. At what point do Elixir and Haskell project similarities?
As mentioned earlier, Haskell and Elixir are both functional programming languages and do not follow object-oriented programming concepts.
6. Can Haskell run on JVM?
Yes, Haskell has shown to run smoothly on JVM.
Conclusion
So far, we have discussed what differences Elixir and Haskell possess. Somewhere Elixir showed that it is more powerful while other places reflect Haskell to be more powerful. Both languages have their beauty and charm.
Also Read: Why is Elixir not famous? | How widely is it used?
