Posts tagged "Clojure programming"

Why Use Clojure?

December 28, 2022 Comments Off Roxana read

Lisp has a poor reputation. It really doesn’t matter if you’re talking about the second-oldest high-level programming language family still in use today or the speech impairment; both have their admirers and their detractors.

One of the various dialects of Lisp, which has occurred with many fundamental languages, is Clojure.

Then, what is Clojure? What role does it play in contemporary systems, programs, and services?

Many people criticize Clojure because they either had a bad introduction to it or are locked in a JavaScript paradigm and find the differences so infuriating that they question their sanity.

The reality is that it works well and has a contemporary programming language feel to it. There really are numerous advantages and disadvantages, just like with everything, but if you haven’t already, you must consider Clojure on its own merits and show it some love. Lisp and Clojure both allow you to achieve some things that other programming languages do not. In the end, you can never have too many weapons in your armory.

What is Clojure?

In a nutshell, Clojure is a dialect of Lisp. ‘Rich Hickey’ created it in the beginning in an effort to address issues he was running into when building situational applications. The outcome was the same regardless of the programming language he tried: software that demanded an enormous amount of time and effort only to make very minor modifications to the coding. Not optimal.

His team appreciated working in a framework with immutable data structures and a uniquely created functional library, therefore the project was a success. Clojure was created by merging Lisp, a functional programming language, with a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) that was made for concurrent programs.

Clojure Uses

While many Lisp features have found their way into other programming languages, two of them—using code as data and a special macro system—remain distinctively Lisp. The way that maps and vectors are included in the code-as-data system in Clojure goes beyond the list of words enclosed in parentheses (s-expressions). This allows for the literal reader representation of maps and vectors and their usage in the macro syntax.

The reader reads Lisp data, which depicts the data structure in all of its forms. By creating these data structures that represent code as part of the procedure that calls out to macros, Clojure expands on this.

When this takes place in Clojure, the macro is called, the forms themselves are sent as arguments, and the macro’s return value is then used in place of the macro itself.

These macros are routines that are utilized during compilation to change the code itself. Every code is information, and all data is code, therefore the entire Clojure library is a resource that can help with code transformation.

In essence, macros are used the same way functions are used in other programming languages: to reduce the duplication of phrases in the code. When orders to carry out a particular job cannot be provided via functions, a macro can be used to control evaluation and produce identifiers that are defined by the task.

Why Clojure? Four Tech Reasons

October 24, 2021 Comments Off Roxana read

We looked into why you would want to use Clojure for your projects from a developer’s point of view. Clojure is not a mainstream programming language, but it is an easy solution that can be used to complete the system.

All Clojure advantages are grounded on four principles. Let’s see how they are enforced in language.

1. Homoiconicity

Clojure is typically related to the prominent and elegant Lisp family. One of its significant parcels is homoiconicity, which causes lively debate among software inventors worldwide. According to Wikipedia:

“A language is homoiconic if a program that is written in it can be manipulated as data using the language. Thus the program’s internal representation can be inferred just by reading the program itself.”

Imagine a Lisp program presented as a regular Lisp list. However, you can manipulate it using other Lisp codes. So, Clojure inventors can access and also transform code into data. This Lisp peculiarity shows the conception of “code as data.”

This feature is conceptually possible due to the minimal and utterly consistent Clojure syntax. The entire program code is represented through S-expressions (tree-like structures). It is of the same type of code representation as supported by Clojure Core. So, code can be converted into data via macros easily.

The robust macro system gives a chance to develop code that generates other code. It allows software developers to write extensions without waiting for the programming language designers to enforce them. The latter is also applicable for writing your Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs) with the use of macros. They are responsible for “translation” from your language to Clojure.

The essentials of well-designed DSLs are pretty obvious. Clojure’s macro system gives you great chances to use them.

Addressing the internal DSL with these macros leads to another level of code refactoring. It also expands the language itself with current elements. They are helpful for the perpetration of business aims in the context of each particular project.

The core. Sync macro in Clojure is one of the best illustrations of this principle benefit. Core. Sync brings the power of CSP-style concurrency to Clojure. With the help of macro, it was created as a library with no interrupting the Clojure language.

Compojure is another favorite Clojure library that uses the homoiconicity principle.

It looks complex, but in reality, this Clojure abstraction offers a pleasant coding experience and helps to make effects referentially transparent. The macro above is demanded, hiding the realization details from the inventor. That is, of course, until they do not need them.

2. Functional Approach

What causes complexity and issues in computer programs? Side effects are one of the significant factors of our challenges. You cannot avoid them altogether, but you can localize the spillovers, and the programming language should help.

Clojure enables you to write pure functions as a functional language. The results of similar operations depend on the input parameters. It does not count how numerous times you start the process; the result is usually the same. It simplifies testing because you don’t have to try several queues and find the proper state of inputs.

Pure functions are also handy for refactoring and analyzing. They are straightforward indeed if they do a great job.

Clojure’s beauty lies in how the language impeccably joins individual elements into a coherent total.

Clojure, such as JavaScript, works using functions as values. These values can be sent as parameters and returned from other functions. It offers flexibility for an investor because they can delay or customize an on-the-fly logic realization. Also, the functional approach allows making the processors middleware by default. So, you can design them for several business goals ranging from logging to conditional email sending.

3. Immutable Data Structures

Clojure has features of an object-oriented language. So, it initially includes a set of unchangeable structures and ways of working with them.

They resemble ordinary JavaScript arrays and Hash Maps, but no operations can change their values. Instead of changing, it develops a new structure with updated data.

The invariability is handy when writing multithreaded operations because it negates an entire class of bugs related to the synchronization of changing variables between threads. So, you can build whole information models using a few immutable data structures included in Clojure. The predictable code is easy to write and test, which helps to create a product quickly.

For illustration, the development of an e-commerce site that supports over one million users has been completed in just four months, proving that Clojure enables programmers to concentrate on engineering rather than extra details.

4. A Multipurpose Solution

Clojure is a good option for several projects; you can use it from the social networking industry to Big Data solutions. Clojure language is initially targeted for working with JVM. So, the standard modern Clojure perpetration uses the Java Virtual Machine. It enables simple commerce by creating Java objects, Java libraries and using the Maven repository. Java site’s maturity and the massive ecosystem offer several benefits for Clojure developers.

An intriguing fact is that although JVM primarily runs Java, about 3% of JVM users are programming in Clojure. It’s a significant fact, which shows the eventuality of functional programming and Clojure itself.

Also, ClojureScript is practically developing, which is another Clojure implementation, it includes compilation to JavaScript.

As a result of the same syntax, you can write both front-end and backend in Clojure (or ClojureScript in the case of Node.js applications). At times, the same code overlaps in the front-end and backend. The Clojure compiler lets you put this code in *.clojure files and use it on each side.

Developer

Clojure: A Dynamic Approach to Functional Languages

October 21, 2021 Comments Off Roxana read

In 2007, an ambitious Rich Hickey introduced Clojure to the public. This programming language was a result of Hickey’s desire to create a Lisp language that, unlike other languages at the time, had a combination of a few things—defaulted to utilizing immutable data structures, was compatible with the JVM (Java Virtual Machine), and that incorporated concurrency.

Introducing Clojure

Clojure is many things, including dynamic, compiled, and general-purpose. Major corporations such as Walmart and Amazon use it in their systems. One important element to Clojure is that it is part of the Lisp family. Lisp is defined as a group of programming languages based on mathematical notations. Clojure itself utilizes some of the Lisp features like its incorporation of parentheses and an abstract syntax tree.

Benefits of Clojure

Utilizes Functional Programming (FP)
Isolates side effects
Dynamically-typed
Data is immutable by default
Declarative-based coding

Polymorphism

This is when data types are processed inside a uniform interface. It works with Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) languages, multimethods, and protocols as well. Clojure supports this development tool, allowing it to write functions that can be used in many different data types.

Concurrency

Hickey wanted Clojure to be concurrent-friendly, or to be able to process various tasks at one time, to decrease development time. In order to support this as much as possible, Clojure has a Software Transactional Memory, or STM, dynamic components which separate state changes inside threads, and allow for synchronous—as well as asynchronous—manipulation.

ClojureScript

Simplified to CLIS, this can be viewed in a similar way to how Java and JavaScript function together. In fact, CLIS has the ability to compile code into JavaScript, which lets developers run apps on mobile devices and across various browsers. It’s backend compatible through Node.js too. Tools and features within CLIS like re-frame and Reagent has integration capabilities with React and React Native. Other features of it include a core. async library and Figwheel.

Summary

There are certainly some similarities between Clojure’s branch tool, CLIS, and Java, JavaScript, React and React Native. However, it’s the language’s other features that set it apart from most programming languages currently available. Its creator, Rich Hickey, wanted to intentionally create a language that was different from all the others. A significant difference was Clojure’s default of immutable data structures. It also demonstrated fast load times, high-quality performance, and other features or functions that developers loved in the language’s competition.

More technical, specific functions of Clojure—how it handles polymorphism, side effects, and Functional Programming—further separate it from languages like Java and Python. Even in modern technological society, Clojure is, in many ways, still very unique. While other languages do have the general quirks that make them better suited for certain projects over others, Clojure can be viewed a step further through its technical features.

One thing won’t change when deciding what programming language to use for a development project—the need to identify which language is the better fit. Maybe it could be Clojure, or it might be a more general programming language.

Developer Employer

Why Is Clojure the Best Choice for Your Project?

October 19, 2021 Comments Off Roxana read

Full-Stack web developer

Clojure is not a mainstream programming language, but the Fresh-Code team practically completes projects with this great and convenient solution. That is why I want to explain technical reasons in which Clojure development matters.

WHY CLOJURE?

What is the final purpose of developing any programming language? It tends to enable writing practical and straightforward code. The author of Clojure, Rich Hickey, wanted to make written programs simple. Clojure allows to speed up the process of software development and also reduces the time required for code understanding, support and changing.

Simplicity is necessary for reliability.

Rich Hickey, author of Clojure

Clojure syntax can make it difficult for beginners, and it’s also easy and convenient for learning and coding. After getting familiar with this language, you will see the advanced benefits of enterprise projects.

All Clojure pros are based on four principles. Let’s see how they are used in the language.

Why Clojure?

HOMOICONICITY

Clojure relates to the elegant and prominent Lisp family. One of its significant properties is homoiconicity, which causes a debate among software developers.

According to Wikipedia:

A language is homo-iconic if a program written in it can be manipulated as data utilizing the language. Thus the program’s internal representation can be inferred just by reading the program itself.

Imagine a Lisp program presented as a regular Lisp list. Even though you can manipulate it utilizing other Lisp codes. So, Clojure developers can access and at the same time transform code to data. This Lisp functionality shows the concept of “code as data.”

This function is possible because of the reduction and utterly consistent Clojure syntax. The whole program code is represented through S-expressions (tree-like structures). So, they can be transformed easily as data via macros.

The intense macro system offers an opportunity to develop code that generates other code. It allows software developers to write extensions without no waiting for the programming language designers to implement them. The latter is very important for writing own Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs) with the use of macros. They are the ones responsible for “translation” from your language to Clojure.

The benefits of well-designed DSLs are pretty obvious. Clojure’s macro system offers you great opportunities for utilizing them.

Writing the internal DSL with these macros leads to another level of code resetting. It also expands the language with modern elements. They are great for the implementation of business aims in the context of each particular project.

The core. Async macro in Clojure is one of the good examples of this principle essentials. Core. Async utilizes the power of CSP-style concurrency to Clojure. With the macro, it was created as a library with no interruption of Clojure language.

Compojure is a different popular Clojure library that is based on the homo-iconicity principle.

It seems to be advanced, but in reality, this Clojure abstraction offers a pleasant coding experience and makes things practically transparent. The macro above is required for hiding the realization documents from the developer until they don’t need them.

FUNCTIONAL APPROACH

What causes complexity and challenges in computer programs? Side effects are one of the significant factors of our problems, and you can’t avoid them. But you can localize the spillovers, and the programming language should also help you.

As a functional language, Clojure helps you to write pure functions. The results of such operations depend on the input parameters. So, it doesn’t matter how many times you start the process, and the result is usually the same. It simplifies testing because you do not have to try several queues and find the proper state of inputs.

Pure functions are handy for analyzing and refactoring. They are effortless, even if they do a good job.

Clojure’s beauty is in its organicity. The language perfectly joins individual elements into a coherent whole.

Clojure, such as JavaScript, operates functions as values. Thus, they can be transmitted as parameters and returned from other various functions. It offers flexibility for a developer for they can delay or design an on-the-fly logic realization. However, the functional approach ensures making the processors middleware by default. So, you can create them for various business goals, which range from logging to conditional email sending.