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Happstack Lite VS Servant

Compare Happstack Lite VS Servant and see what are their differences

Happstack Lite logo Happstack Lite

Happstack itself is a web framework created in Haskell. Happstack Lite is an easier version to use that can import features from the heftier version if need be.

Servant logo Servant

servant is a set of libraries that makes building Haskell webservices a breeze.
  • Happstack Lite Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-27
  • Servant Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-12-22

Happstack Lite features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Happstack Lite is a minimal, lightweight Haskell web framework, making it an excellent choice for small applications or projects where minimal overhead is desired.
  • Haskell Integration
    Being built with Haskell, it provides strong type safety, functional programming paradigms, and powerful abstractions that can help in building robust applications.
  • Simple Routing
    Happstack Lite offers straightforward URL routing capabilities, allowing developers to easily define and manage routes in a concise manner.
  • Ease of Use
    With its simplified approach, developers new to Haskell or web development can quickly get started with building applications using Happstack Lite.

Possible disadvantages of Happstack Lite

  • Limited Features
    As a minimal framework, it may lack some of the advanced features that larger frameworks provide, requiring additional implementation for features like authentication and complex data handling.
  • Community and Support
    Happstack Lite may have a smaller community compared to larger frameworks, potentially resulting in less available resources, tutorials, and community support.
  • Performance Limitations
    Due to its lightweight nature, it may not be as optimized for high-performance needs as other more comprehensive frameworks.
  • Ecosystem Maturity
    The ecosystem surrounding Happstack Lite might be less mature or extensive than that of more established web frameworks, possibly leading to limited library options.

Servant features and specs

  • Type-Safe API
    Servant allows you to define APIs at the type level, which means that your server implementation is guaranteed to match the API specification. This type safety minimizes runtime errors and mismatches between the server and client.
  • Composability
    Servant's design encourages composition of smaller API components to form larger ones, making it easier to build and maintain complex APIs by reusing existing parts.
  • Code Reusability
    By defining APIs as types, you can reuse the same specification for both server and client code, promoting DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principles and reducing the risk of discrepancies between client and server.
  • Extensibility
    Servant is highly extensible and allows developers to build custom combinators and extend the framework to suit their specific needs or integrate with other Haskell libraries seamlessly.
  • Haskell Ecosystem
    Being part of the Haskell ecosystem, Servant benefits from the language's strong type system, concurrency support, and a wide array of libraries.

Possible disadvantages of Servant

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its type-level programming and reliance on advanced Haskell features, Servant can be difficult for beginners to grasp quickly. It may require a solid understanding of Haskell's type system.
  • Compile-Time Complexity
    Complex APIs can result in long compile times and difficult-to-understand error messages, which can slow down the development process and make debugging harder.
  • Limited Resources
    Compared to more mainstream web frameworks and languages, the Haskell community, while growing, is still relatively small. This can result in fewer tutorials, third-party integrative tools, and community support.
  • Library Maturity
    While Servant is a powerful tool, it might not yet have the same level of maturity or stability as older frameworks, potentially leading to more frequent breaking changes or less polished features.

Happstack Lite videos

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Servant videos

Servant - Season 1 Review (No Spoilers)

More videos:

  • Review - SERVANT: Ending Explained Breakdown + Full Spoiler Talk Review
  • Review - Servant - Horror TV SHOW Season 1 Review *SPOILER FREE | Spookyastronauts

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Happstack Lite and Servant)
API Tools
51 51%
49% 49
Developer Tools
51 51%
49% 49
Web Frameworks
52 52%
48% 48
APIs
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Happstack Lite and Servant, you can also consider the following products

wai-routes - Type safe routing framework for wai

Yesod - Yesod is a development tool used to create highly efficient websites and web applications from the ground up. Yesod includes almost everything you need to build a website, from templates to routing and execution. Read more about Yesod.

Apiary - Collaborative design, instant API mock, generated documentation, integrated code samples, debugging and automated testing

IHP - The fastest way to buildtype safe web apps 🔥

Scotty - Scotty is a Haskell framework inspired by Ruby's Sinatra.

Nested-Routes - Very similar to Scotty, except with the ability to nest handlers and embed parsers as a location to handle.