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Haxe VS Elm

Compare Haxe VS Elm and see what are their differences

Haxe logo Haxe

Haxe is an open source toolkit based on a modern, high level, strictly typed programming language.

Elm logo Elm

A type inferred, functional reactive language that compiles to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
  • Haxe Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-28

We recommend LibHunt Haxe for discovery and comparisons of trending Haxe projects.

  • Elm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-23

We recommend LibHunt Elm for discovery and comparisons of trending Elm projects.

Haxe features and specs

  • Cross-Platform
    Haxe allows developers to write code once and compile it to multiple target platforms, including JavaScript, C++, C#, Java, Python, Lua, and others.
  • Strong Typing
    Haxe has a strong, static type system which helps to catch errors at compile time, leading to more robust and error-free code.
  • High Performance
    Because Haxe compiles directly to native code or optimized JavaScript, it can offer performance close to, or even indistinguishable from, hand-written code in the target language.
  • Open Source
    Haxe is open-source, which means it is free to use and has a community-driven development model that can lead to rapid improvements and updates.
  • Standard Library
    Haxe comes with a versatile standard library that is designed to work seamlessly across all target platforms, ensuring consistency and reducing the need for platform-specific code.
  • Macro System
    Haxe has a powerful macro system that allows for advanced metaprogramming capabilities, making it possible to write more expressive and flexible code.
  • Interoperability
    Haxe allows for easy integration with existing projects and libraries in various target languages, making it easier to adopt without having to completely rewrite existing code.

Possible disadvantages of Haxe

  • Smaller Community
    Haxe has a relatively smaller community compared to more mainstream technologies like JavaScript or Python, which can result in fewer resources, libraries, and third-party tools.
  • Learning Curve
    As Haxe supports multiple platforms, there is a learning curve associated with understanding how to effectively target different platforms and leverage Haxe's unique features.
  • Tooling
    Although Haxe has seen improvements, its tooling ecosystem (IDEs, debuggers, etc.) may not be as mature or feature-rich as those available for more established languages.
  • Native Libraries
    While Haxe can interoperate with existing libraries, it may not have native libraries that match the breadth and depth available in the target platform’s native languages.
  • Less Documentation
    Due to its smaller user base, Haxe might have less comprehensive documentation and fewer tutorials compared to more popular programming languages.
  • Ecosystem Fragmentation
    The wide range of target platforms can sometimes lead to a fragmented ecosystem, where community efforts and support might be unevenly distributed across different targets.

Elm features and specs

  • Strong Type System
    Elm's type system is designed to catch errors at compile-time, reducing runtime errors and improving code reliability. It emphasizes immutability, making it easier to reason about and maintain code.
  • No Runtime Exceptions
    Elm enforces safety with its type system, ensuring that runtime exceptions are almost impossible. This leads to more robust and predictable applications.
  • Friendly Error Messages
    Elm's compiler provides exceptionally helpful and user-friendly error messages, which make debugging easier and learning the language more approachable.
  • Optimized Performance
    Elm's compiler generates highly optimized JavaScript, resulting in fast and efficient applications. Performance tuning is handled by the compiler, freeing developers from many optimization concerns.
  • Functional Programming
    Elm is purely functional, promoting a clear and declarative coding style. It encourages developers to write more predictable and maintainable code by leveraging functional programming principles.
  • Built-In Architecture
    The Elm Architecture (Model-Update-View) provides a consistent pattern for building applications, which can simplify the development process and improve code organization.
  • Interoperability with JavaScript
    Elm allows you to seamlessly integrate with existing JavaScript code through ports, giving you the flexibility to gradually adopt Elm or work with libraries that are not available in Elm.

Possible disadvantages of Elm

  • Small Ecosystem
    Elm's ecosystem is relatively small compared to more established languages like JavaScript or TypeScript, meaning there are fewer libraries and tools available, which might limit certain functionalities out of the box.
  • Learning Curve
    Elm’s functional programming paradigm and strict type system can be challenging for developers who are not familiar with functional programming, leading to a steep learning curve.
  • Limited Developer Community
    The Elm community is smaller compared to other languages, which can make finding support or example projects more difficult. This might also affect the availability of tutorials and learning resources.
  • Interoperability Overhead
    While interoperability with JavaScript is possible through ports, it introduces additional complexity and overhead, making integrated projects more challenging to manage.
  • Slower Release Cycle
    Elm's development and release cycle can be slower compared to other technologies. Updates and new features might take longer to be released, impacting the adoption of cutting-edge practices.
  • Single File Approach
    In Elm, managing large codebases can be problematic due to the lack of support for splitting code into multiple modules or files akin to solutions in other languages, which can make the code less modular and harder to navigate.

Analysis of Haxe

Overall verdict

  • Haxe is a solid choice for developers seeking a flexible programming environment that supports cross-platform development. It is robust, efficient, and provides powerful tools for a wide range of applications. Its ability to compile to various target environments is a standout feature.

Why this product is good

  • Haxe is a versatile, open-source, high-level language that can target multiple platforms. It allows developers to write in a single language and then compile their code to popular languages and frameworks like JavaScript, C++, Python, Java, C#, and Node.js, among others. Haxe provides a comprehensive standard library, which contributes to its efficiency and ease of use. It also encourages code reusability and scalability, making it appealing for cross-platform development.

Recommended for

  • Game developers
  • Web developers
  • Cross-platform app developers
  • Developers looking for a single language to target multiple platforms
  • Developers interested in open-source technology

Analysis of Elm

Overall verdict

  • Elm is a good choice for developers who appreciate functional programming and want a robust, type-safe environment for web development. Its features make it particularly well-suited for projects where reliability and maintainability are critical.

Why this product is good

  • Elm is a functional programming language that is designed for building reliable and maintainable web applications with a focus on simplicity and quality tooling. Its strong type system helps catch errors during compile time, eliminating a whole class of runtime exceptions. Elm also has an emphasis on immutability and functional programming practices, which can lead to more predictable code.

Recommended for

  • Developers interested in functional programming
  • Teams looking for a language with a strong type system
  • Projects where web application stability and reliability are crucial
  • Those wanting to avoid runtime errors with compile-time guarantees
  • Developers who value simplicity and developer-friendly tooling

Haxe videos

Haxe: An understated powerhouse for software development - George Corney [ACCU 2019]

More videos:

Elm videos

Nightmare on Elm St (series review)

More videos:

  • Review - A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - Movie Review
  • Review - A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master - Movie Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Haxe and Elm)
Programming Language
41 41%
59% 59
OOP
40 40%
60% 60
Game Development
100 100%
0% 0
Generic Programming Language

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Haxe and Elm

Haxe Reviews

The Best Gaming Engines You Should Consider for 2023
Haxe is a multiple-platform game engine that’s used for creating games using the Haxe programming language. It’s designed to be a high-performance game dev framework that’s supported by both a big community of Haxe devs and a wide range of libraries.
12 Best Frameworks and Toolkits to Build Desktop Applications
Haxe is a cross-platform desktop application development framework, so it can work on both desktop and handheld devices. If you know Java, C#, Python, PHP, and other advanced web programming languages, working with this framework will not be a hassle.
Source: geekflare.com
Top 10 Mobile Game Development Tools For Intellectual Games
It has a wealth of game frameworks and libraries and a vast range of features and APIs to create masterpiece mobile games. Given the fact that Haxe is fast enough to work all the way excellently through the development, game developers prefer Haxe.
Source: unaryteam.com
The Best 15 Mobile Game Engines / Development Platforms & Tools in 2020
Haxe is a programming language that resembles Java, C++, PHP or AS3 languages. It also includes a library from which you can select frameworks and choose between a wide range of functions and procedures (APIs) to develop your mobile game.
Source: thetool.io
Frameworks & Tools to Develop Cross-Platform Desktop Apps – Best of
Cons: Programs with native AS3 libraries are not yet fully supported by Haxe. Beside this, debugging difficulties increase after language translation of the source code, hence building something with Haxe requires high coding standards.

Elm Reviews

We have no reviews of Elm yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Elm should be more popular than Haxe. It has been mentiond 123 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Haxe mentions (48)

  • How Flash Games shaped the video game industry
    The proprietary tools were only an issue for people who needed the timeline. Games-wise, Both Actionscript 2 and 3 were perfectly usable without Flash. The MTASC compiler was a massive game-changer, and then Adobe released the AS3 compiler themselves, and certainly when I was at a consultancy working on a massive, expensive game, none of us were authoring anything in Flash. Even the designers and artists simply... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Ask HN: Platform for 11 year old to create video games?
    Have you checked out https://haxe.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • HyperCard Simulator
    "Flash went away faster than a replacement emerged." Not really how it looks to me: https://haxe.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Wax compiler – a tiny language designed to transpile to other languages
    This remineds me of Haxe[1]. I like Wax better because of the Common-Lisp-like syntax. [1]: https://haxe.org. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Marimo: Interactive Fluffy Ball
    I thought this was a three.js demo but it's actually built with a language called haxe [1]. I've never heard of this language before and looks really cool. Makes me want to play with it! [1] https://haxe.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
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Elm mentions (123)

  • 3 Options to Avoid Side-Effects in Web Dev
    Use languages that don’t have side-effects; Elm for UI, and Roc for API/CLI. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Reactivity in Programming
    Reactive programming itself is rarely found in pure form. It is often combined with other paradigms. This is how such mixes as Imperative Reactive Programming, Object-Oriented Reactive Programming and Functional Reactive Programming appeared. The latter is the most popular, and the Elm language is considered one of its main representatives. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Tsonnet #13 - Carets, columns, and clues: adding lexing error tracing
    I've drawn inspiration from Elm and the blog post Compiler Errors for Humans -- it is nearly a decade old and still inspiring to read. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • An Ode to TypeScript Enums
    When I see this it makes me want to run for ReasonML/ReScript/Elm/PureScript. Sum types (without payloads on the instances they are effectively enums) should not require a evening filling ceremonial dance event to define. https://reasonml.github.io/ https://rescript-lang.org/ https://elm-lang.org/ https://www.purescript.org/ (any I forgot?) It's nice that TS is a strict super set of JS... But that's about the only... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • TypeScript's Lack of Naming Types and Type Conversion in Angular
    Elm, ReScript, F#, Ocaml, Scala… it’s just normal to name your types, then use them places. In fact, you’ll often create the types _before_ the code, even if you’re not really practicing DDD (Domain Driven Design). Yes, you’ll do many after the fact when doing functions, or you start testing things and decide to change your design, and make new types. Either way, it’s just “the norm”. You then do the other norms... - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Haxe and Elm, you can also consider the following products

Java - A concurrent, class-based, object-oriented, language specifically designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible

Elixir - Dynamic, functional language designed for building scalable and maintainable applications

Kotlin - Statically typed Programming Language targeting JVM and JavaScript

ReasonML - ReasonML is a new face to OCaml that--when coupled with BuckleScript--makes web development easy...

Clojure - Clojure is a dynamic, general-purpose programming language, combining the approachability and interactive development of a scripting language with an efficient and robust infrastructure for multithreaded programming.

JavaScript - Lightweight, interpreted, object-oriented language with first-class functions