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Lua VS ReasonML

Compare Lua VS ReasonML and see what are their differences

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Contents:
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  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

Lua logo Lua

Powerful, fast, lightweight, embeddable scripting language

ReasonML logo ReasonML

ReasonML is a new face to OCaml that--when coupled with BuckleScript--makes web development easy...
  • Lua Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-29

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

  • ReasonML Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-20

Lua features and specs

  • Easy to Embed
    Lua is designed to be embedded within applications. It has a simple C API which allows it to be integrated easily with C, C++ and other languages.
  • Small Footprint
    Lua is lightweight, with a small memory footprint. This makes it ideal for use in resource-constrained environments, such as embedded systems and game development.
  • Fast Performance
    Lua is known for its high performance due to its efficient interpreter and just-in-time compilation capabilities provided by LuaJIT.
  • Simplicity
    The syntax of Lua is simple and clean, making it easy to learn and use. It's designed to be both powerful and simple.
  • Extensibility
    Lua can be extended through libraries written in C or other languages, allowing for a lot of flexibility and functionality expansion.
  • Dynamic Typing
    Lua uses dynamic typing, which can make code more flexible and easier to write without the need for explicit type definitions.

Possible disadvantages of Lua

  • Limited Standard Library
    The standard library in Lua is relatively small compared to other programming languages, which can result in the need for additional third-party libraries.
  • Niche Use Case
    Lua is not as widely adopted for general-purpose programming compared to other languages such as Python or JavaScript, which might limit community support and resources.
  • Error Handling
    Lua's error handling mechanisms are somewhat rudimentary compared to languages that offer advanced exception handling like Python or Java.
  • Lack of Type Safety
    While dynamic typing offers flexibility, it also introduces the risk of type errors at runtime, as type mismatches can only be discovered during execution.
  • Concurrency Limitations
    Lua does not have inherent support for multithreading or concurrency within the language itself. It relies on external libraries or specific environments to handle such tasks.

ReasonML features and specs

  • Type Safety
    ReasonML offers strong type inference and static type checking, which helps catch errors at compile time rather than at runtime, leading to more reliable code.
  • Compiled to Efficient JavaScript
    ReasonML can compile to highly efficient JavaScript through the BuckleScript backend, allowing developers to build performant web applications.
  • Interoperability
    ReasonML is designed to interoperate smoothly with JavaScript, which means you can incorporate it into existing JavaScript codebases without major restructuring.
  • OCaml Ecosystem
    ReasonML is built on top of the OCaml language, allowing developers to leverage the robust OCaml ecosystem, tools, and libraries.
  • Familiar Syntax
    ReasonML provides a syntax that is more familiar and approachable to JavaScript developers, making it easier to adopt and learn.

Possible disadvantages of ReasonML

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For developers not familiar with functional programming or OCaml, ReasonML can present a steep learning curve due to its paradigmatic differences from JavaScript.
  • Smaller Community
    ReasonML has a comparatively smaller community compared to other languages and frameworks, which might make finding resources or getting support more challenging.
  • Limited Libraries
    While it benefits from the OCaml ecosystem, the specific set of libraries and resources for ReasonML is still limited compared to JavaScript and its numerous frameworks.
  • Complex Tooling
    Setting up ReasonML projects can be complex due to its tooling and build systems, which might require more time to configure and understand.
  • Evolving Language
    ReasonML and its ecosystem are still evolving, with changes and updates that might require developers to frequently adapt their codebases.

Analysis of ReasonML

Overall verdict

  • ReasonML is particularly well-regarded for its ability to bring the power of OCaml to the JavaScript ecosystem, making it good for developers who need strong type safety and functional programming paradigms. It is well-suited for those who appreciate type inference and immutability.

Why this product is good

  • ReasonML is a syntax extension and toolchain for OCaml, aimed at making the language more approachable while retaining its functional programming strengths. It offers strong type inference, immutability, and robust module systems. It also integrates seamlessly with JavaScript through BuckleScript, making it a great choice for web developers looking to leverage functional programming concepts in their applications.

Recommended for

  • Developers interested in functional programming
  • Teams working extensively with both OCaml and JavaScript
  • Web developers seeking a type-safe language that compiles to JavaScript
  • Those looking for an alternative to TypeScript with strong typing capabilities

Lua videos

+ Add

Is Lua A Good First Language To Learn?

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Introduction - What is Lua? || Lua Tutorial #1
  • Review - Xerjoff Lua Fragrance / Cologne Review + GIVEAWAY!

ReasonML videos

+ Add

ReasonML for Skeptics || Eric Schaefer

More videos:

  • Review - Ken Wheeler - ReasonML is Serious Business
  • Review - Gage Peterson - Why your ReasonML Evangelism isn't working | ReasonConf 2019

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Lua and ReasonML)

Lua

ReasonML

Programming Language
82 82%
Programming Language
18% 18
Personal Finance
0 0%
Personal Finance
100% 100
OOP
100 100%
OOP
0% 0
Financial Planner
0 0%
Financial Planner
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Lua and ReasonML. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, ReasonML should be more popular than Lua. It has been mentiond 40 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.

Lua mentions (23)

  • What do I think about Lua after shipping a project with 60k lines of code?
    I would start at https://lua.org/ I'm creating a set of libraries to make Lua into a (still lightweight) application language https://github.com/civboot/civlua. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • How Programming Languages Got Their Names
    Lua means 'Moon' in Portuguese, as it is also their logo: https://lua.org. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Where can I learn lua
    The official lua website is a pretty good place to go! As well as lua users & tutorials point has a really good tutorial for lua too! The official site may be hard to understand at time (it was for me at least) but that’s why I gave you the other two. they’ll explain it simpler/better than the official site may sometimes. Hope this helps! Source: about 2 years ago
  • A Weekly Class for PICO-8 Beginners
    1) Who Should Sign Up? - People with no, little, or intermediate skills in programming or PICO-8. 2) What Will We Cover? - Fantasy Console Paradigm: The Full Overview of What PICO-8 can do. - Lua and the uses of its modified API within PICO-8. Programming, 101. 3) What to Expect - A full game all your own! - Brought together in a 4-8 classes, in live teaching sessions in which you can interact with... Source: about 2 years ago
  • data types in function definition
    I have tried a few thins but no luck and found nothing on the web, also looks as if lua.org main forums no longer exist. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

ReasonML mentions (40)

  • A 10x Faster TypeScript
    OCaml and Haskell already have that nice type system (and even more nice). If OCaml's syntax bothers you, there is Reason [1] which is a different frontend to the same compiler suite. Also in this space is Gleam [2] which targets Erlang / OTP, if high concurrency and fault tolerance is your cup of tea. [1]: https://reasonml.github.io/ [2]: https://gleam.run/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Ask HN: What less-popular systems programming language are you using?
    > The syntax is also not very friendly IMO. Very true. There's an alternate syntax for OCaml called "ReasonML" that looks much more, uh, reasonable: https://reasonml.github.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 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
  • How Jane Street accidentally built a better build system for OCaml
    Https://ocaml.org/docs/toplevel-introduction#loading-libraries-in-utop https://reasonml.github.io/ looks cool, OCaml with javascript. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • OCaml Syntax Sucks
    Fortunately, the OCaml compiler is very modular, and there have been efforts to make things more... reasonable. - Reason, a different syntactic frontend for regular OCaml: https://reasonml.github.io/ - ReScript, a language with OCaml semantics that compiles into: JS https://rescript-lang.org/ (I suppose it's a reincarnation of js-of-ocaml). - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Lua and ReasonML, you can also consider the following products

Python - Python is a clear and powerful object-oriented programming language, comparable to Perl, Ruby, Scheme, or Java.

Mint - Free personal finance software to assist you to manage your money, financial planning, and budget planning tools. Achieve your financial goals with Mint.

C++ - Has imperative, object-oriented and generic programming features, while also providing the facilities for low level memory manipulation

PureScript - PureScript is a small strongly typed programming language that compiles to JavaScript.

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

Elm - A type inferred, functional reactive language that compiles to HTML, CSS, and JavaScript

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