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Racket Lang VS Crystal (programming language)

Compare Racket Lang VS Crystal (programming language) and see what are their differences

Racket Lang logo Racket Lang

Racket (formerly PLT Scheme) is a modern programming language in the Lisp/Scheme family, suitable...

Crystal (programming language) logo Crystal (programming language)

Programming language with Ruby-like syntax that compiles to efficient native code.
  • Racket Lang Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-30

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

  • Crystal (programming language) Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-26

Racket Lang features and specs

  • Metaprogramming
    Racket excels at metaprogramming, allowing developers to easily create domain-specific languages and macros to suit their specific needs. This makes it highly flexible and powerful for developing complex programs.
  • Rich Libraries
    Racket comes with a large standard library and an active package ecosystem, providing a vast array of tools and frameworks for different types of applications from web development to scientific computing.
  • Educational Use
    Racket is widely used in academic settings, particularly for teaching computer science and programming. It offers a pedagogic environment designed to help learners understand fundamental principles easily.
  • Interactive Development
    Racket's REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop) allows for interactive development, making it easy to test and debug code snippets on the fly. This can speed up the development process and facilitate rapid prototyping.
  • Cross-Platform
    Racket is a cross-platform language and runs on various operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux. This ensures that programs written in Racket can be easily shared and executed on different systems without modification.

Possible disadvantages of Racket Lang

  • Performance
    Racket is generally not as performant as lower-level languages like C or Rust. This can be a limitation for applications requiring high computational efficiency, such as real-time systems.
  • Smaller Community
    While Racket has a dedicated user base, its community is relatively small compared to languages like Python or JavaScript. This can make it more challenging to find resources, tutorials, or third-party libraries.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Racket's unique features and advanced concepts such as continuations and macros may present a steep learning curve for beginners who are not already familiar with Lisp-like languages or functional programming paradigms.
  • Limited Industry Adoption
    Racket is not as widely adopted in the industry as some other languages, which can limit job opportunities and its overall presence in commercial software development.
  • Verbose Syntax
    Racket's syntax can be verbose and complex due to its Lisp heritage, which uses extensive parentheses. This can make the code harder to read and maintain, especially for those not accustomed to it.

Crystal (programming language) features and specs

  • Performance
    Crystal is designed to have the performance of C, thanks to its compilation to efficient native code. Its static type system and low-level memory management capabilities allow optimized execution.
  • Syntax
    Crystal offers a syntax that is heavily inspired by Ruby, making it intuitive and familiar for Ruby developers. This can significantly reduce the learning curve and improve developer productivity.
  • Type Inference
    Crystal provides powerful type inference, enabling developers to write less boilerplate code while still benefiting from the safety and performance of a statically-typed language.
  • Concurrency
    Crystal supports lightweight concurrency with fibers, which allows developers to write efficient and scalable concurrent programs with a simpler syntax compared to traditional threading models.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    Crystal has an active and growing community. It also boasts a rich ecosystem with libraries and tools, making it easier for developers to find resources and support.

Possible disadvantages of Crystal (programming language)

  • Maturity
    Crystal is still a relatively young language compared to more established languages like Python or Java. This can mean fewer resources, libraries, and tools, as well as potential instability in certain areas.
  • Compilation Time
    Crystal's compilation times can be slower compared to interpreted languages, particularly for larger codebases. This can impact development workflows and iteration speed.
  • Binary Size
    Compiled Crystal programs tend to generate larger binary sizes compared to other compiled languages like Go or Rust. This can be a consideration for resource-constrained environments.
  • Platform Support
    Being less mature, Crystal may have fewer options for platform-specific optimizations and integrations, which could limit its use in certain specialized applications.
  • Tooling
    Although the situation is improving, Crystal's tooling ecosystem is not as mature as those of older languages. This can affect the availability and quality of IDE support, debugging tools, and other development aids.

Analysis of Racket Lang

Overall verdict

  • Racket Lang is a robust and flexible language that is particularly appreciated within academic circles and by those interested in functional programming. It has a strong community and is praised for its ability to facilitate rapid prototyping and language creation.

Why this product is good

  • Racket Lang is considered good because it is a versatile and functional programming language designed for creating a wide range of applications, from web development to scripting and research. It provides excellent support for functional programming paradigms, including features like first-class functions, powerful macro systems, and modules. The extensive set of libraries and its IDE, DrRacket, make it beginner-friendly and suitable for educational purposes.

Recommended for

    Racket Lang is recommended for programmers who are interested in learning functional programming, educators who wish to teach programming concepts, researchers working in computer science, and developers looking to create domain-specific languages or rapidly prototype solutions.

Analysis of Crystal (programming language)

Overall verdict

  • Crystal is considered a good choice for developers who appreciate the syntax and flexibility of Ruby but require the performance and safety of a compiled language. Its balance of readability and efficiency makes it ideal for projects where high performance is critical but developer productivity cannot be sacrificed. However, potential users should consider the relatively smaller community compared to more established languages.

Why this product is good

  • Crystal is designed to combine the elegance and productivity of Ruby with the performance and efficiency of a compiled language. It offers a syntax that is close to Ruby, making it easy to read and write, while its compiler produces highly optimized native code. The language features static type checking, which helps catch errors at compile time, and it comes with powerful concurrency support through lightweight fibers. Additionally, Crystal's extensive standard library and growing ecosystem make it suitable for a wide range of applications.

Recommended for

  • Developers who enjoy Ruby's syntax but need better performance.
  • Projects that require strong concurrency support.
  • Applications where native code performance is a priority.
  • Developers willing to explore a language with a smaller ecosystem.

Racket Lang videos

🏸 Top & Best Selling Badminton Rackets 2020 (review of Year 2019) 🏆

Crystal (programming language) videos

No Crystal (programming language) videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Racket Lang and Crystal (programming language))
Programming Language
37 37%
63% 63
OOP
39 39%
61% 61
Generic Programming Language
IDE
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Crystal (programming language) might be a bit more popular than Racket Lang. We know about 115 links to it since March 2021 and only 95 links to Racket Lang. 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.

Racket Lang mentions (95)

  • Cloudflare Topaz: formal verification to prevent conflicts in DNS configuration
    Racket! https://racket-lang.org/ “Whenever an engineer changes one of these programs, we run all the programs through our custom model checker (written in Racket + Rosette)”. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • The Little Typer (2018)
    Friedman's books are all great. All of them. But they don't work for everybody. If you can be relaxed and think of the interaction as play, they're very good. If you're feeling more of a "serious business" mindset, it can be hard to get in the groove of his style. There are a lot of jokes about food and encouragement to take breaks. If you can get into the learning as play mindset, I'd strongly encourage taking... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Ask HN: What programming language should I learn?
    - pipe operator It compiles to either erlang or JavaScript, so I was able to jump right into building something fun with a new language. >I previously gave Clojure a try, that was a pretty good fit, but the JVM / ecosystem put me off. I felt similarly w/ leiningen (too much boilerplate) but was lisp-curious still so gave racket (https://racket-lang.org/) a try and appreciated the batteries included philosophy of... - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • Ask HN: Which language is easiest to get started with functional programming?
    Biased recommendation: Try racket https://racket-lang.org/ It's not pure functional, but the preferred style is to use mostly functional constructs. (But you can cheat when it get's too difficult or you need some extra speed.) (And you can download packages like Qi that enable a new language inside Racket that has more support for functional style.) (Most Schemes have a similar mostly-functional style, so you can... - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Racket–the Language-Oriented Programming Language–version 8.12 is now available
    Racket—the Language-Oriented Programming Language—version 8.12 is now available from https://racket-lang.org See https://racket.discourse.group/t/racket-v8-12-is-now-available/2709 for the release announcement and highlights. Thank you to the many people who contributed to this release! Feedback Welcome. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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Crystal (programming language) mentions (115)

  • Dotnet Run App.cs
    Have you heard of crystal[0]? It is very close to ruby, but compiled, with fast start times. [0]: https://crystal-lang.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 19 days ago
  • Rhombus Language
    Did you ever see Crystal? It's more or less a typed Ruby. I've heard that you can port some code directly. https://crystal-lang.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Tiny JITs for a Faster FFI
    If you like the Ruby syntax (but want a statically typed language), you might want to take a look at Crystal: https://crystal-lang.org/ > Crystal is statically typed and type errors are caught early by the compiler, eliminating a range of type-related errors at runtime. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Advent of Code #1 (in Gleam)
    I really enjoyed using Crystal last year. It is a very ergonomic language with a featureful standard library. I was tempted to use it again this year, but I figured I should use this opportunity to try something new. After considering several languages including Go, F#, Nim, and Raku, I decided to go with Gleam. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Understanding Ruby 3.3 Concurrency: A Comprehensive Guide
    Also check https://crystal-lang.org/ which aims for ruby like syntax/dx but almost native performance. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Racket Lang and Crystal (programming language), you can also consider the following products

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.

Nim (programming language) - The Nim programming language is a concise, fast programming language that compiles to C, C++ and JavaScript.

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

Go Programming Language - Go, also called golang, is a programming language initially developed at Google in 2007 by Robert...

Guile - Guile is the GNU Ubiquitous Intelligent Language for Extensions, the official extension language for the GNU operating system.

V (programming language) - Simple, fast, safe, compiled language for developing maintainable software.