Yang Danny. Introducing ReScript: Functional Programming for Web Applications

Apress Media, LLC., 2023. — 284 p. — ISBN: 978-1-4842-8887-0.This book serves as a succinct guide on ReScript, a functional language for building web applications. Using examples of ReScript language features along with explanations of fundamental concepts in functional programming, this book will show web developers with a background in JavaScript how to effectively use ReScript to its full potential.In Introducing ReScript, you'll learn how to use features in ReScript that JavaScript lacks, such as type inference, null safety, algebraic data types, pattern matching, and more. Along the way, you'll pick up functional programming concepts like immutability and higher-order functions. You'll also gain a sense of how ReScript works under the hood and how to leverage interoperability between ReScript and JavaScript.Whether you're a web developer interested in dabbling with functional programming or you just want to learn how to write safer and cleaner code for web applications, this book is a great way for you to get started with ReScript.ReScript is a language designed for writing web applications. It brings a lot to the table: static type checking, a strong type system, and powerful language features that will change the way you program. There are several other languages and tools that offer static type checking for web applications, but ReScript has several key advantages over its competitors. As an example, let’s look at the benefits ReScript has compared with another popular JavaScript alternative, TypeScript: ReScript is safer – Unlike ReScript’s battle-tested and sound type system, TypeScript’s type system is unsound, so it is still possible to have runtime type errors in a valid TypeScript program. ReScript is faster – ReScript’s compiler is much faster than TypeScript’s compiler, allowing for a smoother development experience when working in large code bases. ReScript has the following key differences from its predecessors: ReScript has different syntax and features. While it looks and feels more like JavaScript, ReScript is still based on the battle-tested compiler and type system as Reason and OCaml, so it has the same type safety benefits as its predecessors. ReScript can only be compiled into JavaScript.What You Will LearnUse ReScript to write clean, safe, and elegant software.
Understand the features of ReScript that set it apart from JavaScript, such as type inference, null safety, and algebraic data types.
Explore functional programming concepts like immutabhigher-order order functions, and pattern matching.
Use popular JavaScript libraries and frameworks in your ReScript code and integrate ReScript code into JavaScript codebases.Who This Book Is ForWeb developers that want a strictly typed, safer alternative to JavaScript, as well as web developers interested in learning functional programming and leveraging the elegant and powerful functional features in ReScript.ReScript Basics.
Functions.
Composite Data Types.
Records and Objects.
Lists and Arrays.
Collections.
Modules.
JavaScript Interoperability.