What is Gleam?
Gleam is a functional programming language designed for building type-safe, scalable systems. It combines a modern syntax with the reliability of the Erlang runtime, enabling developers to create highly concurrent applications. The language features a practical type system that eliminates null values and exceptions, providing clear error messages to streamline development and maintenance.
Gleam includes a comprehensive toolchain with a compiler, build tool, formatter, editor integrations, and package manager. It integrates seamlessly with the BEAM ecosystem, allowing use of packages from Erlang and Elixir, and can compile to JavaScript for browser or Node.js environments. The language supports actor-based concurrency, enabling millions of concurrent green threads for efficient scaling.
Features
- Type Safety: Eliminates null values and exceptions with a practical type system
- Concurrency: Actor-based system supports millions of concurrent green threads
- Ecosystem Integration: Uses packages from Erlang, Elixir, and the BEAM ecosystem
- JavaScript Compilation: Compiles to JavaScript with TypeScript definitions
- Built-in Toolchain: Includes compiler, build tool, formatter, and package manager
Use Cases
- Building scalable backend services
- Developing concurrent applications
- Creating type-safe web applications
- Integrating with existing Erlang or Elixir systems
- Writing code for both server and browser environments
