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Comparison of functional programming languages

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The table shows a comparison of functional programming languages which compares various features and designs of different functional programming languages.

class="wikitable sortable"
NamePureLazy evaluationTypingAbstract data typesAlgebraic data typesData is immutableType classesGarbage collection || First appeared
Common Lisp{{No}}{{cite web|title=LISP Introduction|url=http://www.math-cs.gordon.edu/courses/cps323/LISP/lisp.html|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Partial|Simulated with thunks{{cite web|last=Antoniotti|first=Marco|title=CLAZY: Lazy Calling in Common Lisp|url=http://common-lisp.net/project/clazy/|access-date=26 November 2013}}}}style="background:#FC6; text-align:center"|Dynamic{{cite journal|last=Tratt|first=Laurence|title=Dynamically Typed Languages|journal=Advances in Computers|date=July 2009|volume=77|pages=149–184|url=http://tratt.net/laurie/research/pubs/html/tratt__dynamically_typed_languages/|access-date=26 November 2013|doi=10.1016/s0065-2458(09)01205-4|url-access=subscription}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=LISP Tutorial Lecture 3: Data Abstraction|url=http://www.cs.sfu.ca/CourseCentral/310/pwfong/Lisp/3/tutorial3.html}}{{Partial|Extension}}{{cite web|title=Algebraic data types in Common Lisp|website=GitHub |url=https://github.com/stylewarning/cl-algebraic-data-type|access-date=11 May 2020}}{{No}}{{cite web|title=Mutable Data Structures|url=http://caml.inria.fr/pub/docs/fpcl/fpcl-07.pdf|access-date=28 November 2013}}{{Dunno}}{{Yes}}1984
Scheme{{No}}{{cite web|title=Similar Functional Languages|url=http://caml.inria.fr/pub/docs/oreilly-book/html/book-ora202.html|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=(Scheme) 17. Lazy Evaluation|url=http://www.shido.info/lisp/scheme_lazy_e.html|access-date=30 April 2020}}style="background:#FC6; text-align:center"|Dynamic{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Records - Revised6 Report on the Algorithmic Language Scheme|url=http://www.r6rs.org/final/html/r6rs-lib/r6rs-lib.html|access-date=11 May 2020}}{{Partial|Simulated with thunks}}{{cite web|title=Algebraic Data Types in Scheme|url=https://pavpanchekha.com/blog/adtscm.html|access-date=11 May 2020}}{{No}}{{cite web|title=Programs with State|url=http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/teaching/cs3540/sessions/session26.html|access-date=29 November 2013}}{{No}}{{Yes}}1975
Racket{{No}}{{Yes2}}Default in Lazy Racket{{cite web|url=https://docs.racket-lang.org/lazy/index.html|title=Lazy Racket|access-date=8 February 2020|first=Eli|last=Barzilay}}style="background:#99F; text-align:center"|Dynamic by default, gradual with Typed Racket{{cite web|url=https://docs.racket-lang.org/ts-reference/index.html|title=Typed Racket|access-date=8 February 2020|first1=Sam|last1=Tobin-Hochstadt|first2=Vincent|last2=St-Amour|first3=Eric|last3=Dobson|first4=Asumu|last4=Takikawa}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|url=https://docs.racket-lang.org/guide/define-struct.html|title=The Racket Guide: Programmer-Defined Datatypes|access-date=8 February 2020}}{{Yes2}}Yes, with Algebraic Racket{{Cite web|url=https://docs.racket-lang.org/algebraic/index.html|title=Algebraic Racket|access-date=8 February 2020|first=Eric|last=Griffis}}{{Partial}}{{Cite web|url=https://beautifulracket.com/explainer/data-structures.html|title=Beautiful Racket: Data Structures|access-date=8 February 2020|first=Matthew|last=Buttrick}}{{No}}{{Yes}}1995
Clojure{{No}}{{cite web|title=Clojure Functional Programing|url=http://clojure.org/functional_programming}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Clojure - lazy|url=http://clojure.org/lazy|access-date=27 November 2013}}style="background:#FC6; text-align:center"|Dynamic{{cite web|title=Exploring clojure: dynamic typing|date=7 December 2012 |url=http://tgoossens.wordpress.com/2012/12/07/dynamically-exploring-clojure/|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|last=Engelberg|first=Mark|title=Thoughts On Programming|date=21 April 2009 |url=http://programming-puzzler.blogspot.com/2009/04/adts-in-clojure.html|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=clojure-contrib, typing example|url=https://code.google.com/p/clojure-contrib/source/browse/trunk/src/clojure/contrib/types/examples.clj?spec=svn596&r=596|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=clojure: functional programming overview|url=http://clojure.org/functional_programming|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{No}}{{Yes}}2007
Standard ML{{No}}{{cite web|title=Introduction to Functional Programming|url=http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~jrh13/slides/funprog-jrh/l8.pdf|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{No}}{{cite web|title=Lazy and Eager Evaluation|url=http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/dts/fps/lecture-notes/lazy.pdf|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{cite web|last=Harper, MacQueen, Milner|title=Standard ML|url=http://www.lfcs.inf.ed.ac.uk/reports/86/ECS-LFCS-86-2/ECS-LFCS-86-2.pdf|work=Section 3.6}}style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|StaticWikibooks:Standard ML Programming/Types{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Mutable and optional data|url=http://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse341/04wi/lectures/08-ml-refs.html|access-date=28 November 2013}}{{No}}{{Yes}}1983
OCaml{{No}}{{cite web|title=Functional Programming – OCaml|url=http://ocaml.org/learn/tutorials/functional_programming.html|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes}}style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{cite web|last=Hickey|first=Jason|title=Introduction to Objective Caml|url=http://files.metaprl.org/doc/ocaml-book.pdf|work=Section 2.4|publisher=Cambridge University Press|access-date=26 November 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002091023/http://files.metaprl.org/doc/ocaml-book.pdf|archive-date=2 October 2013}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Type and exception definitions|url=http://caml.inria.fr/pub/docs/manual-ocaml-4.00/manual016.html}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|url=http://ocaml.org/learn/description.html#DataTypes| title=Learn OCaml - Data Types}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|url=http://ocaml.org/learn/description.html#Imperativefeatures | title=Learn OCaml - Imperative Features}}{{Partial|Simulated with parametric modules}}{{cite web|title=Implementing Type-Classes as OCaml Modules|url=https://accu.org/index.php/journals/2445|access-date=11 May 2020}}{{Yes}}1996
F#{{No}}{{cite web | url=http://fsharpforfunandprofit.com/learning-fsharp/| access-date=6 December 2013 | title=Learning F#}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Lazy Computations (F#)|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/vstudio/dd233247.aspx|publisher=Microsoft Developer Network|access-date=26 November 2013}}style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{cite web|title=About F#|url=http://fsharp.org/about/index.html|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Structures - F#|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/fsharp/language-reference/structures|access-date=11 May 2020}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Discriminated Unions|date=15 September 2021 |url=https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd233226.aspx}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=The F# 3.0 Language Specification: 1.1.2 Making Data Simple|url=http://fsharp.org/about/files/spec.pdf|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{No}}{{Yes}}2005
Haskell{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Haskell Wiki|url=http://www.haskell.org|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes2}}Default{{cite web|title=Haskell Wiki Lazy Evaluation|url=http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Lazy_evaluation|access-date=26 November 2013}}style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{cite web|title=Haskell Typing|url=http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Typing|publisher=HaskellWiki|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Haskell Wiki Abstract Data Type|url=http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Abstract_data_type|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|url=http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Functional_programming#Immutable_data|title=Haskell Wiki|access-date=27 November 2013}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|url=http://www.haskell.org/tutorial/classes.html|title=Type Classes and Overloading}}{{Yes}}1990
Scala{{No}}{{cite web|title=Scala Overview|url=http://www.scala-lang.org/old/sites/default/files/linuxsoft_archives/docu/files/ScalaOverview.pdf|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Scala by Example|url=http://www.scala-lang.org/docu/files/ScalaByExample.pdf|access-date=26 November 2013}}style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Scala Reference|url=http://www.scala-lang.org/files/archive/nightly/pdfs/ScalaReference.pdf|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Mutable and Immutable Collections|url=http://docs.scala-lang.org/overviews/collections/overview.html|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=The Neophyte's Guide to Scala Part 12: Type Classes|url=http://danielwestheide.com/blog/2013/02/06/the-neophytes-guide-to-scala-part-12-type-classes.html|access-date=29 November 2013}}{{Yes}}2004
JavaScript{{No}}List of multi-paradigm programming languages#Language overview{{unreliable source?|date=March 2015}}{{Partial|Extension}}{{cite web|last=Tao|first=Dan|title=Lazy.js|url=http://danieltao.com/lazy.js/|work=Dan Tao|access-date=26 November 2013}}style="background:#FC6; text-align:center"|Dynamic{{cite web|title=JavaScript Overview|url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/JavaScript_Overview|work=Mozilla Developer Network|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Partial|Extension}}{{cite web|last=Frank|first=Thomas|title=Add some klass to JavaScript|url=http://www.thomasfrank.se/klass.html|work=thomasfrank.com|access-date=26 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208100043/http://thomasfrank.se/klass.html|archive-date=8 December 2013|url-status=dead}}{{Partial|Extension}}{{cite web|last=Faubion|first=Nathan|title=ADT|url=https://npmjs.org/package/adt|work=NPM|publisher=Joyent, nodejitsu|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Partial}}Immutable object#JavaScript{{cite web|title=Javascript Data structures|url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Data_structures|work=Mozilla Developer Network|access-date=26 November 2013}}{{Dunno}}{{Yes}}1995
Clean{{Yes}}{{cite web | url=http://clean.cs.ru.nl/FAQ | title=FAQ - Clean}}{{Yes}}, with optional strictness annotations{{cite book|last1=Plasmeijer|first1=Rinus|last2=Van Eekelen|first2=Marko|last3=Van Groningen|first3=John|title=Clean Version 2.2 Language Report|date=December 2011|publisher=Department of Software Technology, University of Nijmegen|url=http://clean.cs.ru.nl/download/doc/CleanLangRep.2.2.pdf|access-date=23 May 2018}}style="background:#99F; text-align:center"|Static with uniqueness/optionally dynamic{{cite web | url=http://clean.cs.ru.nl/Clean | title=Clean}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}, except for unique types{{Yes}}{{Yes}}1987
Miranda{{Yes}}{{cite web | url=http://miranda.org.uk/ | title=Miranda Official Website}}{{Yes2}}Default{{cite web | url=http://www.cs.kent.ac.uk/people/staff/dat/miranda/Overview.html#Lazy | title=An Overview of Miranda}}style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{Yes}}{{cite web | url=http://www.cs.kent.ac.uk/people/staff/dat/miranda/Overview.html#Abstract | title=An Overview of Miranda}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{No}}{{Yes}}1986
SASL{{Yes}}Turner, D.A. "An Implementation of SASL". University of St. Andrews, Department of Computer Science Technical Report. TR/75/4.{{Yes}}style="background:#FC6; text-align:center"|Dynamic{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W2baKp7710sC&q=sasl+dynamic+typing&pg=PA128 | title=Kahn networks at the dawn of functional programming| isbn=9780521518253| last1=Kahn| first1=Gilles| last2=Bertot| first2=Yves| last3=Huet| first3=Gérard| last4=Lévy| first4=Jean-Jacques| last5=Plotkin| first5=Gordon| date=2009-09-24| publisher=Cambridge University Press}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{No}}{{Yes}}1972
Elixir{{No}}{{Partial|Stream module{{cite web | url=https://hexdocs.pm/elixir/Stream.html| title=Stream — Elixir v1.17.2}} }}style="background:#FC6; text-align:center"|Dynamic{{Yes}}{{No}}{{Yes}}{{Dunno}}{{Yes}}2012
Erlang{{No}}{{No}}{{cite web | url=http://www.erlang.org/doc/reference_manual/expressions.html#id76539| access-date=27 November 2013 | title=Erlang Reference Manual}}style="background:#FC6; text-align:center"|Dynamic{{Yes}}{{cite web | url=http://www.erlang.org/eeps/eep-0029.html | title=Erlang Programming Language - Abstract Patterns}}{{No}}{{Yes}}{{cite web | url=https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2715517/how-do-i-modify-a-record-in-erlang | access-date=15 December 2013 | title=Stack Overflow - How do I modify a record in erlang?}}{{Dunno}}{{Yes}}1986
Elm{{Yes}}{{No}}style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{cite web | url=http://elm-lang.org/blog/Interactive-Programming.elm | access-date=29 November 2013 | title=Elm Blog - Interactive Programming | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131006235603/http://elm-lang.org/blog/Interactive-Programming.elm | archive-date=6 October 2013 | url-status=dead }}{{dunno}}{{Yes}}{{cite web | url=http://elm-lang.org/learn/Syntax.elm#algebraic-data-types | access-date=29 November 2013 | title=Elm Syntax - Algebraic Data Types | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313052210/http://elm-lang.org/learn/syntax.elm#algebraic-data-types | archive-date=13 March 2016 | url-status=dead }}{{Yes}}{{No}}{{Yes}}2012
Futhark{{Yes}}{{No}}style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{cite web | url=https://futhark.readthedocs.io/en/latest/language-reference.html#type-inference | access-date=24 July 2023 | title=Type Inference}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{No}}{{Yes}}2014
Python{{No}}{{cite web | url=https://docs.python.org/3/howto/functional.html | title=Functional Programming in Python}}{{Partial|Simulated with generators}}style="background:#FC6; text-align:center"|Dynamic{{cite web | url=https://docs.python.org/3/faq/general.html#what-is-python | title=What is Python?}}{{Yes}}{{cite web | url=http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~byoung/cs313e/slides5-adt.pdf | title=Abstract Data Types and Stacks}}{{No}}{{Partial}}Immutable object#Python{{Dunno}}{{Yes}}1991
Idris{{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Idris Overview|url=http://www.idris-lang.org/|access-date=6 December 2013}}{{Yes}}style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}2007
Nix{{Yes}}{{No}}style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}{{No}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{No}}{{Yes}}2003
Wolfram Language

|{{No}}

|{{No}}

|style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static

|{{Yes}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|{{Yes}}

| 1988

Kotlin

|{{No}}

|{{Partial|Lazy delegation{{cite web | url=https://kotlinlang.org/docs/reference/delegated-properties.html | title=Kotlin - Delegated Properties}} and Sequence{{cite web | url=https://kotlinlang.org/api/latest/jvm/stdlib/kotlin.sequences/ | title=kotlin-stdlib - kotlin.sequences}}}}

|style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|{{Yes}}

| 2011

Swift

|{{No}}

|{{No}}

|style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static

|{{Yes}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|{{Partial|Swift uses Automatic Reference Counting, which differs from tracing garbage collection but is designed to provide similar benefits with better performance.}}

| 2014

Julia

|{{No}}

|{{No}}{{cite web | url=https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1/manual/noteworthy-differences/ | title=Noteworthy Differences from Other Languages - The Julia Language }}

|style="background:#FC6; text-align:center"|Dynamic{{cite web | url=https://docs.julialang.org/en/v1/manual/types/ | title=Types - The Julia Language }}

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|{{Partial}}

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Yes}}

| 2012

PureScript

|{{Yes}}

|{{No}}

|style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static

|{{Yes}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{Yes}}

| 2013

Rust

|{{No}}

|{{Partial|Lazy iterators}}{{cite web | url=https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch13-02-iterators.html | title=The Rust Programming Language, Processing a Series of Items with Iterators }} and external libraries{{cite web | url=https://crates.io/crates/lazy | title=Rust crate 'lazy'}}

|style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{cite web |url=https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch03-02-data-types.html | title=The Rust Programming Language, Data Types}}

|{{Yes}}{{cite web | url=https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch10-02-traits.html | title=The Rust Programming Language, Traits}}

|{{Yes}}{{cite web | url=https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch06-00-enums.html | title=The Rust Programming Language, Enums}}

|{{Yes}}{{cite web | url=https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch03-01-variables-and-mutability.html | title=The Rust Programming Language, Variables and Mutability}}

|{{Yes}}, through traits

|{{No}}

| 2010

Bosque

|{{No}}

|{{No}}

|style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static

|{{Yes}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{Yes}}

|{{Dunno}}

|{{Yes}}

|2019

D

| {{Partial|Optional}}{{cite web|title=D pure functions|url=https://dlang.org/spec/function.html#pure-functions|access-date=3 February 2024}}{{cite web|title=D safe functions|url=https://dlang.org/spec/function.html#safe-functions|access-date=3 February 2024}}

| {{Partial|Optional}}{{cite web|title=Laziness - Dlang Tour|url=https://tour.dlang.org/tour/en/basics/laziness|access-date=7 April 2020}}

| style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{cite web|title=Type System|url=https://dlang.org/spec/type.html|access-date=7 April 2020}}

| {{dunno}}

| {{Yes}}

| {{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Immutable - Dlang Tour|url=https://tour.dlang.org/tour/en/basics/immutability|access-date=7 April 2020}}

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}{{cite web|title=Garbage Collection|url=https://dlang.org/spec/garbage.html|access-date=7 April 2020}}

| 2001

Gleam{{No}}{{cite web | url=https://gleam.run/frequently-asked-questions/#will-gleam-have-type-classes | title=Frequently asked questions – Gleam }}{{Partial|Experimental external libraries}}style="background:#8CF; text-align:center"|Static{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{Yes}}{{No}}{{Yes}}2019

References

{{reflist|3}}

Functional programming languages