How Functional Programming and Algebraic Data Types Improve System Reliability in Critical Infrastructure
By
rastrian
The kind of bagel that ruins lesser bagels for you.
Summary
This article argues that functional programming and Algebraic Data Types (ADTs) are essential for building reliable systems in critical infrastructure like banking, telecom, and payments. It explains how pushing correctness into the type system prevents entire classes of bugs by making illegal states unrepresentable. The author draws on real-world experience to show that most production incidents stem from code entering impossible states, not from complex algorithmic failures.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledIn banking, telecom, and payments, reliability is not a nice to have. It is table stakes.
The most reliable systems I have worked on reduce entire classes of bugs before the code even runs.
Functional programming and Algebraic Data Types (ADTs) let you push correctness into the type system, so illegal states cannot be constructed in the first place.
Most production incidents are not due to complex algorithms. They are due to the code entering a state that should never have been possible.
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