path: root/slides.tex

\documentclass[12pt]{beamer}
\usetheme{metropolis}
\usepackage{minted}

\newenvironment{code}{\ttfamily}{\par}

\title{servant}
\subtitle{Defining web APIs at the type-level}

\begin{document}
\metroset{titleformat frame=smallcaps}
\setminted{fontsize=\scriptsize}


\maketitle

\section{Introduction}

\begin{frame}{Type-level DSLs?}
  \begin{itemize}
  \item (Uninhabited) types with attached ``meaning''
  \item The Expression Problem (Wadler 1998)
  \item API representation and interpretation are separated
  \item APIs become first-class citizens
  \end{itemize}
\end{frame}

\begin{frame}{Haskell extensions}
  \begin{itemize}
  \item TypeOperators
  \item DataKinds
  \item TypeFamilies
  \end{itemize}
\end{frame}

\begin{frame}[fragile]{A servant example}
  \begin{minted}{haskell}
    type PubAPI = "pubs" :> Get ’[JSON] [Pub]
             :<|> "pubs" :> "tagged"
                         :> Capture "tag" Text
                         :> Get ’[JSON] [Pub]
  \end{minted}
\end{frame}

\begin{frame}[fragile]{Computed types}
  \begin{minted}{haskell}
    type TaggedPubs = "tagged" :> Capture "tag" Text :> ...

    taggedPubsHandler :: Server TaggedPubs
    taggedPubsHandler tag = ...
  \end{minted}
\end{frame}

\begin{frame}[fragile]{Computed types}
  \begin{minted}{haskell}
    type TaggedPubs = "tagged" :> Capture "tag" Text :> ...

    taggedPubsHandler :: Server TaggedPubs
    taggedPubsHandler tag = ...

    Server TaggedPubs ~
    Text -> EitherT ServantErr IO [Pub]
  \end{minted}
\end{frame}

\section{Interpretations}

\begin{frame}{servant-server}
  The one everyone is interested in!

  \begin{itemize}
  \item Based on WAI, can run on warp
  \item Interprets combinators with a simple \texttt{HasServer c} class
  \item Easy to use!
  \end{itemize}
\end{frame}

\begin{frame}[fragile]{HasServer ...}
  \begin{minted}{haskell}
    instance (KnownSymbol path, HasServer sublayout)
             => HasServer (path :> sublayout) where
      type ServerT (path :> sublayout) m = ServerT sublayout m

      route ...
        where
          pathString = symbolVal (Proxy :: Proxy path)
  \end{minted}
\end{frame}

\begin{frame}[fragile]{Server example}
  \begin{minted}{haskell}
    type Echo = Capture "echo" Text :> Get ’[PlainText] Text

    echoAPI :: Proxy Echo
    echoAPI = Proxy

    echoServer :: Server Echo
    echoServer = return
  \end{minted}
\end{frame}

\begin{frame}{servant-client}
  \begin{itemize}
  \item Generates Haskell client functions for API
  \item Same types as API specification: For RPC the whole ``web layer'' is abstracted away
  \item Also easy to use!
  \end{itemize}
\end{frame}

\begin{frame}{servant-docs, servant-js ...}
  Many other interpretations exist already, for example:
  \begin{itemize}
  \item Documentation generation
  \item Foreign function export (e.g. Elm, JavaScript)
  \item Mock-server generation
  \end{itemize}
\end{frame}

\section{Demo}

\section{Conclusion}

\begin{frame}{Drawbacks}
  \begin{itemize}
  \item Haskell has no custom open kinds (yet)
  \item Proxies are ugly
  \item Errors can be a bit daunting
  \end{itemize}
\end{frame}

\begin{frame}{Questions?}
  Ølkartet: github.com/tazjin/pubkartet \\
  Slides: github.com/tazjin/servant-presentation

  @tazjin
\end{frame}
\end{document}