What are the differences between async and parallel in Haskell?

What are the differences between async and parallel in Haskell?

In Haskell, 'async' is used for concurrent programming, allowing tasks to run independently, while 'parallel' is for executing tasks simultaneously, utilizing multiple cores.

Can you give me an example of using async in Haskell?

Sure! You can use the 'async' library to run a computation in the background. For example:

import Control.Concurrent.Async

main = do
    result <- async (someLongComputation)
    -- do other work
    value <- wait result
    print value

What about parallel? How does it work?

The 'parallel' library allows you to run computations in parallel. For instance:

import Control.Parallel

main = do
    let results = parMap rpar someComputation [1..10]
    print results

When should I use async over parallel?

Use 'async' when you need to manage multiple tasks that may not require heavy computation and can benefit from concurrency. Use 'parallel' when you want to maximize CPU usage for compute-intensive tasks.