What are the differences between Either and Maybe in Haskell?

What are the differences between Either and Maybe in Haskell?

In Haskell, Maybe is used to represent a value that might be absent, while Either is used to represent a value that can be one of two types, typically for error handling.

Can you give me an example of when to use Either instead of Maybe?

Sure! Use Either when you want to return an error message along with a value. For instance, Either String Int can represent either an error message (String) or a successful result (Int).

What about using Maybe? When is it more appropriate?

Use Maybe when a function might not return a value at all, like looking up a value in a map where the key might not exist. It simply indicates presence or absence.

Are there any performance differences between them?

Generally, the performance difference is negligible, but Maybe is slightly more efficient since it only needs to store one value, while Either needs to store two.