How do exceptions affect performance in Haskell?

How do exceptions affect performance in Haskell?

In Haskell, exceptions can introduce overhead due to the need for stack unwinding and context switching. However, the impact varies based on how exceptions are used.

Are there specific scenarios where exceptions are more costly?

Yes, exceptions can be more costly in scenarios involving deep call stacks or frequent exception throwing and catching. It's often better to use alternatives like Either or Maybe for error handling.

What are the alternatives to using exceptions in Haskell?

Alternatives include using the Either type for error handling, Maybe for optional values, or monadic error handling with the ExceptT monad.

Can you give an example of using Either instead of exceptions?

Sure! Instead of throwing an exception, you can return an Either String Int where Left represents an error message and Right represents a successful result.