What are functors and monads, and how are they used in programming?

What are functors and monads, and how are they used in programming?

Functors and monads are design patterns in functional programming. A functor is a type that can be mapped over, allowing you to apply a function to values wrapped in a context. A monad, on the other hand, is a type that represents computations instead of values, providing a way to chain operations together.

Can you give me a real-world example of a functor?

Sure! A common example of a functor is the Maybe type in Haskell. It represents a value that might be present or absent. You can use the fmap function to apply a function to the value inside the Maybe, if it exists.

What about monads? Any practical applications?

Absolutely! Monads are often used for handling side effects in programming. For instance, the IO monad in Haskell allows you to perform input/output operations while maintaining functional purity.

How do functors and monads differ in their functionality?

The key difference is that functors allow you to apply a function to a wrapped value, while monads provide a way to chain operations that involve wrapped values, managing context and side effects.