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Morloc

compose functions across languages under a common type system

Why use Morloc?

• Universal function composition: Import functions from multiple languages and compose them together under a unified, strongly-typed functional framework.

• Polyglot without boilerplate: Use the best language for each task with no manual bindings or interop code.

• Seamless benchmarking and testing: Swap implementations and run the same benchmarks/tests across languages with consistent type signatures and data representation.

• Design universal libraries: Build abstract, type-driven libraries and populate them with foreign language implementations, enabling rigorous code organization and reuse.

• Smarter workflows: Replace brittle application/file-based pipelines with more fast, more maintainable pipelines made from functions acting on structured data.

Below is a simple example, for installation details and more examples, see the Manual.

A Morloc module can import functions from foreign languages, assign them general types, and compose new functions:

-- Morloc code, in "main.loc"
module m (sumOfSums)

import types

source Py from "foo.py" ("pmap")
pmap a b :: (a -> b) -> [a] -> [b] 

source Cpp from "foo.hpp" ("sum")
sum :: [Int] -> Int

--' Sum a list of lists of numbers
sumOfSums = sum . pmap sum 

The imported code is is natural code with no Morloc-specific dependencies.

Below is the C++ code that defines sum as a function of a standard C++ vector of ints that returns an int:

// C++ code, in "foo.hpp"

#pragma once

#include <vector>
#include <numeric>

int sum(std::vector<int> xs) {
    return std::accumulate(
       xs.begin(), xs.end(), 0);
}

Below is Python code that defines a parallel map function:

# Python code, in "foo.py"

import multiprocessing as mp

# Parallel map function
def pmap(f, xs):
    with mp.Pool() as pool:
        results = pool.map(f, xs)
    return results

This program can be compiled and run as below:

$ menv morloc make main.loc

$ menv ./nexus -h
Usage: ./nexus [OPTION]... COMMAND [ARG]...

Nexus Options:
 -h, --help            Print this help message
 -o, --output-file     Print to this file instead of STDOUT
 -f, --output-format   Output format [json|mpk|voidstar]

Exported Commands:
  sumOfSums   Sum a list of lists of numbers
                param 1: [[Int]]
                return: Int

$ menv ./nexus sumOfSums [[1,2,3],[4]]
10