Writing web applications in Clojure
Functional Web
Clojure looks like Lisp and runs wherever Java is installed. Practical tools and sophisticated libraries provide the underpinnings for rapid development of modern web applications.
Clojure [1] made its first appearance in the software landscape in 2007. The functional programming language combines Lisp-like syntax with an implementation on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Within a few years, a Clojure community with user groups [2] and conferences (e.g., Clojure West [3] and Clojure/conj [4]) has been established.
An extensive ecosystem of libraries has emerged for the language, which is released under the Eclipse Public License. Clojure benefits from its Java origins, which lets it share the VM with Java and JRuby, and impresses with abstraction over concurrency [5] on multiprocessor systems. The name evokes the closure programming concept, with the "j" coming from Java.
Clojure advocates are enthusiastic about the improved productivity this expression-rich language permits. I strongly encourage you to take a look at an essay by Lisp advocate and entrepreneur Paul Graham [6] that describes the implications of the advantages Lisp programming confers, leading some Internet startups to focus on the language they use in large web applications. In this article, I show you how to use Clojure to implement a simple chat for the web browser (Figure 1).
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.