Improving Testability and Reuse by Transitioning to Functional Programming

TL;DR

This paper discusses the advantages of adopting functional programming within multiparadigm languages like JavaScript to improve software testability and reusability, especially in modern cloud and parallel computing contexts.

Contribution

It provides technical insights into transitioning from imperative to functional programming and explores its impact on software quality attributes.

Findings

FP enhances testability in modern software development.

Functional styles improve code reuse and modularity.

Transitioning to FP aligns with modern cloud and parallel computing needs.

Abstract

Declarative styles such as functional programming (FP) are rapidly gaining ground on their imperative cousins, including procedural and object-oriented programming. The shift is subtle because it is happening within the context of multiparadigm programming languages such as JavaScript. FP is better suited to modern processes like test-driven development (TDD), and architectures like massively parallel, cloud-based computing. This article describes the technical details that characterize the shift from imperative to FP and implications for software quality management, particularly reuse and testability.