JavaScript vs. Lua vs. Massdriver vs. PureScript Comparison Chart

Lua is a powerful, efficient, lightweight, embeddable scripting language. It supports procedural programming, object-oriented programming, functional programming, data-driven programming, and data description. Lua combines simple procedural syntax with powerful data description constructs based on associative arrays and extensible semantics. Lua is dynamically typed, runs by interpreting bytecode with a register-based virtual machine, and has automatic memory management with incremental garbage collection, making it ideal for configuration, scripting, and rapid prototyping. Lua has a deserved reputation for performance. To claim to be "as fast as Lua" is an aspiration of other scripting languages. Several benchmarks show Lua as the fastest language in the realm of interpreted scripting languages. Lua is fast not only in fine-tuned benchmark programs, but in real life too. Substantial fractions of large applications have been written in Lua.

PureScript is a strongly typed, purely functional programming language that compiles JavaScript. It enables developers to build robust web applications, web servers, and mobile apps using functional programming techniques. PureScript offers features such as algebraic data types, pattern matching, row polymorphism, extensible records, higher-kinded types, type classes with functional dependencies, and higher-rank polymorphism. The language emphasizes strong static typing and pure functions, ensuring code reliability and maintainability. Developers can compile PureScript code into readable JavaScript, facilitating seamless integration with existing JavaScript codebases. The ecosystem includes an extensive collection of libraries, excellent tooling, and editor support with instant rebuilds. An active community provides numerous learning resources, including the PureScript book, which offers practical projects for beginners.