Buzzword Buster – DSL

Yan Cui

I help clients go faster for less using serverless technologies.

Definition:

A Domain Specific Language (DSL) is a programming language that’s dedicated to a particular problem domain. DSLs are often used to support domain-drive design and modelling. It’s the opposite of general purpose programming languages such as C# or Java.

Advantages:

  • Code looks like domain prose.
  • Easier to understand by everyone.
  • Easier to align with requirements.
  • More succinct (so less code is required!).

Disadvantages:

  • Hard to design, test and debug.
  • Bad API designers make even worse DSL designers!
  • Different people use different terminologies (think mobile in the UK and ‘cell’ in the US) which reduces DSL’s ability to bridge gaps in communication.

Parting thoughts..

  • Industry specific, so from a career and personal development point of view, it’s not attractive to me to specialize myself in DSLs and be locked into one industry.
  • Existing expertise and talent is hard to find (compared to general purpose languages).
  • Additional training required for people new to the industry.

Whenever you’re ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

  1. Production-Ready Serverless: Join 20+ AWS Heroes & Community Builders and 1000+ other students in levelling up your serverless game. This is your one-stop shop for quickly levelling up your serverless skills.
  2. I help clients launch product ideas, improve their development processes and upskill their teams. If you’d like to work together, then let’s get in touch.
  3. Join my community on Discord, ask questions, and join the discussion on all things AWS and Serverless.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *