Convert Erlang to Roc

Convert Erlang to Roc

Convert Erlang code to idiomatic Roc. This skill extends meta-convert-dev with Erlang-to-Roc specific type mappings, idiom translations, and architectural patterns for moving from process-based concurrency to pure functional programming.

This Skill Extends

• meta-convert-dev - Foundational conversion patterns (APTV workflow, testing strategies)

For general concepts like the Analyze → Plan → Transform → Validate workflow, testing strategies, and common pitfalls, see the meta-skill first.

This Skill Adds

• Type mappings: Erlang dynamic types → Roc static types
• Paradigm translation: Process-based concurrency → Pure functional with Tasks
• Idiom translations: OTP patterns → Roc functional patterns
• Error handling: Let-it-crash + supervisors → Result types
• Concurrency: Erlang processes → Roc platform Tasks
• Module system: Erlang modules → Roc platform/​application architecture

This Skill Does NOT Cover

• General conversion methodology - see meta-convert-dev
• Erlang language fundamentals - see lang-erlang-dev
• Roc language fundamentals - see lang-roc-dev
• Reverse conversion (Roc → Erlang) - see convert-roc-erlang

---

Quick Reference

When Converting Code

1. Analyze BEAM semantics before writing Roc
2. Identify process boundaries - these become platform interactions
3. Map dynamic patterns to static types - use tag unions for variants
4. Redesign supervision trees - Roc platforms handle failure differently
5. Extract pure logic - separate computation from effects
6. Test equivalence - verify behavior matches despite different architecture

---

Paradigm Translation

Mental Model Shift: BEAM Processes → Pure Functions + Platform Tasks

Concurrency Mental Model

---

Type System Mapping

Primitive Types

Collection Types

Composite Types

Function Types

Error Types

---

Idiom Translation

Pattern 1: Simple Function Conversion

Erlang:

-module(math_utils).
-export([add/​2, square/​1]).

add(A, B) -> A + B.

square(N) -> N * N.

Roc:

interface MathUtils
    exposes [add, square]
    imports []

add : I64, I64 -> I64
add = \a, b -> a + b

square : I64 -> I64
square = \n -> n * n

Why this translation:

• Erlang modules become Roc interfaces
• Exported functions go in exposes
• Type signatures are inferred but can be explicit
• Function definitions use lambda syntax

Pattern 2: Pattern Matching on Tagged Tuples

Erlang:

process_result({ok, Data}) ->
    {success, Data};
process_result({error, Reason}) ->
    {failure, Reason};
process_result(unknown) ->
    {failure, unknown_result}.

Roc:

processResult : [Ok Data, Err Reason, Unknown] -> [Success Data, Failure Reason]
processResult = \result ->
    when result is
        Ok(data) -> Success(data)
        Err(reason) -> Failure(reason)
        Unknown -> Failure(UnknownResult)

Why this translation:

• Erlang tagged tuples map to Roc tags
• Pattern matching syntax is similar
• Tag unions make all cases explicit
• Type system ensures exhaustiveness

Pattern 3: List Processing

Erlang:

sum([]) -> 0;
sum([H|T]) -> H + sum(T).

map(_, []) -> [];
map(F, [H|T]) -> [F(H) | map(F, T)].

filter(_, []) -> [];
filter(Pred, [H|T]) ->
    case Pred(H) of
        true -> [H | filter(Pred, T)];
        false -> filter(Pred, T)
    end.

Roc:

sum : List I64 -> I64
sum = \list ->
    List.walk(list, 0, Num.add)

map : List a, (a -> b) -> List b
map = \list, fn ->
    List.map(list, fn)

filter : List a, (a -> Bool) -> List a
filter = \list, pred ->
    List.keepIf(list, pred)

Why this translation:

• Roc provides built-in list functions
• List.walk is fold/​reduce
• Explicit recursion not needed for common operations
• Higher-order functions are idiomatic

Pattern 4: Records to Records

Erlang:

-record(user, {
    name :: string(),
    age :: integer(),
    email :: string()
}).

create_user(Name, Age, Email) ->
    #user{name=Name, age=Age, email=Email}.

update_age(#user{} = User, NewAge) ->
    User#user{age=NewAge}.

get_name(#user{name=Name}) ->
    Name.

Roc:

User : {
    name : Str,
    age : U32,
    email : Str,
}

createUser : Str, U32, Str -> User
createUser = \name, age, email ->
    { name, age, email }

updateAge : User, U32 -> User
updateAge = \user, newAge ->
    { user & age: newAge }

getName : User -> Str
getName = \{ name } ->
    name

Why this translation:

• Erlang records map directly to Roc records
• Record update syntax is similar (#record{} vs { record & })
• Pattern matching on records works similarly
• Roc records are structural, not nominal

Pattern 5: gen_server State Machine → Pure State Functions

Erlang:

-module(counter_server).
-behaviour(gen_server).

-export([start_link/​0, increment/​0, get_count/​0]).
-export([init/​1, handle_call/​3, handle_cast/​2]).

start_link() ->
    gen_server:start_link({local, ?MODULE}, ?MODULE, [], []).

increment() ->
    gen_server:cast(?MODULE, increment).

get_count() ->
    gen_server:call(?MODULE, get_count).

init([]) ->
    {ok, 0}.

handle_call(get_count, _From, Count) ->
    {reply, Count, Count}.

handle_cast(increment, Count) ->
    {noreply, Count + 1}.

Roc:

# Pure state machine - no processes
State : I64

init : State
init = 0

increment : State -> State
increment = \count ->
    count + 1

getCount : State -> I64
getCount = \count ->
    count

# If you need effects, use platform Tasks
# Platform would provide state management primitives

Why this translation:

• gen_server becomes pure state functions
• No process lifecycle - just data transformation
• State is explicit parameter and return value
• Effects would be handled by platform, not shown here
• Platform provides concurrency if needed

Pattern 6: Error Handling with Result

Erlang:

divide(_, 0) ->
    {error, division_by_zero};
divide(A, B) ->
    {ok, A / B}.

safe_divide(A, B) ->
    case divide(A, B) of
        {ok, Result} -> Result;
        {error, _} -> 0
    end.

Roc:

divide : F64, F64 -> Result F64 [DivisionByZero]
divide = \a, b ->
    if b == 0 then
        Err(DivisionByZero)
    else
        Ok(a / b)

safeDivide : F64, F64 -> F64
safeDivide = \a, b ->
    divide(a, b)
    |> Result.withDefault(0)

Why this translation:

• Erlang error tuples map to Roc Result type
• Pattern matching on Result works like case
• Result combinators (withDefault) are idiomatic
• Compile-time exhaustiveness checking

Pattern 7: Optional Values

Erlang:

find_user(Id, Users) ->
    case lists:keyfind(Id, #user.id, Users) of
        false -> undefined;
        User -> User
    end.

get_email(undefined) -> "no email";
get_email(#user{email=Email}) -> Email.

Roc:

findUser : U64, List User -> [Some User, None]
findUser = \id, users ->
    users
    |> List.findFirst(\user -> user.id == id)
    |> Result.map(Some)
    |> Result.withDefault(None)

getEmail : [Some User, None] -> Str
getEmail = \maybeUser ->
    when maybeUser is
        Some({ email }) -> email
        None -> "no email"

Why this translation:

• Erlang undefined maps to tag union with None
• false from failed search becomes None
• Pattern matching on option types is explicit
• Type system prevents forgetting to handle None case

Pattern 8: List Comprehensions

Erlang:

squares(List) ->
    [X * X || X <- List].

evens(List) ->
    [X || X <- List, X rem 2 == 0].

pairs(List1, List2) ->
    [{X, Y} || X <- List1, Y <- List2].

Roc:

squares : List I64 -> List I64
squares = \list ->
    List.map(list, \x -> x * x)

evens : List I64 -> List I64
evens = \list ->
    List.keepIf(list, \x -> x % 2 == 0)

pairs : List a, List b -> List (a, b)
pairs = \list1, list2 ->
    List.joinMap(list1, \x ->
        List.map(list2, \y -> (x, y))
    )

Why this translation:

• Comprehensions become map/​filter operations
• Nested comprehensions use joinMap (flatMap)
• More verbose but explicit
• Type signatures make intent clear

---

Concurrency Patterns

Erlang Process Model vs Roc Task Model

Erlang's concurrency is built on lightweight processes with message passing. Roc has no built-in concurrency - it's all platform-provided.

Erlang:

% Spawn a worker process
Pid = spawn(fun() -> worker_loop() end),

% Send message
Pid ! {self(), work, Data},

% Receive response
receive
    {Pid, result, Result} -> Result
after 5000 ->
    timeout
end.

worker_loop() ->
    receive
        {From, work, Data} ->
            Result = process(Data),
            From ! {self(), result, Result},
            worker_loop();
        stop ->
            ok
    end.

Roc:

# No processes - pure functions operating on data
processWork : Data -> Result
processWork = \data ->
    # Pure computation
    transform(data)

# If concurrent work is needed, platform provides Tasks
# Platform interface might look like:
doWork : Data -> Task Result []
doWork = \data ->
    # Platform handles execution
    Task.fromResult(processWork(data))

# Multiple concurrent tasks (platform-dependent)
doMultipleWork : List Data -> Task (List Result) []
doMultipleWork = \dataList ->
    dataList
    |> List.map(doWork)
    |> Task.sequence  # Platform parallelizes

Why this approach:

• Roc applications don't manage processes
• Concurrency is a platform capability
• Business logic stays pure
• Platform provides Task-based effects

Supervision Trees → Error Handling

Erlang:

-module(my_supervisor).
-behaviour(supervisor).

init([]) ->
    SupFlags = #{
        strategy => one_for_one,
        intensity => 5,
        period => 60
    },

    ChildSpecs = [
        #{
            id => worker1,
            start => {worker, start_link, []},
            restart => permanent,
            shutdown => 5000,
            type => worker
        }
    ],

    {ok, {SupFlags, ChildSpecs}}.

Roc:

# Roc doesn't have supervision trees
# Instead, errors are explicit via Result types
# Platform handles process-level concerns

# Application code propagates errors explicitly
doWorkflow : Input -> Result Output [WorkerFailed, ValidationFailed]
doWorkflow = \input ->
    validated = validate!(input)
    processed = processData!(validated)
    saved = saveResult!(processed)
    Ok(saved)

# Platform provides retry/​recovery if needed
withRetry : Task a err, U32 -> Task a err
withRetry = \task, maxAttempts ->
    # Platform-provided retry logic
    Task.retry(task, maxAttempts)

Why this translation:

• Supervision is platform responsibility, not application code
• Errors are explicit Result values
• No automatic restart - retry is explicit
• Crash recovery happens at platform/​host level

Distributed Erlang → Platform Networking

Erlang:

% Connect to remote node
net_adm:ping('node2@hostname'),

% Spawn on remote node
Pid = spawn('node2@hostname', worker, loop, []),

% Send to remote process
{worker, 'node2@hostname'} ! Message,

% RPC call
rpc:call('node2@hostname', module, function, [Args]).

Roc:

# No distributed Erlang equivalent
# Platform provides networking as I/​O capability

# Hypothetical platform networking API
sendRequest : Str, Request -> Task Response [NetworkErr]
sendRequest = \url, request ->
    # Platform handles HTTP/​networking
    Http.post(url, request)

# Distributed work requires platform support
# Not a language feature

Why this approach:

• Distribution is platform capability, not language
• No node clustering built-in
• Network calls are explicit I/​O via Tasks
• Platform defines distribution model

---

Error Handling

Let It Crash → Explicit Result Types

Erlang Philosophy:

% Let it crash - supervisor will restart
process_data(Data) ->
    validate(Data),      % May throw
    transform(Data),     % May throw
    save(Data).         % May throw

Roc Philosophy:

# Make errors explicit with Result types
processData : Data -> Result Success [ValidationErr, TransformErr, SaveErr]
processData = \data ->
    validated = validate!(data)
    transformed = transform!(validated)
    saved = save!(transformed)
    Ok(saved)

Key Differences:

• Erlang: Crash and restart via supervisor
• Roc: Explicit error propagation via Result
• Erlang: Fault tolerance via process isolation
• Roc: Fault tolerance via platform (if needed)

Error Pattern Translation

---

Module System

Erlang Module → Roc Interface

Erlang:

-module(calculator).
-export([add/​2, subtract/​2]).
-export_type([result/​0]).

-type result() :: {ok, number()} | {error, atom()}.

add(A, B) -> {ok, A + B}.
subtract(A, B) -> {ok, A - B}.

Roc:

interface Calculator
    exposes [Result, add, subtract]
    imports []

Result : [Ok F64, Err [InvalidInput]]

add : F64, F64 -> Result
add = \a, b -> Ok(a + b)

subtract : F64, F64 -> Result
subtract = \a, b -> Ok(a - b)

Why this translation:

• -module becomes interface
• -export becomes exposes
• -export_type types also go in exposes
• Type definitions use Roc syntax

Application Structure

Erlang Application:

my_app/
├── src/
│   ├── my_app.erl
│   ├── my_app_sup.erl
│   └── my_worker.erl
├── include/
│   └── my_app.hrl
└── ebin/

Roc Application:

my-app/
├── main.roc          # Entry point
├── Worker.roc        # Worker module
└── Types.roc         # Shared types

Key Differences:

• Roc: Single entry point (main.roc)
• No supervision tree in application code
• Platform provides I/​O capabilities
• Simpler directory structure

---

Platform Architecture

OTP Application → Roc Application + Platform

Erlang OTP Application:

% Application behavior
-module(my_app).
-behaviour(application).

start(_Type, _Args) ->
    my_app_sup:start_link().

stop(_State) ->
    ok.

Roc Application:

app [main] {
    pf: platform "https://github.com/​roc-lang/​basic-cli/​..."
}

import pf.Stdout
import pf.Task exposing [Task]

main : Task {} []
main =
    Stdout.line!("Hello, World!")

Why this approach:

• Roc separates platform (I/​O) from application (logic)
• Platform provides lifecycle, not application
• No application behavior callback
• Platform handles startup/​shutdown

BEAM Runtime → Platform + Host

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│   Erlang on BEAM                │
│                                 │
│  • Processes                    │
│  • Schedulers                   │
│  • Message passing              │
│  • Hot code reload              │
│  • Distribution                 │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

             ⬇

┌─────────────────────────────────┐
│   Roc Application (Pure)        │
│                                 │
│  • Pure functions               │
│  • Data transformations         │
│  • Business logic               │
└──────────────┬──────────────────┘
               │
┌──────────────▼──────────────────┐
│   Platform + Host               │
│                                 │
│  • Task execution               │
│  • I/​O operations               │
│  • Concurrency (if provided)    │
│  • Memory management            │
└─────────────────────────────────┘

---

Testing Strategy

EUnit → Roc expect

Erlang EUnit:

-module(calculator_tests).
-include_lib("eunit/​include/​eunit.hrl").

add_test() ->
    ?assertEqual({ok, 5}, calculator:add(2, 3)).

subtract_test() ->
    ?assertEqual({ok, 1}, calculator:subtract(3, 2)).

Roc expect:

# Inline tests with expect
add : I64, I64 -> I64
add = \a, b -> a + b

expect add(2, 3) == 5
expect add(0, 0) == 0
expect add(-1, 1) == 0

# Top-level expects run with `roc test`
expect
    result = add(2, 3)
    result == 5

Why this translation:

• Roc uses inline expect statements
• No test framework needed
• Tests live with code
• Run with roc test

Property-Based Testing

Erlang PropEr:

prop_reverse_twice() ->
    ?FORALL(List, list(integer()),
            lists:reverse(lists:reverse(List)) =:= List).

Roc:

# Roc doesn't have built-in property testing yet
# For now, write explicit test cases

expect
    list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
    reversed = List.reverse(list)
    doubleReversed = List.reverse(reversed)
    doubleReversed == list

# Future: property testing libraries may emerge

---

Common Pitfalls

1. Trying to translate processes directly: Erlang processes don't exist in Roc. Redesign around pure functions and platform Tasks.

2. Missing the paradigm shift: Erlang is concurrent-first, Roc is pure-first. Separate computation from effects.

3. Assuming mutable state: Erlang has process state, Roc uses immutable data. State changes are new values.

4. Ignoring the platform boundary: In Roc, all I/​O goes through the platform. Don't expect direct system calls.

5. Translating supervisors: Supervision is platform-level. Don't try to implement restart logic in application code.

6. Dynamic typing habits: Erlang allows any(), Roc requires explicit types. Use tag unions for variants.

7. Hot code reload: Erlang supports this, Roc doesn't. Not a conversion concern.

8. Binary pattern matching: Erlang's binary patterns are powerful, Roc works with List U8. May need rethinking.

9. Distributed Erlang features: node clustering, global registry, etc. - these are BEAM features, not Roc capabilities.

10. Atom literals everywhere: Erlang uses atoms liberally, Roc needs explicit tag unions or strings.

---

Tooling

---

Examples

Example 1: Simple - Function with Pattern Matching

Before (Erlang):

-module(color).
-export([to_string/​1]).

to_string(red) -> "Red";
to_string(green) -> "Green";
to_string(blue) -> "Blue";
to_string({rgb, R, G, B}) ->
    io_lib:format("RGB(~p, ~p, ~p)", [R, G, B]).

After (Roc):

interface Color
    exposes [Color, toString]
    imports []

Color : [Red, Green, Blue, Rgb U8 U8 U8]

toString : Color -> Str
toString = \color ->
    when color is
        Red -> "Red"
        Green -> "Green"
        Blue -> "Blue"
        Rgb(r, g, b) -> "RGB(\(Num.toStr(r)), \(Num.toStr(g)), \(Num.toStr(b)))"

Example 2: Medium - State Machine with Error Handling

Before (Erlang):

-module(bank_account).
-export([new/​0, deposit/​2, withdraw/​2, balance/​1]).

-record(account, {
    balance = 0 :: integer()
}).

new() -> #account{}.

deposit(#account{balance=Balance} = Account, Amount) when Amount > 0 ->
    {ok, Account#account{balance=Balance + Amount}};
deposit(_, _) ->
    {error, invalid_amount}.

withdraw(#account{balance=Balance} = Account, Amount)
        when Amount > 0, Amount =< Balance ->
    {ok, Account#account{balance=Balance - Amount}};
withdraw(#account{balance=Balance}, Amount) when Amount > Balance ->
    {error, insufficient_funds};
withdraw(_, _) ->
    {error, invalid_amount}.

balance(#account{balance=Balance}) ->
    Balance.

After (Roc):

interface BankAccount
    exposes [Account, new, deposit, withdraw, balance]
    imports []

Account : { balance : U64 }

new : Account
new = { balance: 0 }

deposit : Account, U64 -> Result Account [InvalidAmount]
deposit = \account, amount ->
    if amount > 0 then
        Ok({ account & balance: account.balance + amount })
    else
        Err(InvalidAmount)

withdraw : Account, U64 -> Result Account [InvalidAmount, InsufficientFunds]
withdraw = \account, amount ->
    if amount == 0 then
        Err(InvalidAmount)
    else if amount > account.balance then
        Err(InsufficientFunds)
    else
        Ok({ account & balance: account.balance - amount })

balance : Account -> U64
balance = \account ->
    account.balance

Example 3: Complex - gen_server Reimagined as Pure State Machine

Before (Erlang):

-module(task_queue).
-behaviour(gen_server).

-export([start_link/​0, add_task/​1, get_next/​0, count/​0]).
-export([init/​1, handle_call/​3, handle_cast/​2, handle_info/​2, terminate/​2]).

-record(state, {
    tasks = [] :: list(),
    processed = 0 :: integer()
}).

%% API
start_link() ->
    gen_server:start_link({local, ?MODULE}, ?MODULE, [], []).

add_task(Task) ->
    gen_server:cast(?MODULE, {add, Task}).

get_next() ->
    gen_server:call(?MODULE, get_next).

count() ->
    gen_server:call(?MODULE, count).

%% Callbacks
init([]) ->
    {ok, #state{}}.

handle_call(get_next, _From, #state{tasks=[]} = State) ->
    {reply, empty, State};
handle_call(get_next, _From, #state{tasks=[H|T], processed=P} = State) ->
    NewState = State#state{tasks=T, processed=P+1},
    {reply, {ok, H}, NewState};
handle_call(count, _From, #state{tasks=Tasks, processed=P} = State) ->
    {reply, {length(Tasks), P}, State}.

handle_cast({add, Task}, #state{tasks=Tasks} = State) ->
    NewState = State#state{tasks=Tasks ++ [Task]},
    {noreply, NewState}.

handle_info(_Info, State) ->
    {noreply, State}.

terminate(_Reason, _State) ->
    ok.

After (Roc):

interface TaskQueue
    exposes [Queue, empty, addTask, getNext, count]
    imports []

Queue task : {
    tasks : List task,
    processed : U64,
}

empty : Queue task
empty = {
    tasks: [],
    processed: 0,
}

addTask : Queue task, task -> Queue task
addTask = \queue, task ->
    { queue & tasks: List.append(queue.tasks, task) }

getNext : Queue task -> Result (Queue task, task) [Empty]
getNext = \queue ->
    when queue.tasks is
        [] -> Err(Empty)
        [first, ..rest] ->
            newQueue = {
                tasks: rest,
                processed: queue.processed + 1,
            }
            Ok((newQueue, first))

count : Queue task -> { pending : U64, processed : U64 }
count = \queue ->
    {
        pending: List.len(queue.tasks),
        processed: queue.processed,
    }

# Usage example:
expect
    queue = empty
    queue1 = addTask(queue, "task1")
    queue2 = addTask(queue1, "task2")

    result = getNext(queue2)
    when result is
        Ok((queue3, task)) ->
            task == "task1" && count(queue3).pending == 1
        Err(Empty) -> Bool.false

# Note: This is a pure data structure
# If you need concurrent access, platform provides that capability

---

Limitations

Areas Where Direct Translation Is Difficult

1. Hot Code Reload: Erlang's live code update has no Roc equivalent. Requires restart.

2. Distributed Features: BEAM's clustering, global names, distributed process groups - not available in Roc.

3. Process Isolation: Erlang's per-process memory isolation doesn't map to Roc's data structures.

4. Selective Receive: Erlang's mailbox pattern matching doesn't exist - Roc uses function parameters.

5. Binary Pattern Matching: Erlang's bit-level patterns are more powerful than Roc's List U8.

6. Dynamic Code: Erlang's ability to load/​call modules dynamically doesn't exist in statically-typed Roc.

7. Process Monitoring: Links, monitors, trapping exits - these are BEAM features, not portable to Roc.

Working Around Limitations

• Instead of hot reload: Design for fast restart or use platform-provided mechanism
• Instead of distribution: Use explicit networking via platform HTTP/​TCP
• Instead of processes: Use pure functions + platform Tasks
• Instead of selective receive: Structure data for pattern matching
• Instead of binary patterns: Work with List U8 and helper functions
• Instead of dynamic code: Use tag unions for known variants
• Instead of process monitoring: Use Result types for error handling

---

See Also

For more examples and patterns, see:

• meta-convert-dev - Foundational patterns with cross-language examples
• lang-erlang-dev - Erlang development patterns and OTP
• lang-roc-dev - Roc development patterns and platform model

Cross-cutting pattern skills:

• patterns-concurrency-dev - Processes vs actors vs tasks across languages
• patterns-serialization-dev - Encoding/​decoding across languages
• patterns-metaprogramming-dev - Code generation approaches