Automate all the things with Swift Subprocess

7 days ago

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Swift is a general-purpose programming language designed for safety, performance, and ease of use but has struggled to break out of the mobile niche.
Scripting in Swift has been theoretically possible but painful to use, making it functionally useless for trivial workloads.
The new package 'swift-subprocess' aims to solve chronic pain points for Swift scriptwriters.
Scripting involves creating 'glue' code that stitches different operations and programs together, commonly used in UNIX systems.
Swift is a strongly-typed, statically-compiled language, making it less ideal for scripting compared to interpreted languages like Bash.
The 'swift-subprocess' package improves Swift process creation and result piping, integrating modern language semantics like async/await.
Using 'swift-subprocess' requires setting up an SPM project, adding overhead compared to traditional scripting.
Despite the overhead, 'swift-subprocess' shines in complex workflows, offering better maintainability and composability than Bash.
Swift Subprocess tools are well-suited for continuous integration workflows, reducing maintenance complexity.
While Bash remains more efficient for simple scripts, Swift can be a better choice for complex automation workflows.

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