idem 9

Transform configuration into idempotent action.

Idem is an idempotent dataflow programming language. It exposes stateful programming constructs that makes things like enforcing the state of an application, configuration, SaaS system, or others very simple.

Documentation can be found here: https://idem.readthedocs.io/en/latest/

Since Idem is a programming language, it can also be used for data processing and pipelining. Idem can be used not only to manage the configuration of interfaces, but also for complex rule engines and processing files or workflows.

Idem is a language to glue together management of all sorts of interfaces. You can think of it like having idempotent scripts. Automation that can be run over and over again that enforces a specific state or process.

Idem is unique in that it is built purely as a language. It can be added to any type of management system out there and can be applied in a cross platform way easily.

Idem’s functionality can also be expanded easily. Instead of storing all of the language components in a single place, the libraries used by Idem can be written independently and seamlessly merged into Idem, just like a normal programming language!

What does Idempotent mean?

The concept of Idempotent is simple! It just means that every time something is run, it always has the same end result regardless of the state of a system when the run starts!

At first glance this might seem useless, but think more deeply. Have you ever needed to make sure that something was set up in a consistent way? It can be very nice to be able to enforce that setup without worrying about breaking it. Or think about data pipelines, have you ever had input data that needed to be processed? Idempotent systems allow for data to be easily processed in a consistent way, over and over again!

How Does This Language Work?

Idem is built using two critical technologies, Python and POP. Since Idem is built on Python it should be easy to extend for most software developers. Extending Idem can be very easy because simple Python modules are all you need to add capabilities!

The other technology, POP, may be new to you. This is the truly secret sauce behind Idem as well as a number of emerging exciting technologies. POP stands for Plugin Oriented Programming. It is the brainchild of the creator of Salt and a new way to write software. The POP system makes the creation of higher level paradigms like Idem possible, but also provides the needed components to make Idem extensible and flexible. If POP is a new concept to you, check it out!

Idem works by taking language files called sls files and compiling them down to data instructions. These data instructions are then run through the Idem runtime. These instructions inform Idem what routines to call to enforce state or process data. It allows you to take a high level dataset as your input, making the use of the system very easy.

Paradigms and Languages, This Sounds Complicated!

Under the hood, it is complicated! The guts of a programming language are complicated, but it is all there to make your life easier! You don’t need to understand complex computer science theory to benefit from Idem. You just need to learn a few simple things and you can start making your life easier today!