ClojureStream Podcast E102 - Pedestal with hlship
May 7, 2025
Howard Lewis Ship, a seasoned Clojure developer and core maintainer of Pedestal, shares his journey from Java to Clojure while discussing the framework's evolution. He highlights major updates from recent releases and the importance of enhancing documentation for new users. The conversation also dives into the benefits of using HTTP Kit for development, challenges in maintaining backward compatibility, and the integration of new networking technologies. Furthermore, Howard introduces the innovative Sawtooth router, designed to improve routing and user experience.
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Howard's Pedestal Stewardship Journey
- Howard Lewis Ship became the steward of Pedestal after working with it indirectly via Licinia at Walmart and then joining NewBank.
- He focused on improving Pedestal's documentation because it was hard to learn originally.
Interceptor Model Explained
- Pedestal's core is the interceptor model, which provides a visible, asynchronous chain processing requests.
- This contrasts with Ring's opaque, synchronous middleware, improving clarity and performance with async channels.
New Pedestal Connector Abstraction
- Pedestal originally worked through the Java servlet API with Jetty, Tomcat, and others.
- Recent versions introduce the Pedestal Connector abstraction for server flexibility, easing integration with servers like HTTP Kit.