Monad
A monad is a type constructor with flatMap (bind) and pure (return) operations, providing context management for chained computations.
Purpose
Abstract computation contexts (optional, asynchronous, error, state), making chained computations elegant and safe.
Mechanism
M<T> provides pure: T→M<T> and flatMap: M<T> × (T→M<U>) → M<U>. It satisfies the left/right identity laws and associativity. The Option monad handles nulls, Result handles errors, Future handles asynchrony. flatMap chains manage the context.
Use cases
- Functional programming
- Error handling
- Asynchronous composition