What is eiffel?

Eiffel is an object‑oriented programming language created by Bertrand Meyer in the late 1980s. It was designed to make software easier to write, understand, and maintain by emphasizing clear code structure, strong typing, and built‑in support for software correctness.

Let's break it down

  • Objects and classes: Like most OOP languages, you define classes (templates) and create objects (instances) that hold data and behavior.
  • Design by Contract: Every routine can have pre‑conditions, post‑conditions, and invariants that act as a contract between the caller and the routine.
  • Strong typing: Types are checked at compile time, reducing runtime errors.
  • Automatic memory management: Eiffel includes a garbage collector so you don’t manually free memory.
  • Unified syntax: The language uses a consistent, English‑like syntax that reads close to natural language.

Why does it matter?

Eiffel introduced concepts that later influenced many other languages, especially Design by Contract, which helps developers write more reliable code. Its emphasis on correctness and readability makes it a good teaching tool for learning solid software engineering principles.

Where is it used?

  • Academic settings for teaching OOP and software correctness.
  • Some niche commercial projects, especially in finance and aerospace, where reliability is critical.
  • The EiffelStudio IDE, which ships with its own compiler and tools, is used by a small community of developers.

Good things about it

  • Design by Contract encourages clear specifications and easier debugging.
  • Readable syntax lowers the learning curve for beginners.
  • Strong static typing catches many errors early.
  • Built‑in garbage collection reduces memory‑management bugs.
  • Consistent language design makes large codebases easier to maintain.

Not-so-good things

  • Small ecosystem: Fewer libraries, frameworks, and community resources compared to languages like Java or Python.
  • Limited job market: Few companies actively hire Eiffel developers.
  • Less modern tooling: IDEs and debugging tools are not as advanced as those for mainstream languages.
  • Steeper learning for contracts: Beginners may find pre‑conditions and post‑conditions confusing at first.