Swift Algorithms Library
Article Summary
Nate Cook from Apple's Swift team just dropped Swift Algorithms, an open-source package that could change how iOS developers write collection code. If you've ever written a gnarly nested loop to chunk data or find permutations, this is for you.
Apple released Swift Algorithms as an official open-source package containing battle-tested sequence and collection algorithms. Think Python's itertools or C++ algorithms library, but designed specifically for Swift's protocol-oriented approach. The package serves as a proving ground for algorithms before they graduate into the Swift standard library.
Key Takeaways
- Includes chunking, permutations, combinations, cycling, and random sampling out of the box
- Replaces error-prone raw loops with readable, performance-optimized algorithm calls
- Acts as incubator: successful algorithms graduate to Swift standard library
- Open for community contributions that meet specific criteria around readability and common use
Swift Algorithms gives iOS developers a curated toolkit of collection operations that improve code correctness while providing a faster path for new algorithms to reach the standard library.
About This Article
Apple struggled with the Swift Evolution process because proposals had to be small enough for meaningful discussion but large enough to justify adding new algorithms. The lengthy SE-0270 review made this tension clear.
Nate Cook's team built Swift Algorithms as a testing ground where they could explore different algorithm families and how they work together before adding them to the standard library. This complements the Evolution process the same way Swift Numerics does.
Apple now plans to split large algorithm families into smaller Evolution proposals. The Algorithms package gives them a place to work through ideas and handle big gaps in functionality in a more organized way.