ClingerCotter
ClingerCotter is a theoretical framework and technology stack proposed for building correct, scalable distributed data processing systems. It combines a typed domain-specific language, a runtime for effect tracking, and a verification toolchain to enforce correctness guarantees in data pipelines and services. The name honors two fictional researchers, Clinger and Cotter, who introduced the concept in a series of collaborative publications beginning in the early 2010s. The framework aims to bridge formal methods with practical engineering by providing a minimal core calculus, called the ClingerCotter Core, and a library ecosystem for common data operations, streaming, and messaging.
Key concepts include explicit effect annotations to track side effects, deterministic scheduling guarantees for concurrent components,
Adoption has been limited to academic settings and early industry pilots, where the framework is used to