Try Gleam

Gleam is a functional programming language that compiles to the Erlang VM (BEAM) and JavaScript, offering simple syntax and strong type safety while maintaining compatibility with the broader BEAM ecosystem. The author praises Gleam for its friendly, straightforward design compared to other functional languages, noting it feels similar to Rust's functional features with immutable variables, pipe operators, and Result-based error handling. According to the author, Gleam successfully combines the approachability of languages like Erlang and Elixir with the type safety and simplicity that makes it enjoyable to use for hobby projects.