Proof of imperative programs in type theory

Abstract

We present a new approach to certifying functional programs with imperative aspects, in the context of Type Theory. The key is a functional translation of imperative programs, based on a combination of the type and effect discipline and monads. Then an incomplete proof of the specification is built in the Type Theory, whose gaps would correspond to proof obligations. On sequential imperative programs, we get the same proof obligations as those given by Floyd-Hoare logic. Compared to the latter, our approach also includes functional constructions in a straight-forward way. This work has been implemented in the Coq Proof Assistant and applied on non-trivial examples.