Elixir is a dynamic, functional language used to build scalable and maintainable applications.
The Elixir programming language runs on top of the BEAM virtual machine (VM), which is at the core of the Erlang programming language. Elixir is compatible with Erlang, although it has different syntax and features.
Building on top of Erlang, Elixir shares the same abstractions for building distributed, fault-tolerant applications.
The chief benefit of Elixir is that it can be used with the Erlang VM. Its processes avoid problems associated with managing share data by getting rid of shared memory, and counting on asynchronous message passing. Additionally, its processes can connect with each other across the same network, which makes the language useful for horizontal scaling, as in those used in distributed systems.
As Elixir has proven to be successful in the Erlang VM, the Erlang community has accepted the language due to its scalable and maintainable applications. Thus, it has access to the Erlang ecosystem, functions, and benefits.
Elixir follows semantic versioning, for the most part, and has only one major version. At this time, there are no plans for a second.
The programming language is broken into six applications: Elixir (standard library), EEx (templating library), ExUnit (unit test library), IEx (interactive shell), Logger (built-in Logger), and Mix (build tool).
Released in 2011, the language was created by Jose Valim, as a research and development project at Plataformatec. The goals of the language were to enable higher extensibility and productivity in the Erland virtual machine, while maintaining compatibility with Erlang's ecosystem. With the goal of creating a programming language for large-scale sites and applications, Valim used features of Ruby, Erlang, and Clojure.
Elixir distributions are available for macOS, GNU/Linux, BSD, Windows, Raspberry Pi, and Docker.
The focus of this category is on the Elixir programming language. Websites related to Elixir are appropriate for this category, along with any editors or other tools designed to be used with the programming language, user groups, forums, or tutorials.
Recommended Resources
BairesDev is a technology solutions company that architects and engineers scalable and high-performing software solutions for business clients. One of its tools is the Elixir programming language, and its section on Elixir includes an Elixir developer hiring guide, discusses the applications of the language in the tech industry, the advantages of using the language for your development, a list of Elixir frameworks, and links to related pages. Client experiences are also noted.
https://www.bairesdev.com/elixir/
Targeting the Erlang VM, and compiling down to the same BEAM byte code, Elixir is a functional, compiles, dynamically typed programming language that can freely call Erlang code, and vice versa, and includes novel libraries, a package manager, and a build tool. The site offers coding examples of the "Hello World" string, values, variables, constants, structs, modules, libraries, and applications, as well as discussing Elixir tools. Links to other guides and online resources are included.
https://elixirbyexample.org/
Maintained by the Elixir community, the online forum serves as a place for Elixir programmers and developers to discuss the programming language. Categories include Elixir News, Chat/Discussions, Questions/Help, Phoenix Forum, Elixir Framework Forums, Wikis & Polls, Learning Resources, Learning Questions & Discussions, Libraries & Packages, Jobs & Developer Profiles, Events/Conferences/Meet Ups, Erlang/BEAM Alerts, Forum Announcements, Sponsor Messages, and General Programming.
https://elixirforum.com/
Maintained by the Elixir Team, the site features documentation for the Elixir programming language, along with a guide to getting started with the language, a learning page, a crash course for Erlang developers, documentation, guides, and a list of cases, showing how companies across various industries are using Elixir. Also included are an installation guide, distributions, precompiled packages, and information on compiling for source or with version managers.
https://elixir-lang.org/
Translated into several languages, the site offers a guide to programming with Elixir. The features of the language are listed, along with reasons to adopt Elixir and an informational blog. Online lessons include the basics, intermediate, and advanced programming guides to the language, testing, data processing, Ecto, storage, and miscellaneous libraries and other resources. An invitation for readers to get involved with improving the website, translating lessons, or contributing is included.
https://elixirschool.com/
This is a brief introduction to programming with the Elixir programming language, which runs on top of the Erlang virtual machine. The site discusses concurrency, the Erlang Virtual Machine, Elixir syntax, and the advantages of the programming language. Installation instructions are included, and a "Hello World" example is provided. Variables, data types, arithmetics, Elixir strings, line breaks, string length, functions, if statements, anonymous functions, and others are included.
https://learn-elixir.com/
Tutorials Point: Elixir Tutorial
Offering a wide variety of free and premium online tutorials, video courses, and e-books, Tutorials Point offers a free tutorial on the Elixir programming language, designed for software programmers who want to learn the fundamentals of the language from scratch. Included are a PDF version, HTML version, a quick guide, a discussion area, and links to additional information on the language in video form, as well as exam notes, a computer glossary, and best practices for developers.
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/elixir/
