[Jump to content](#bodyContent) [/wiki/Main_Page](/wiki/Main_Page) [Search](/wiki/Special:Search) # Elixir (programming language) 26 languages From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Programming language running on the Erlang virtual machine | [/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg](/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg) | This article **relies excessively on [references](/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability) to [primary sources](/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research#Primary,_secondary_and_tertiary_sources)** . Please improve this article by adding [secondary or tertiary sources](/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research#Primary,_secondary_and_tertiary_sources) . *Find sources:* ["Elixir" programming language](https://www.google.com/search?as_eq=wikipedia&q=%22Elixir%22+programming+language) – [news](https://www.google.com/search?tbm=nws&q=%22Elixir%22+programming+language+-wikipedia&tbs=ar:1) **·** [newspapers](https://www.google.com/search?&q=%22Elixir%22+programming+language&tbs=bkt:s&tbm=bks) **·** [books](https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks:1&q=%22Elixir%22+programming+language+-wikipedia) **·** [scholar](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=%22Elixir%22+programming+language) **·** [JSTOR](https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=%22Elixir%22+programming+language&acc=on&wc=on) *( June 2023 )* *( [Learn how and when to remove this message](/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal) )* | | --- | --- | | [/wiki/File:Elixir_programming_language_logo.png](/wiki/File:Elixir_programming_language_logo.png) Elixir | | | --- | --- | | [Paradigms](/wiki/Programming_paradigm) | [multi-paradigm](/wiki/Multi-paradigm_programming_language) : [functional](/wiki/Functional_programming) , [concurrent](/wiki/Concurrent_programming) , [distributed](/wiki/Distributed_programming) , [process-oriented](/wiki/Process-oriented_programming) | | [Designed by](/wiki/Software_design) | José Valim | | First appeared | 2012 ; 12 years ago ( 2012 ) | | | | | [Stable release](/wiki/Software_release_life_cycle) | 1.17.1 [[1]](#cite_note-wikidata-3ad90aaf786e63a7494d32a6cccfc2c7021fa981-v12-1) [https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5362035?uselang=en#P348](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5362035?uselang=en#P348) / 18 June 2024 ; 3 days ago ( 18 June 2024 ) | | | | | [Typing discipline](/wiki/Type_system) | [dynamic](/wiki/Type_system) , [strong](/wiki/Strong_typing) | | [Platform](/wiki/Computing_platform) | [Erlang](/wiki/Erlang_(programming_language)) | | [License](/wiki/Software_license) | [Apache License 2.0](/wiki/Apache_License_2.0) [[2]](#cite_note-2) | | [Filename extensions](/wiki/Filename_extension) | .ex, .exs | | Website | [elixir-lang .org](https://elixir-lang.org) | | Influenced by | | | [Clojure](/wiki/Clojure) , [Erlang](/wiki/Erlang_(programming_language)) , [Ruby](/wiki/Ruby_(programming_language)) | | | Influenced | | | [Gleam](/wiki/Gleam_(programming_language)) , [LFE](/wiki/LFE_(programming_language)) | | **Elixir** is a [functional](/wiki/Functional_programming) , [concurrent](/wiki/Concurrent_computing) , [high-level](/wiki/High-level_programming_language) [general-purpose](/wiki/General-purpose_programming_language) [programming language](/wiki/Programming_language) that runs on the [BEAM](/wiki/BEAM_(Erlang_virtual_machine)) [virtual machine](/wiki/Virtual_machine) , which is also used to implement the [Erlang](/wiki/Erlang_(programming_language)) programming language. [[3]](#cite_note-:0-3) Elixir builds on top of Erlang and shares the same abstractions for building [distributed](/wiki/Distributed_computing) , [fault-tolerant](/wiki/Fault-tolerant) applications. Elixir also provides tooling and an [extensible](/wiki/Extensible) design. The latter is supported by compile-time [metaprogramming](/wiki/Metaprogramming) with [macros](/wiki/Macro_(computer_science)) and [polymorphism](/wiki/Polymorphism_(computer_science)) via protocols. [[4]](#cite_note-4) The community organizes yearly events in the United States, [[5]](#cite_note-5) Europe, [[6]](#cite_note-6) and Japan, [[7]](#cite_note-7) as well as minor local events and conferences. [[8]](#cite_note-8) [[9]](#cite_note-9) ## History [ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Elixir_(programming_language)&action=edit§ion=1) ] José Valim created the Elixir programming language as a [research and development](/wiki/Research_and_development) project at Plataformatec. His goals were to enable higher extensibility and productivity in the Erlang VM while maintaining compatibility with Erlang's ecosystem. [[10]](#cite_note-10) [[11]](#cite_note-11) Elixir is aimed at large-scale sites and apps. It uses features of [Ruby](/wiki/Ruby_(programming_language)) , Erlang, and [Clojure](/wiki/Clojure) to develop a high-concurrency and low-latency language. It was designed to handle large data volumes. Elixir is also used in telecommunications, e-commerce, and finance. [[12]](#cite_note-12) In 2021, the Numerical Elixir effort was announced with the goal of bringing machine learning, neural networks, GPU compilation, data processing, and computational notebooks to the Elixir ecosystem. [[13]](#cite_note-13) ## Versioning [ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Elixir_(programming_language)&action=edit§ion=2) ] Each of the minor versions supports a specific range of Erlang/ [OTP](/wiki/Open_Telecom_Platform) versions. [[14]](#cite_note-14) The current stable release version is 1.17.1 [[1]](#cite_note-wikidata-3ad90aaf786e63a7494d32a6cccfc2c7021fa981-v12-1) [https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5362035?uselang=en#P348](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5362035?uselang=en#P348) . ## Features [ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Elixir_(programming_language)&action=edit§ion=3) ] - [Compiles](/wiki/Compiler) to [bytecode](/wiki/Bytecode) for the [BEAM virtual machine](/wiki/BEAM_(Erlang_virtual_machine)) of [Erlang](/wiki/Erlang_(programming_language)) . [[15]](#cite_note-elixirhome-15) Full interoperability with Erlang code, without [runtime](/wiki/Runtime_(program_lifecycle_phase)) impact. - Scalability and fault-tolerance, thanks to Erlang's lightweight concurrency mechanisms [[15]](#cite_note-elixirhome-15) - [Built-in tooling](/wiki/Mix_(build_tool)) for managing dependencies, code compilation, running tests, formatting code, remote debugging and more. - An interactive [REPL](/wiki/Read%E2%80%93eval%E2%80%93print_loop) inside running programs, including [Phoenix](/wiki/Phoenix_(web_framework)) web servers, with code reloading and access to internal state - Everything is an [expression](/wiki/Expression_(computer_science)) [[15]](#cite_note-elixirhome-15) - [Pattern matching](/wiki/Pattern_matching) [[15]](#cite_note-elixirhome-15) to promote assertive code [[16]](#cite_note-16) - Type hints for static analysis tools - Immutable data, with an emphasis, like other [functional](/wiki/Functional_programming) languages, on [recursion](/wiki/Recursion_(computer_science)) and [higher-order functions](/wiki/Higher-order_function) instead of [side-effect](/wiki/Side-effect_(computer_science)) -based [looping](/wiki/Loop_(computing)) - [Shared nothing concurrent programming](/wiki/Shared_nothing_architecture) via message passing ( [actor model](/wiki/Actor_model) ) [[17]](#cite_note-17) - [Lazy](/wiki/Lazy_evaluation) and [async collections](/wiki/Futures_and_promises) with streams - Railway oriented programming via the `with` construct [[18]](#cite_note-18) - Hygienic [metaprogramming](/wiki/Metaprogramming) by direct access to the [abstract syntax tree](/wiki/Abstract_syntax_tree) (AST). [[15]](#cite_note-elixirhome-15) Libraries often implement small [domain-specific languages](/wiki/Domain-specific_language) , such as for databases or testing. - Code execution at compile time. The Elixir compiler also runs on the BEAM, so modules that are being compiled can immediately run code which has already been compiled. - [Polymorphism](/wiki/Polymorphism_(computer_science)) via a mechanism called protocols. [Dynamic dispatch](/wiki/Dynamic_dispatch) , as in [Clojure](/wiki/Clojure) , however, without [multiple dispatch](/wiki/Multiple_dispatch) because Elixir protocols dispatch on a single type. - Support for documentation via Python-like docstrings in the [Markdown](/wiki/Markdown) formatting language [[15]](#cite_note-elixirhome-15) - [Unicode](/wiki/Unicode) support and [UTF-8](/wiki/UTF-8) strings ## Examples [ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Elixir_(programming_language)&action=edit§ion=4) ] The following examples can be run in an `iex` [shell](/wiki/Shell_(computing)) or saved in a file and run from the [command line](/wiki/Command_line) by typing `elixir **` . Classic [Hello world](/wiki/%22Hello,_World!%22_program) example: ``` iex> IO . puts ( "Hello World!" ) Hello World! ``` Pipe operator: ``` iex> "Elixir" |> String . graphemes () |> Enum . frequencies () %{"E" => 1, "i" => 2, "l" => 1, "r" => 1, "x" => 1} iex> %{ values : 1 .. 5 } |> Map . get ( :values ) |> Enum . map ( & &1 * 2 ) [2, 4, 6, 8, 10] iex> |> Enum . sum () 30 ``` [Pattern matching](/wiki/Pattern_matching) (a.k.a. destructuring): ``` iex> %{ left : x } = %{ left : 5 , right : 8 } iex> x 5 iex> { :ok , [ _ | rest ]} = { :ok , [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]} iex> rest [2, 3] ``` Pattern matching with multiple clauses: ``` iex> case File . read ( "path/to/file" ) do iex> { :ok , contents } -> IO . puts ( "found file: #{ contents } " ) iex> { :error , reason } -> IO . puts ( "missing file: #{ reason } " ) iex> end ``` [List comprehension](/wiki/List_comprehension) : ``` iex> for n <- 1 .. 5 , rem ( n , 2 ) == 1 , do : n * n [1, 9, 25] ``` Asynchronously reading files with streams: ``` 1 .. 5 |> Task . async_stream ( & File . read! ( " #{ &1 } .txt" )) |> Stream . filter ( fn { :ok , contents } -> String . trim ( contents ) != "" end ) |> Enum . join ( " \n " ) ``` Multiple function bodies with [guards](/wiki/Guard_(computer_science)#Mathematics) : ``` def fib ( n ) when n in [ 0 , 1 ], do : n def fib ( n ), do : fib ( n - 2 ) + fib ( n - 1 ) ``` Relational databases with the Ecto library: ``` schema "weather" do field :city # Defaults to type :string field :temp_lo , :integer field :temp_hi , :integer field :prcp , :float , default : 0.0 end Weather |> where ( city : "Kraków" ) |> order_by ( :temp_lo ) |> limit ( 10 ) |> Repo . all ``` Sequentially spawning a thousand processes: ``` for num <- 1 .. 1000 , do : spawn fn -> IO . puts ( " #{ num * 2 } " ) end ``` [Asynchronously](/wiki/Async/await) performing a task: ``` task = Task . async fn -> perform_complex_action () end other_time_consuming_action () Task . await task ``` [ *[citation needed](/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)* ] ## See also [ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Elixir_(programming_language)&action=edit§ion=5) ] - [Free and open-source software portal](/wiki/Portal:Free_and_open-source_software) - [Concurrent computing](/wiki/Concurrent_computing) - [Distributed computing](/wiki/Distributed_computing) - [Parallel computing](/wiki/Parallel_computing) ## References [ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Elixir_(programming_language)&action=edit§ion=6) ] 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-wikidata-3ad90aaf786e63a7494d32a6cccfc2c7021fa981-v12_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-wikidata-3ad90aaf786e63a7494d32a6cccfc2c7021fa981-v12_1-1) ["Release 1.17.1"](https://github.com/elixir-lang/elixir/releases/tag/v1.17.1) . 18 June 2024 . Retrieved 21 June 2024 . 2. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["elixir/LICENSE at master · elixir-lang/elixir · GitHub"](https://github.com/elixir-lang/elixir/blob/master/LICENSE) . *GitHub* . 3. **[^](#cite_ref-:0_3-0)** ["Most Popular Programming Languages of 2018 - Elite Infoworld Blog"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180509080342/https://www.eliteinfoworld.com/blog/popular-programming-languages-2018/) . 2018-03-30. Archived from [the original](https://www.eliteinfoworld.com/blog/popular-programming-languages-2018/) on 2018-05-09 . Retrieved 2018-05-08 . 4. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Elixir"](https://elixir-lang.org) . *José Valim* . Retrieved 2013-02-17 . 5. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["ElixirConf"](http://elixirconf.com/) . Retrieved 2018-07-11 . 6. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["ElixirConf"](http://elixirconf.eu/) . Retrieved 2018-07-11 . 7. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Erlang & Elixir Fest"](https://elixir-fest.jp/) . Retrieved 2019-02-18 . 8. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Elixir LDN"](http://www.elixir.london/) . Retrieved 2018-07-12 . 9. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["EMPEX - Empire State Elixir Conference"](http://empex.co/) . Retrieved 2018-07-12 . 10. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** [*Elixir - A modern approach to programming for the Erlang VM*](https://vimeo.com/53221562) . Retrieved 2013-02-17 . 11. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** [*José Valim - ElixirConf EU 2017 Keynote*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZvpKhA6t8A) . [Archived](https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/IZvpKhA6t8A) from the original on 2021-11-17 . Retrieved 2017-07-14 . 12. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Behinde the code: The One Who Created Elixir"](https://www.welcometothejungle.com/en/articles/btc-elixir-jose-valim/) . Retrieved 2019-11-25 . 13. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Numerical Elixir (Nx)"](https://github.com/elixir-nx) . Retrieved 2024-05-06 . 14. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** [*Elixir is a dynamic, functional language designed for building scalable and maintainable applications: elixir-lang/elixir*](https://github.com/elixir-lang/elixir) , Elixir, 2019-04-21 , retrieved 2019-04-21 15. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-elixirhome_15-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-elixirhome_15-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-elixirhome_15-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-elixirhome_15-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-elixirhome_15-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-elixirhome_15-5) ["Elixir"](https://elixir-lang.org/) . Retrieved 2014-09-07 . 16. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["Writing assertive code with Elixir"](http://blog.plataformatec.com.br/2014/09/writing-assertive-code-with-elixir/) . 24 September 2014 . Retrieved 2018-07-05 . 17. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Loder, Wolfgang (12 May 2015). [*Erlang and Elixir for Imperative Programmers*](https://leanpub.com/erlangandelixirforimperativeprogrammers) . "Chapter 16: Code Structuring Concepts", section title "Actor Model": Leanpub . Retrieved 7 July 2015 . `{{ [cite book](/wiki/Template:Cite_book) }}` : CS1 maint: location ( [link](/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location) ) 18. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Wlaschin, Scott (May 2013). ["Railway Oriented Programming"](https://fsharpforfunandprofit.com/rop/) . *F# for Fun and Profit* . [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20210130221804/http://fsharpforfunandprofit.com/rop/) from the original on 30 January 2021 . Retrieved 28 February 2021 . ## Further reading [ [edit](/w/index.php?title=Elixir_(programming_language)&action=edit§ion=7) ] - Simon St. Laurent; J. Eisenberg (December 22, 2016). *Introducing Elixir: Getting Started in Functional Programming 2nd Edition* . [O'Reilly Media](/wiki/O%27Reilly_Media) . [ASIN](/wiki/ASIN_(identifier)) [B01N9KCTIC](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N9KCTIC) . [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1491956779](/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1491956779) . - Sasa Juric (January 12, 2019). *Elixir in Action 2nd Edition* . [Manning Publications](/wiki/Manning_Publications) . [ASIN](/wiki/ASIN_(identifier)) [B0978KZTJG](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0978KZTJG) . [ISBN](/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1617295027](/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1617295027) . 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