Elixir: scalability and concurrency in an elegant syntax

Elixir is a general-purpose, functional, dynamic, metaprogramming-aware language which allows developers to build scalable, concurrent applications using an elegant syntax.

As IT leaders seek solutions capable of meeting the demand for fault-tolerant and highly scalable applications, Elixir increasingly stands out as an ideal choice.

This article will delve into the history of Elixir, its main features, as well as its advantages and disadvantages. Whether you are considering Elixir for your next project or simply looking to understand what makes it an attractive (albeit niche) technology for software developers, this comprehensive guide will provide valuable insights.

A Brief History of Elixir

Elixir was created in 2012 by Brazilian engineer José Valim as an R&D project at Plataformatec. Its popularity has grown slowly but steadily since then, and currently, it ranks #2 on the list of most beloved languages among developers, according to Stack Overflow’s 2022 Developer Survey.

Valim previously worked with Ruby and appreciated the language’s simple syntax and high productivity, but wanted more concurrency and reliability. He chose the Erlang Virtual Machine (BEAM) as a scalable and fault-tolerant foundation on which to run Elixir. Therefore, all the tools and libraries available in the Erlang ecosystem are also available in Elixir.

What are Elixir’s main benefits?

Scalability

Elixir's interpreter compiles the code directly into BEAM bytecode, granting it superior performance and scalability compared to many traditional interpreted languages. Couple this with Elixir's inbuilt mechanisms for fault tolerance and concurrency, described below, and you have a language designed for expansion.

Elixir accommodates growth in two ways: horizontally, by increasing the number of an application's physical or virtual nodes, and vertically, by adjusting the BEAM machine parameters to best fit the application's needs.

Fault tolerance

Rather than attempting to rectify errors as they occur, Elixir inherits Erlang's "let it crash" philosophy and simply allows processes to restart after a critical failure. This eliminates the need for complex recovery strategies.

At the helm of this system are "supervisors" – top-level processes that oversee their child processes and, in case of errors, help the application recover without interruptions. This is achieved through a combination of isolated processes and a well-structured supervision tree, which includes built-in retry strategies.

The OTP (Open Telecom Platform), originally designed for telecoms, further bolsters this resilience, while telemetry and monitoring tools provide insights into application performance and potential issues.

Concurrency

Elixir is built around lightweight, isolated processes communicating primarily through message passing. This actor model approach ensures that processes remain isolated, bolstering both security and efficiency. The BEAM plays a pivotal role again here, offering support for concurrency both with and without parallelism.

Elixir further simplifies concurrent programming through its built-in Task module and the OTP components like Agent, Genserver, and Genstage. This enables applications to handle high levels of concurrency, making it possible to process vast data volumes simultaneously.

Pros and Cons of Elixir

Pros

• Functional Programming: The Functional Programming paradigm makes Elixir well-suited for performing computational tasks, data transformation, and parallelism.
• Metaprogramming: Elixir allows developers to write code that writes or manipulates other code.
• Real-Time Processing: Elixir is well-suited for real-time systems and applications requiring high uptime.
• Ecosystem Synergy: Elixir runs on the Erlang BEAM, which gives access to a rich set of libraries and tools from the Erlang ecosystem.
• Excellent Documentation: Elixir is renowned for its high-quality documentation, making it easier for developers to understand the language and its libraries.
• Community Support: While relatively new, Elixir has an active and growing community, resulting in a steady influx of libraries and tools.

Cons

• Learning Curve: Functional programming can be unfamiliar territory for developers used to object-oriented or procedural paradigms.
• Smaller Ecosystem: Though growing, Elixir's library ecosystem is not as extensive as more established languages like Python or JavaScript.
• Resource Consumption: While Elixir is lightweight, running it on the BEAM can sometimes consume more memory compared to languages that don't require a virtual machine.
• Debugging Complexity: The concurrent and distributed nature of Elixir apps can make debugging more challenging than in traditional, single-threaded environments.
• Initial Setup: Deploying Elixir apps, especially for those new to the BEAM, might involve a steeper initial setup and configuration.

Where is Elixir used?

Elixir’s characteristics make it an excellent option for distributed systems, event-driven systems, web applications of any size, and Internet of Things, among other uses.

Here are some examples of applications that run on Elixir:

• PepsiCo's e-commerce platform
• Pinterest's notifications system
• Moz, an SEO platform with database-free analytics
• Backend for Change.org, a social change platform with nearly 500 million users
• Backend for Toyota Connected, a mobility service platform

Common Questions about Elixir

Why use Elixir programming?

Elixir is a compelling choice for modern developers who want to build scalable and resilient distributed systems. However, it is not suited for every developer or application. It is still a niche language, so its library ecosystem may not be as extensive or mature as those of more popular or older languages. Also, shifting to a functional mindset can be challenging for developers with object-oriented or procedural backgrounds.

Is Elixir an OOP language?

Elixir is not Object-oriented. Elixir is a functional programming language.

Is Elixir a backend language?

Elixir is extensively used in backend development, but it is not limited to it – entire web applications can be built using Elixir-based frameworks such as Phoenix Liveview, which enables rich, real-time user experiences with server-rendered HTML.

It's also possible to use Elixir to build and deploy embedded systems with the Nerves framework.

Is it worth learning Elixir?

Learning Elixir is a valuable endeavor, especially considering its alignment with future tech trends like IoT and real-time applications. While it's niche, this specialisation can offer unique career opportunities and a fresh functional programming perspective, making it a worthy investment for forward-thinking developers.

Is Elixir hard to learn?

Elixir’s syntax is inspired by Ruby, which many consider relatively easy to learn, and it also benefits from excellent documentation. Its growing ecosystem and active community make it an exciting language to explore and master.

On the other hand, it is a functional language, and many developers are not yet familiar with this paradigm. Therefore, in Elixir there are lots of hard concepts that are much different from concepts commonly found in object-oriented programming (OOP).