Benefits Of Elixir In The Programming World

Whenever you talk about application development, popular programming languages like Java, C, C++, PHP, and JavaScript come to mind. But we also have Elixir programming language, which has captured the hearts of developers. The benefits of Elixir cannot be ignored.

This open-source, functional, and dynamic language was created by José Valim in 2011. The idea was to build a better alternative for Ruby, a popular programming language used extensively for backend web development projects.

It has since then been adopted as one of the most important languages in the Erlang VM ecosystem, focusing especially on concurrency, reliability, and scalability. Developers are increasingly adopting elixir because it’s easy to code and can handle large volumes of concurrent processes without affecting performance.

Who is The Creator of the Elixir?

Elixir, the programming language that has been turning heads and making computers dance, was brought to life by none other than the Brazilian tech wizard José Valim. 

“So the first language I became really proficient in, really confident with, was Ruby. What I really liked about Ruby was the ability to explore because the language is unrestricted, and you can try out different things. And it’s very flexible—you can change it in many different ways. That was really what attracted me to Ruby at the time.” 

Tired of the limitations of Ruby, Valim combined his love for functional programming with a pinch of creativity and a dash of genius to create the Elixir. It's like taking a trip to the Amazon rainforest, picking the best fruits, and blending them into a tasty drink that will keep you coding at lightning speed. 

With its ability to handle heavy web traffic and its focus on concurrency, Elixir code language has quickly become the life of the coding party. And with Valim still leading the charge, there's no telling what exciting new features will be added to this language next!

Besides these benefits, there are also some downsides. Like, not having enough developers or a very high learning curve, but they’re outweighed by all those benefits! This article will introduce you to the Elixir programming language, why it’s so great, and how to hire an Elixir developer to make sure you get quality work done on time!

What Is Elixir Programming Language?

Elixir is a dynamic, functional programming language for creating scalable and maintainable applications. It has significant benefits, like being easy to code and having excellent syntax with advanced data structures and pattern matching.

It also scales up well without affecting performance, which makes it perfect if you’re looking for your app or website to handle millions of concurrent users. There are other advantages as well, which we have covered below!

Recommended: Why Elixir Is The Programming Language You Should Learn In 2024

What Is Elixir Used For?

The benefits of Elixir have transformed this remarkable language into a true gem in the world of programming. It is a language that has the ability to bring dreams to life and turn complex ideas into simple yet robust and scalable systems. It has the power to build applications that can withstand the test of time and handle the demands of the modern world.

Let’s discover various Elixir programming language uses: 

Web App Development

In the world of web development, Elixir shines like a beacon of hope, providing developers with its powerful Phoenix framework and other Elixir web frameworks. Phoenix is designed to help developers build high-performance web applications that can handle vast amounts of traffic and deliver lightning-fast responses.

It provides an elegant and intuitive interface that enables developers to create complex applications with ease while also ensuring that the applications are robust, secure, and scalable.

Distributed Systems

Elixir also has a significant presence in the world of distributed systems. Its ability to handle multiple processes and its performance characteristics make it the ideal language for building large, decentralized systems.

In this world, Elixir is a champion, offering developers a tool that can help them create systems that are resilient and scalable, systems that can handle the demands of a constantly evolving world.

IoT And Embedded Systems

In the world of IoT and Embedded Systems, the benefits of Elixir continue to impress. It has the ability to run on resource-constrained devices, making it an ideal choice for building IoT applications and embedded systems.

With Elixir, developers can build applications that can run on a wide range of devices, from simple sensors to complex systems, and still maintain their high performance and reliability.

Blockchain Development

Finally, Elixir has made a name for itself in the world of blockchain development. Its reliability and scalability features make it the perfect language for building decentralized applications on blockchain platforms like Ethereum.

With Elixir, developers can create decentralized systems that are secure, transparent, and tamper-proof, providing a new level of trust to the world of digital transactions.

Benefits Of Elixir Programming Language

Elixir has excellent syntax and many features, like pattern matching, that make it easy to code. The Elixir coding language also uses Erlang’s virtual machine. So, you won’t have any problems there! Here are some Elixir benefits:

1. Scalability

One of the Elixir advantages includes scalability. It scales up well without affecting performance, making it perfect for apps or websites handling millions of concurrent users.

2. Erlang’s Virtual Machine

Erlang runs on low-latency networks with high availability, so that problem won’t come up here either!

3. Fault-Tolerance

It is not uncommon for complex systems in production environments to encounter errors that can cause the entire system to malfunction or the site to go down. But Elixir has built-in fault tolerance engineered to detect and handle such errors automatically. It is 99.99999% fault-tolerant. Elixir provides tools called supervisors that revert your system to the initial state in case of any fault.

4. Extensibility 

Elixir allows developers to extend the features and power up the code by using Macros. These Macros work as a part of the language.

5. Healthy Ecosystem

Although the Elixir coding language isn’t very popular, this doesn’t mean it lacks tools for ease of elixir software development. One of Elixir’s most popular tools, Mix, allows developers to build and test their projects with ease. Developers also enjoy how easy it makes managing dependencies, among other things. 

For example, integration with Hex for fetching packages remotely and providing resolutions on project dependency issues can frustrate you when you’re unsure where to look or what might work best for your needs.

6. Dependency Management

Hex provides a remote package management system. It offers all the features of tools like Ruby’s Gems and Python’s Pip, including dependency solving, bundling, installation tracking, and more, while providing an audited distribution mechanism (like npm or pip). Ideally, for developers, it is easy to install any elixir library from Hex by simply typing in the mix.local.hex.fetch with no effort at all.

7. Performance 

Elixir can solve complex tasks much faster than languages like Java or C++ because of its use of functional programming that doesn’t rely on object orientation as heavily as other languages do. This means less time spent waiting while your program executes, resulting in better-performing code without sacrificing readability.

8. Ruby-Like Syntax

Elixir borrows from Ruby, Python, and Erlang. Its syntax is not as unfamiliar to these other languages, so you’ll find elixir easier to learn if that is your background.

9. Closures 

Elixir makes use of closures. It is a method for grouping blocks of code with open variables that you can reference outside the block, allowing for better data protection regarding security and privacy. Again, this means less time spent waiting while your program executes, resulting in better-performing code without sacrificing readability.

10. Pattern Matching

Pattern matching works by examining large chunks of text or numbers at once rather than one character at a time, like most programming languages do, making it possible to detect patterns faster. This, again, leads to quicker execution times without compromising performance.

11. Functional Programming 

Multiple features and advantages of Elixir make it easier to debug and test. It has built-in support for concurrency. So if your program relies on multiple tasks happening at the same time, then elixir would be an excellent choice.

Cons Of Elixir Coding Language

Here are a few cons of Elixir programming language you should consider and devise a strategy for mitigating them. 

1. With a recursive call-in elixir, we need to define how many times our function will be called beforehand, like recursion (fun (), fun () .) Because unlike Erlang or JS (JavaScript), there is no way to stop.
2. The trickiest part about hiring elixir developers is that not enough people know this programming language. Most devs prefer working on languages such as C++ and Java.
3. Elixir is not the best choice regarding raw CPU power and processing speed, so if your application involves a lot of number crunching, you should go with a distinct language.

While Elixir development isn’t as popular as the big players in the programming language scene, these features give it a value many other languages don’t have.

Famous Companies That Use Elixir Programming Language

Elixir has many benefits and that's why many companies using Elixir programming language. Here are some given below:

1. Bet365: Bet365 uses Erlang and Elixir to help it service 20 million users and to meet the demands of 100,000s concurrent users at peak times. Bet365 uses Erlang because of its strengths in distribution, concurrency, and resilience. The development team could quickly build a massively scalable platform with Erlang, allowing for the rapid addition of new features.
2. Pinterest: The engineering team at Pinterest is using Elixir language and Phoenix to serve billions of API requests per day.
3. Discord: Discord was an early adopter of Elixir, and I know why. It’s concurrency. In this article, you can see how Discord has scaled to 5 million concurrent users with their use of the language!
4. LinkedIn: In 2016, LinkedIn started building what would be their first large-scale Elixir software development project, a system that handles all the email notifications for hundreds of millions of users.
5. Moz Pro: Moz Pro, the leading SEO analytics company, scrapped MySQL database storage for a database-free architecture powered by an Elixir-driven data indexing model. The result is that their new API serves the core rankings datasets 20 times faster than the previous API. Its average response times are consistently below 50 ms compared to 800+ ms previously. Here’s a great article on why Moz moved to the Elixir language.
6. Financial Times: The Financial Times is using Elixir to capture and track market data for its systems.

You will like: Why is Elixir Making Headlines?

Hire Remote Elixir Developers

If you’re looking for a new programming language to use, Elixir might be just what the doctor ordered. If you want to spice up your next project with the power of Elixir, you've come to the right place! Don't settle for just any developer.

Whether you need help with concurrency or want to handle high-traffic web applications, our developers are here. They will bring their expertise and creativity to the table.

Here at InvoZone, we can hire Elixir developers with hands-on experience in working with applications that need concurrent support. Our CEO himself has extensive knowledge of Elixir. He’s one of many specialized Elixir developers at InvoZone who can help launch your next monumental project.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Elixir good for?

Elixir is a programming language good for building scalable and fault-tolerant systems, particularly in web development with Phoenix framework, concurrent and parallel processing, distributed systems, IoT and embedded systems, and blockchain development.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Elixir?

The advantages of Elixir include:

• Scalability
• Concurrent and parallel processing
• High performance
• Productivity
• A strong community.

Disadvantages include:

• A steep learning curve
• Limited adoption
• A small ecosystem

What do people use Elixir for?

Elixir is used for building high-performance web applications with its Phoenix framework, concurrent and parallel processing, distributed systems, IoT and embedded systems, and blockchain development. It is suitable for applications that require high performance, reliability, and scalability.

Why is Elixir so popular?

Elixir's combination of scalability, performance, and ease of use has made it a popular choice for building complex and high-performance systems.