Erlang vs Elixir: Which One to Choose?
Are you a programmer looking for a high-level, functional programming language? Then you must have come across Erlang and Elixir. Though they share a lot of similarities, there are differences too. Which one should you choose? In this blog post, we'll provide a factual, unbiased comparison between Erlang and Elixir to help you decide.
Overview
Before we dive into the comparison, let's have a quick overview of both languages.
Erlang
Erlang is a programming language created in the late 1980s by Ericsson. It is designed for developing fault-tolerant and scalable distributed systems. Erlang has a robust and fault-tolerant concurrency model and provides a unique set of features, including lightweight processes, message passing, and OTP (Open Telecom Platform) libraries.
Elixir
Elixir is a dynamic, functional, and concurrent programming language created in 2011 by Jose Valim. It runs on the Erlang virtual machine (BEAM) and takes advantage of Erlang's concurrency and fault-tolerance features. Elixir's syntax is similar to that of Ruby, and it has gained popularity due to its ease of use, extensibility, and performance.
Comparison
Let's now compare some of the important aspects of both languages.
Syntax
Elixir has clean, expressive syntax that is similar to Ruby. Its syntax is easy to learn and write. On the other hand, Erlang has a syntax that can be challenging for some developers due to its use of single-letter variables and lack of control structures like loops and conditionals.
Performance
Both Elixir and Erlang perform well in terms of concurrency and fault tolerance. In some benchmarks, Elixir has shown to outperform Erlang in terms of speed, especially for computationally intensive tasks. However, Erlang's lightweight processes and message-passing model make it more suitable for distributed systems.
Libraries and Frameworks
Erlang has a robust set of libraries and frameworks in its OTP (Open Telecom Platform) that provides features like process supervision, distribution, and fault tolerance. Elixir also has access to Erlang's libraries and takes advantage of them. Additionally, Elixir has its own set of libraries and frameworks, such as Phoenix, which is a popular web framework.
Community
Both Elixir and Erlang have active and supportive communities. However, Elixir has gained more popularity in recent years, and its community is growing rapidly. Elixir's community is more diverse and includes developers from various backgrounds, including Ruby and Python.
Conclusion
Erlang and Elixir are both excellent programming languages with their unique features and advantages. If you're building large-scale, distributed systems, Erlang is a better fit. On the other hand, if you're looking for a language that is easy to write and learn, has good performance, and has a growing community, Elixir is a better choice.
In the end, the choice between Erlang and Elixir depends on the specific requirements of your project and personal preference.
References
- Erlang Official Website. Retrieved from https://www.erlang.org/
- Elixir Official Website. Retrieved from https://elixir-lang.org/
- The State of Erlang and Elixir in 2021. Retrieved from https://buoyant.io/2021/04/01/the-state-of-erlang-and-elixir-in-2021/
- Benchmarking Elixir and Erlang on the same machine. Retrieved from https://discord.com/channels/482236147298189058/482618305174794753/623035246819379713