As technology advances, the need for efficient programming languages that can handle large-scale systems and concurrent processes grows. One language that has risen to prominence in recent years is Erlang. Developed in the late 1980s, Erlang was designed specifically for building robust, fault-tolerant, and highly concurrent systems. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what Erlang is, why it was created, and what makes it such a powerful tool for software developers today.
What is Erlang?
Erlang is a programming language that was originally developed by the Swedish telecommunications company, Ericsson. It was designed specifically to handle the demands of the company's telecommunication systems, which had to be highly reliable and able to handle massive amounts of concurrent traffic. Erlang is a functional programming language, meaning that it is based on the mathematical concept of functions, rather than on a series of imperative commands.
History Of Erlang
Erlang was created in the late 1980s by a team of developers at Ericsson, a Swedish telecommunications company. The team was led by Joe Armstrong, Robert Virding, and Mike Williams, who were tasked with creating a language that could handle the high demands of Ericsson's telecommunications systems.
At the time, there were few programming languages that could handle the complexity and concurrency required by these systems. The team decided to base the language on functional programming principles, which are well-suited for concurrent and distributed systems.
The name "Erlang" comes from a Danish mathematician and engineer, Agner Krarup Erlang, who was known for his work on queuing theory, which is used to model the flow of traffic through a system. The team chose the name in honor of his contributions to the field of telecommunications.
Erlang was first used in Ericsson's AXE telephone switch in 1995, and it quickly proved to be a powerful tool for building highly concurrent and fault-tolerant systems. In 1998, Ericsson released the first public version of Erlang, and the language began to gain a following among developers who needed to build real-time, distributed systems.
Today, Erlang is widely used in industries such as telecommunications, finance, and advertising, as well as in the development of web and mobile applications. It continues to be developed and maintained by Ericsson, as well as by a growing community of open-source developers.
Why was Erlang created?
Ericsson needed a programming language that could handle the high demands of its telecommunications systems. At the time, there were few programming languages that could handle the complex, distributed, and concurrent nature of these systems. So, in the late 1980s, Ericsson set out to create a language that would meet these requirements.
The team that created Erlang was led by Joe Armstrong, Robert Virding, and Mike Williams. Their goal was to create a language that was highly concurrent, fault-tolerant, and scalable. They also wanted to make sure that the language was easy to learn and use. To achieve these goals, they decided to base the language on functional programming principles, which are well-suited for concurrent and distributed systems.
What are the features of Erlang?
Erlang has several features that make it well-suited for building robust and highly concurrent systems. Some of the key features of Erlang include:
- Concurrency: Erlang was designed to handle large-scale concurrent systems. The language has built-in support for lightweight processes, which are very cheap to create and switch between. This makes it easy to create systems that can handle thousands of concurrent connections.
- Fault tolerance: Erlang was also designed to be fault-tolerant. The language has a built-in mechanism called "supervisors" that can detect when a process has failed and restart it automatically. This ensures that the system remains operational even when individual processes fail.
- Distributed computing: Erlang was designed to be distributed from the ground up. The language has built-in support for distributed processes, which allows developers to easily create systems that can run on multiple machines.
- Hot code swapping: Erlang has a unique feature called "hot code swapping" that allows developers to update running code without shutting down the system. This makes it easy to deploy updates and fixes to a live system without disrupting service.
- Functional programming: Erlang is based on functional programming principles, which makes it well-suited for building concurrent and distributed systems. Functional programming emphasizes the use of immutable data structures and pure functions, which can help to reduce bugs and make code easier to reason about.
Who uses Erlang?
Erlang was originally developed for use in the telecommunications industry, but it has since been adopted by a wide range of companies and organizations. Some of the most well-known companies that use Erlang include:
- WhatsApp: WhatsApp, the popular messaging app, was built using Erlang. Erlang's built-in support for concurrency and distributed computing makes it well-suited for building real-time messaging systems.
- Ericsson: Ericsson, the company that originally developed Erlang, continues to use the language extensively in its telecommunications systems.
- AdRoll: AdRoll, an advertising technology company, uses Erlang to power its real-time bidding platform.
- Klarna: Klarna, a Swedish fintech company that provides online financial services, uses Erlang to build its backend systems.
- Bet365: Bet365, a popular online betting platform, uses Erlang to power its real-time betting system.
These are just a few examples of the many companies and organizations that use Erlang to build their systems.
How can you learn Erlang?
If you're interested in learning Erlang, there are several resources available to help you get started. The official Erlang website, erlang.org, has a wealth of information on the language, including documentation, tutorials, and code examples. There are also several books available on Erlang, such as "Programming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World" by Joe Armstrong, one of the creators of the language.
There are also several online courses and video tutorials available that can help you learn Erlang. Websites such as Udemy and Coursera offer courses on Erlang, as well as other functional programming languages.
Finally, one of the best ways to learn Erlang is to start writing code. There are several online communities and forums where you can ask for help and feedback on your code, such as the Erlang mailing list and the Erlang subreddit.
Conclusion
Erlang is a powerful and unique programming language that was designed specifically for building highly concurrent, fault-tolerant, and scalable systems. Its built-in support for concurrency, distributed computing, fault tolerance, and hot code swapping make it a powerful tool for building real-time systems that can handle massive amounts of traffic.
While Erlang was originally developed for use in the telecommunications industry, it has since been adopted by a wide range of companies and organizations in a variety of industries. If you're interested in learning Erlang, there are several resources available to help you get started, including books, online courses, and communities where you can ask for help and feedback.
Overall, Erlang is a language that is well worth exploring for anyone interested in building high-performance, fault-tolerant, and scalable systems.
FAQs On Erlang Programming
What is Erlang used for?
Erlang is a programming language used for building highly concurrent, fault-tolerant, and scalable systems. It is often used in industries such as telecommunications, finance, and advertising, as well as in the development of web and mobile applications.
What are the benefits of using Erlang?
Erlang has built-in support for concurrency, distributed computing, fault tolerance, and hot code swapping, making it a powerful tool for building real-time systems that can handle massive amounts of traffic. Its functional programming principles also make it well-suited for building complex systems.
Is Erlang difficult to learn?
Like any programming language, Erlang has its own syntax and concepts that can take some time to master. However, many developers find Erlang to be a relatively straightforward language to learn, especially if they have experience with other functional programming languages.
What are some examples of companies that use Erlang?
Some examples of companies that use Erlang include WhatsApp, Ericsson, Klarna, and Bet365.
What resources are available for learning Erlang?
There are many resources available for learning Erlang, including documentation and tutorials on the official Erlang website, books, online courses, and communities where you can ask for help and feedback on your code.
Is Erlang suitable for building web applications?
Yes, Erlang can be used for building web applications, particularly those that require high scalability and real-time performance. Erlang has built-in support for handling large amounts of concurrent connections, which is essential for web applications that need to handle a high volume of traffic.
Can Erlang be used with other programming languages?
Yes, Erlang can be used in conjunction with other programming languages, particularly those that can run on the Erlang Virtual Machine (EVM), such as Elixir and LFE. This allows developers to take advantage of Erlang's concurrency and fault tolerance features while still being able to use other languages for certain parts of their applications.
What platforms is Erlang compatible with?
Erlang can run on a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, macOS, and various flavors of Unix. It is also compatible with a range of hardware architectures, including x86, ARM, and PowerPC.
Is Erlang an open-source language?
Yes, Erlang is an open-source programming language. The source code for Erlang is available under the Apache License, and the language is actively maintained and developed by Ericsson and a community of open-source contributors.
How does Erlang compare to other programming languages?
Erlang is a unique language with its own set of strengths and weaknesses. Compared to other programming languages, Erlang is particularly well-suited for building real-time, distributed systems that require high scalability and fault tolerance. Its functional programming principles also make it a powerful tool for building complex systems. However, Erlang may not be the best choice for all types of applications, and developers should carefully consider their requirements before choosing a programming language.
