In this post, we have prepared a curated top list of reading recommendations for beginners and experienced. This hand-picked list of the best Erlang books and tutorials can help fill your brain this May and ensure you’re getting smarter. We have also mentioned the brief introduction of each book based on the relevant Amazon or Reddit descriptions.
- Programming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World (2013)
- Introducing Erlang: Getting Started in Functional Programming (2017)
- Designing for Scalability with Erlang/OTP: Implement Robust, Fault-Tolerant Systems (2016)
- Learn You Some Erlang for Great Good!: A Beginner’s Guide (2013)
- Erlang Programming: A Concurrent Approach to Software Development (2009)
- Erlang and OTP in Action (2010)
- Programming Phoenix: Productive |> Reliable |> Fast (2016)
- Building Web Applications with Erlang: Working with REST and Web Sockets on Yaws (2012)
- The Little Elixir & OTP Guidebook (2016)
- Metaprogramming Elixir (2015)
- The Erlang Run-Time System (2015)
- Programming Erlang (2007)
- Related YouTube Video
Programming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World (2013)
A multi-user game, web site, cloud application, or networked database can have thousands of users all interacting at the same time. You need a powerful, industrial-strength tool to handle the really hard problems inherent in parallel, concurrent environments. You need Erlang. In this second edition of the bestselling Programming Erlang, you’ll learn how to write parallel programs that scale effortlessly on multicore systems.
Author(s): Joe Armstrong
Introducing Erlang: Getting Started in Functional Programming (2017)
If you’re new to Erlang, its functional style can seem difficult, but with help from this hands-on introduction, you’ll scale the learning curve and discover how enjoyable, powerful, and fun this language can be.In this updated second edition, author Simon St.Laurent shows you how to write simple Erlang programs by teaching you one skill at a time. You’ll learn about pattern matching, recursion, message passing, process-oriented programming, and establishing pathways for data rather than telling it where to go.
Author(s): Simon St. Laurent
Designing for Scalability with Erlang/OTP: Implement Robust, Fault-Tolerant Systems (2016)
If you need to build a scalable, fault tolerant system with requirements for high availability, discover why the Erlang/OTP platform stands out for the breadth, depth, and consistency of its features.
Author(s): Francesco Cesarini, Steve Vinoski
Learn You Some Erlang for Great Good!: A Beginner’s Guide (2013)
Erlang is the language of choice for programmers who want to write robust, concurrent applications, but its strange syntax and functional design can intimidate the uninitiated. Luckily, there’s a new weapon in the battle against Erlang-phobia: Learn You Some Erlang for Great Good! Erlang maestro Fred Hébert starts slow and eases you into the basics: You’ll learn about Erlang’s unorthodox syntax, its data structures, its type system (or lack thereof!), and basic functional programming techniques.
Author(s): Fred Hebert
Erlang Programming: A Concurrent Approach to Software Development (2009)
This book is an in-depth introduction to Erlang, a programming language ideal for any situation where concurrency, fault tolerance, and fast response is essential. Erlang is gaining widespread adoption with the advent of multi-core processors and their new scalable approach to concurrency. With this guide you’ll learn how to write complex concurrent programs in Erlang, regardless of your programming background or experience.
Author(s): Francesco Cesarini, Simon Thompson
Erlang and OTP in Action (2010)
Concurrent programming has become a required discipline for all programmers. Multi-core processors and the increasing demand for maximum performance and scalability in mission-critical applications have renewed interest in functional languages like Erlang that are designed to handle concurrent programming. Erlang, and the OTP platform, make it possible to deliver more robust applications that satisfy rigorous uptime and performance requirements.
Author(s): Martin Logan, Eric Merritt
Programming Phoenix: Productive |> Reliable |> Fast (2016)
Don’t accept the compromise between fast and beautiful: you can have it all. Phoenix creator Chris McCord, Elixir creator Jose Valim, and award-winning author Bruce Tate walk you through building an application that’s fast and reliable. At every step, you’ll learn from the Phoenix creators not just what to do, but why. Packed with insider insights, this definitive guide will be your constant companion in your journey from Phoenix novice to expert, as you build the next generation of web applications.
Author(s): Chris McCord, Bruce Tate
Building Web Applications with Erlang: Working with REST and Web Sockets on Yaws (2012)
Why choose Erlang for web applications? Discover the answer hands-on by building a simple web service with this book. If you’re an experienced web developer who knows basic Erlang, you’ll learn how to work with REST, dynamic content, web sockets, and concurrency through several examples. In the process, you’ll see first-hand that Erlang is ideal for building business-critical services. Erlang was designed for fault-tolerant, non-stop telecom systems, and building applications with it requires a large set of skills.
Author(s): Zachary Kessin
The Little Elixir & OTP Guidebook (2016)
The Little Elixir & OTP Guidebook gets you started programming applications with Elixir and OTP. You begin with a quick overview of the Elixir language syntax, along with just enough functional programming to use it effectively. Then, you’ll dive straight into OTP and learn how it helps you build scalable, fault-tolerant and distributed applications through several fun examples.
Author(s): Benjamin Tan Wei Hao
Metaprogramming Elixir (2015)
Write code that writes code with Elixir macros. Macros make metaprogramming possible and define the language itself. In this book, you’ll learn how to use macros to extend the language with fast, maintainable code and share functionality in ways you never thought possible. You’ll discover how to extend Elixir with your own first-class features, optimize performance, and create domain-specific languages. Metaprogramming is one of Elixir’s greatest features.
Author(s): Chris McCord
The Erlang Run-Time System (2015)
Erlang’s process-oriented approach has given it a very different runtime environment. As Erlang and tools built on Erlang, like CouchDB, Riak, and EjabberD spread, understanding those underpinnings becomes much more important for people building and maintaining applications. This book will explore Erlang’s unique approach to building a virtual machine, demonstrating how to take advantage of its power and tune it to fit your needs.
Author(s): Erik Stenman
Programming Erlang (2007)
Erlang solves one of the most pressing problems facing developers today: how to write reliable, concurrent, high-performance systems. It’s used worldwide by companies who need to produce reliable, efficient, and scalable applications. Invest in learning Erlang now. Moore’s Law is the observation that the amount you can do on a single chip doubles every two years. But Moore’s Law is taking a detour.
Author(s): Joe Armstrong
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Best Erlang Books that Should be on Your Bookshelf
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some Erlang books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Children's Librarianship: Policies, Programs, and Practices
Author(s): Lucy Santos Green; Jenna Spiering; Vanessa Lynn Kitzie; Julia Erlanger
ID: 3383374, Publisher: ABC-CLIO, Year: 2022, Size: 2 Mb, Format: epub
LGBTQIA+ Inclusive Children's Librarianship
Author(s): Lucy Santos Green, Jenna Spiering, Vanessa Lynn Kitzie, Julia Erlanger
ID: 3407419, Publisher: ABC-CLIO, Year: 2022, Size: 2 Mb, Format: epub
Property-Based Testing with PropEr, Erlang, and Elixir
Author(s): Fred Hebert
ID: 2337536, Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf, Year: 2019, Size: 6 Mb, Format: pdf
Please note that this booklist is not absolute. Some books are absolutely record-breakers according to The Wall Street Journal, others are drafted by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant links you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.