Elixir HTTP Server

Introduction to Elixir HTTP Servers

Elixir, a functional, concurrent language built on the Erlang VM, is excellent for building highly scalable web applications. One of the primary ways to create HTTP servers in Elixir is by using Plug or the Phoenix framework. Both options provide robust tools for handling HTTP requests and building web applications efficiently.

Setting Up a Basic Plug Application

Plug is a specification for composable modules in between web applications. It can be used to build a web server or to define middleware. Let's start by creating a basic Plug application.

To begin, you need to include Plug in your project's dependencies.

Run mix deps.get to install the dependencies. Then, create a module that will act as our HTTP server.

This module uses Plug.Router to define routes. The get macro is used to match GET requests to the root path, returning a 'Hello, world!' message. If no route matches, a 404 response is returned.

Running the Plug Application

To run your Plug server, you need to start a Cowboy HTTP server and tell it to use your module:

Execute this line in your interactive Elixir shell (IEx) to start the server. Now, visiting http://localhost:4000 in a browser should display 'Hello, world!'.

Introducing the Phoenix Framework

Phoenix is a web development framework for Elixir that provides everything needed to build rich, interactive web applications. Phoenix is built on top of Plug, providing additional features such as real-time communication and database integration.

Creating a Phoenix Application

To create a new Phoenix project, first ensure that you have installed the phoenix_new installer by running:

Now, create a new Phoenix project:

This command will generate a new Phoenix application in a directory called my_app. Follow the instructions printed in the terminal to start your server, which will be available at http://localhost:4000.