Install Elixir

Install on Linux

Open a terminal and install the elixir package with the system package manager. On Debian and Ubuntu the APT manager carries an Elixir build that is good enough for this course.

After the install finishes, move on to the version check below.

sudo apt update

sudo apt install elixir

elixir --version

A fresh install should answer with its version number.

elixir --version

Erlang/OTP 27 [erts-15.2] [64-bit]

Elixir 1.18.2 (compiled with Erlang/OTP 27)

If the command is not found, close the terminal, open a new one, and try again.

Verify Erlang too

Elixir runs on top of Erlang, so confirm that the runtime answers as well. This one line program asks the runtime for its release number:

elixir -e "IO.puts(:erlang.system_info(:otp_release))"

27

If you see a number like 27, the Erlang side works and you are ready for the next lesson.

Keep Elixir updated

To upgrade later, refresh the package lists and upgrade the elixir package. Then check the version once more to confirm the new build.

sudo apt update

sudo apt upgrade elixir

elixir --version

Next: iex: the interactive shell

Article author: Arthur Isaev