Home>Courses>Designing Elixir Systems with OTP

Designing Elixir Systems with OTP

Delve into designing Elixir projects with OTP, exploring the Erlang VM, Elixir data types, isolated processes, and integrating projects with PostgreSQL, culminating in a functional application.

Intermediate

149 Lessons

55h

Certificate of Completion

Delve into designing Elixir projects with OTP, exploring the Erlang VM, Elixir data types, isolated processes, and integrating projects with PostgreSQL, culminating in a functional application.

AI-POWERED

Explanations

AI-POWERED

Explanations

This course includes

86 Playgrounds

10 Quizzes

Course Overview

What You'll Learn

Course Content

Course Overview

The Open Telecom Platform (OTP) is a process-oriented design environment that Elixir inherits from Erlang, the VM in which Elixir executes. This process-oriented design and communication framework make programming in Elixir a unique challenge. In this course, you’ll learn about the design considerations needed to build and design Elixir projects effectively. You’ll learn in detail about the Erlang virtual machine and the project components. You’ll review Elixir data types to identify the correct data layer...Show More

The Open Telecom Platform (OTP) is a process-oriented design environment that Elixir inherits from Erlang, the VM in which Elixi...Show More

What You'll Learn

Strong understanding of the Open Telecom Platform (OTP) design environment

Working knowledge of the various layers of Elixir built using OTP

Deep familiarity with Elixir’s different data types, their pros, cons, and applications

Hands-on experience with best practices for coding in Elixir

Hands-on experience leveraging OTP GenServers in your application design

Hands-on experience testing Elixir projects with a variety of testing techniques

Strong understanding of the Open Telecom Platform (OTP) design environment

Course Content

Building Our Project in Layers

15 Lessons

Step through building Elixir projects with a layered approach for scalable, resilient systems.

Who Should Take this Course and Why?

Introduction to Building Projects

Reimagining Design Choices

Choosing Our Layers

Thinking Before We Start

Beginning with the Right Datatypes

Creating a Mix project

Building Our Functional Core

Establishing Our Boundaries

OTP, State, and the Functional Core

Testing Our Code

Planning Our Lifecycle

Invoking Our Workers

Summary: Building Our Project in Layers

Quiz: Layering System for Designing Applications in Elixir

Knowing Our Elixir Datatypes

14 Lessons

Unpack the core of Elixir datatypes, including their efficient uses and limitations.

Introduction to Datatypes

String Representation in Elixir

Tuples

Functions as Data

When to Leave Elixir

Summary: Knowing Our Elixir Datatypes

Quiz: Data Types that Underpin Elixir

Starting With the Right Data Layer

10 Lessons

Examine the importance of data structures, immutability, and access patterns in Elixir systems.

Introduction to the Data Layer

Access Patterns Shape Data Structures

A Different Approach

Immutability Drives Everything

Functional Data Structures

Creating Our Mastery Project

Identifying the Data of Our Project

Identifying the Data of Our Project—Continued

Summary: Starting with the Right Data Layer

Quiz: Data Layers in Elixir

Building Our Functional Core

13 Lessons

Grasp the fundamentals of creating a functional core with modular, data-centric design principles.

Introduction to Our Functional Core

Organize Core Functions by Purpose

Commencing Our Quizzes

Functions are Data

Naming Concepts with Functions

Composing a Quiz from Functions

Building Single Purpose Functions

Building at a Single Level of Abstraction

Moving Our Tokens Through Transformations

Keeping the Left Margin Skinny

Trying Out the Core

Summary: Building Our Functional Core

Quiz: Building Functional Cores

Testing Our Core

15 Lessons

Take a closer look at testing Elixir systems, including setup functions, fixtures, and advanced techniques.

Introduction to Writing Tests

Simplifying Tests with Common Setup Functions

Improving the ExUnit Infrastructure

Providing Test Data with Fixtures

Building Our Quizzes

Using Fixture Functions Directly

Prime Tests with Named Setups

Applying Named Setup Functions to Our Tests

Making Tests Repeatable

Making Tests Repeatable—Continued

Composing Within Tests

Testing Our Quiz

Taking Tests Beyond the Elixir Base

Summary: Testing Our Core

Quiz: Tests for the Functional Core

Isolating Process Machinery in a Boundary

23 Lessons

Tackle state isolation, error handling, and data validation using GenServer and API layers.

Introduction to the Boundary Layer

Maintaining Composition Through Uncertainty

Treating Errors as Data

Reporting Successes and Errors

Using with to Compose Uncertain Structures

Building Our Optional Server

Blueprint of Our Boundary Layer

Implementing the QuizManager with Processes

Adding More Functionality to the QuizManager

Trying Out the Quiz Manager

Laying Grounds for QuizSession Implementation

Implementing QuizSession

Test Driving the Quiz Session

Wrapping the Server in an API

Validating Our Quizzes

Validating Our Templates

Building the API Layer

Test Driving the API

Call over Cast

Configuring Options

Extending our APIs Safely

Summary: Isolating Process Machinery in a Boundary

Quiz: Boundaries and GenServers

Customizing Our Lifecycle

17 Lessons

Master the lifecycle management of Elixir systems using OTP for robust process control.

Introduction to the Lifecycle Layer

Understanding the Lifecycle Building Blocks

Elixir Functions to Manage Processes

Starting Processes with Links

Configuring Applications to Start Supervisors

Creating a start_link

Configuring the Application

Additional Options to Manipulate Supervisors

Starting Per-User Processes with a Dynamic Supervisor

Adding a Start Link

Using Names to Find Services

Adding the Registry and Dynamic Supervisor to application.ex

Establishing Supervision Strategies

Observing It

Running with Multiple Users

Summary: Customizing Our Lifecycle

Quiz: Supervisors and the Lifecycle Layer

Invoking Our Workers

13 Lessons

Sharpen your skills in managing concurrency, scalability, and worker lifecycle with Elixir.

Introduction to the Worker Layer

Knowing Our Motivations

Leveraging Workers in Dependencies

Making Serial Code Concurrent with Tasks

Building Pools of Common Resources with Poolboy

Adding a Proctor to Run Timed Quizzes

Writing the Proctor Boundary Server

Laying Grounds for the Proctor Boundary Server

Completing the Implementation of the Proctor Boundary Server

Integrating the Proctor into the Boundary — QuizManager

Putting the Proctor to Work

Summary: Invoking Our Workers

Quiz: Workers and Services with Concurrency

Assembling Our Components

17 Lessons

Unpack the core of integrating persistence, utilizing OTP dependencies, and organizing code for Elixir projects.

Introducing Persistence

Adding Persistence as a Boundary Service

Managing Persistence with Callbacks

Building a Poncho Project

Persisting the Responses

Establishing an API

Building Our Postgres Table

Integrating MasteryPersistence into Mastery

Integrating a Function to Persist Records

Integrating Our OTP Dependencies into Phoenix

Integrating Our OTP Dependencies into Phoenix—Continued

Organizing Code for OTP Abstractions

Adding Layers to Phoenix Channels

Adding Layers to LiveView

Building Scenic Projects with Layers

Summary: Assembling Our Components

Quiz: Making Different Dependencies Work Together

10.

Testing the Boundary

12 Lessons

Work your way through testing Elixir boundaries, focusing on API lifecycles and integration.

Introduction to Testing Our Boundary

Tests Call the API as a User Would—Setting Up

Tests Call the API as a User Would—Helper Functions

Running the Test for Our API

Testing Poncho Projects Directly

Isolating the Proctor’s Boundary Concerns

Modifying the Boundary of the Mastery Project

Adding Notifications to Mastery and the Boundary

Working with the New Notifications

The Final Test for Our Quizzes

Summary: Testing the Boundary

Quiz: Writing Tests at the Boundary Layer

Course Author

The Pragmatic Programmers

Trusted by 2.5 million developers working at companies

"These are high-quality courses. Trust me. I own around 10 and the price is worth it for the content quality. EducativeInc came at the right time in my career. I'm understanding topics better than with any book or online video tutorial I've done. Truly made for developers. Thanks"

Anthony Walker

@_webarchitect_

"Just finished my first full #ML course: Machine learning for Software Engineers from Educative, Inc. ... Highly recommend!"

Evan Dunbar

ML Engineer

"You guys are the gold standard of crash-courses... Narrow enough that it doesn't need years of study or a full blown book to get the gist, but broad enough that an afternoon of Googling doesn't cut it."

Carlos Matias La Borde

Software Developer

"I spend my days and nights on Educative. It is indispensable. It is such a unique and reader-friendly site"

Souvik Kundu

Front-end Developer

"Your courses are simply awesome, the depth they go into and the breadth of coverage is so good that I don't have to refer to 10 different websites looking for interview topics and content."

Vinay Krishnaiah

Software Developer

"I've tried probably 5-7 different sites and Educative is easily the best. It perfectly blends explanation with interactivity"

Eric Downs

Musician/Entrepeneur

Hands-on Learning Powered by AI

See how Educative uses AI to make your learning more immersive than ever before.

Instant Code Feedback

Evaluate and debug your code with the click of a button. Get real-time feedback on test cases, including time and space complexity of your solutions.

AI-Powered Mock Interviews

Put your skills to the test in a simulated interview setting. Receive personalized feedback based on your performance. Available in Premium & Premium Plus plans.

Adaptive Learning

At various checkpoints throughout Educative courses, you will be prompted to take a quick assessment. Receive a condensed curriculum tailored to your strengths and skill gaps.

Explain with AI

Select any text within any Educative course, and get an instant explanation — without ever leaving your browser.

AI Code Mentor

AI Code Mentor helps you quickly identify errors in your code, learn from your mistakes, and nudge you in the right direction — just like a 1:1 tutor!

Free Resources

FOR TEAMS

Interested in this course for your business or team?

Unlock this course (and 1,000+ more) for your entire org with DevPath