Erlang is a programming language that was developed in the late 1980s by Ericsson, a Swedish telecommunications company. It was designed to build concurrent, fault-tolerant, and distributed systems. The language is known for its concurrency support and ability to handle large numbers of simultaneous connections.
It has been used to build some of the world’s most successful and reliable systems, such as Facebook Messenger and the Ericsson AXD 301 switch.
One of the main use cases for Erlang is building telecommunication systems. The language was originally developed for use in Ericsson’s telephone exchange systems, and it has been used in a variety of other telecommunication applications since then. Erlang’s support for concurrency and fault tolerance makes it well-suited for building systems that need to handle a large number of simultaneous connections, such as telephone switches and voicemail systems.
Erlang is also commonly used for building distributed systems. The language has built-in support for message passing and distributed computing, which makes it well-suited for building systems that need to run on multiple machines. This makes it a good choice for building systems that need to scale horizontally, such as distributed databases and distributed systems for the Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Another popular use case for Erlang is building web applications and servers. The language has been used to build several popular web servers, such as Yaws and MochiWeb, as well as web frameworks like Chicago Boss and Nitrogen. Erlang’s support for concurrency and fault tolerance makes it well-suited for building systems that need to handle a large number of simultaneous connections, such as web servers.
Erlang is also used in other industries, such as Gaming, Finance, and Healthcare. In gaming, it’s used in building multiplayer games and virtual worlds. In finance, it’s used in building trading platforms and risk management systems. In healthcare, it’s used in building systems for patient monitoring and medical record management.
In conclusion, Erlang is a versatile programming language that is well-suited for building concurrent, fault-tolerant, and distributed systems. Its origins are rooted in telecommunications, but it has found its way into other industries as well. It’s commonly used in telecommunication systems, distributed systems, web applications, and servers, and in other industries such as Gaming, Finance, and Healthcare. If you’re building a system that needs to handle a large number of simultaneous connections, handle failures gracefully, and scale horizontally, Erlang is definitely worth considering.
In conclusion
Erlang is a powerful and versatile language that is well-suited for building concurrent and distributed systems. Its built-in support for concurrency, distribution, and fault tolerance, makes it an ideal choice for building systems that need to be highly available and fault-tolerant. It is easy to learn and use, and its high performance makes it an ideal choice for building systems that need to handle a high volume of traffic. Erlang is a great choice for developers who want to build robust and reliable systems.