Overview

Quick access to Elixir syntax, terminology, and learning resources.

What Are Reference Materials?

Reference materials provide:

• Quick Lookup: Find syntax and commands fast
• Terminology: Definitions of Elixir/OTP/Phoenix terms
• Resources: Links to official docs and community
• No Explanations: Facts and information, not teaching

Use references when you know what you’re looking for but need a quick reminder.

Available Resources

Cheat Sheet

Quick reference for common syntax and operations:

Topics Covered:

• Basic Syntax: Variables, atoms, strings, numbers
• Data Structures: Lists, tuples, maps, structs, keyword lists
• Operators: Arithmetic, comparison, logical, pipe
• Pattern Matching: Syntax and common patterns
• Functions: Anonymous, named, guards, default arguments
• Modules: Definition, attributes, import/alias/require
• Control Flow: case, cond, if/unless, with
• Comprehensions: for-comprehensions with filters
• Mix Commands: Project management, testing, dependencies
• IEx Commands: Interactive shell shortcuts
• Common Functions: Enum, String, Map, List modules

Format: Side-by-side examples with brief notes.

View Cheat Sheet →

Glossary

Alphabetical definitions of Elixir/OTP/Phoenix terminology:

Elixir Terms:

• Agent, Anonymous Function, Atom, Behaviour, Comprehension, Guard, Keyword List, Macro, Module, Pattern Matching, Pipe Operator, Process, Protocol, Sigil, Struct

OTP Terms:

• Application, GenServer, Supervisor, Supervision Tree, OTP, Process Registry, Task, Agent

Phoenix Terms:

• Channel, Connection, Context, Controller, Ecto, Endpoint, LiveView, Plug, PubSub, Router, Template, View

BEAM VM Terms:

• BEAM, ETS, Hot Code Swapping, Node, Preemptive Scheduling, Process Heap

Each entry includes:

• Definition: What the term means
• Context: Where it’s used
• Related Terms: Cross-references

Browse Glossary →

Resources

Curated links to official documentation and community resources:

Official Documentation:

• Elixir Language Guides
• Elixir Standard Library (hexdocs)
• Phoenix Framework Documentation
• Ecto Documentation
• Mix and ExUnit Guides

Books:

• Programming Elixir by Dave Thomas
• Elixir in Action by Saša Jurić
• The Little Elixir & OTP Guidebook
• Designing Elixir Systems with OTP

Online Courses:

• Elixir School (free)
• Pragmatic Studio Elixir Courses
• Exercism Elixir Track

Community:

• Elixir Forum
• ElixirLang Slack
• /r/elixir on Reddit
• Elixir Discord Server

Conferences:

• ElixirConf (US)
• ElixirConf EU
• Code BEAM

Explore Resources →

How to Use References

During Coding:

• Keep Cheat Sheet open for syntax lookup
• Reference Glossary for unfamiliar terms
• Link to official docs for detailed API info

For Learning:

• Use Resources to find external tutorials
• Join Community channels for questions
• Attend conferences for advanced topics

For Teams:

• Share Glossary for consistent terminology
• Bookmark Resources for onboarding
• Reference Cheat Sheet in code reviews

Reference vs Tutorial vs How-To

Reference:

• Facts and lookup
• No teaching
• Quick answers

Tutorial:

• Progressive learning
• Explanations
• Hands-on exercises

How-To:

• Problem solutions
• Practical code
• Specific scenarios

Use references alongside tutorials and how-to guides for complete coverage.

Need a quick lookup? Start with the Cheat Sheet →