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== Hot Code Swapping == [[File:Hot_Code_Swapping.png|thumb|alt=Elixir logo|Elixir logo]] Hot code swapping is a powerful feature of the Elixir programming language that allows developers to update code in a running system without stopping or restarting it. This feature greatly aids in maintaining high availability and uptime for Elixir applications. === How Hot Code Swapping Works === Hot code swapping is achieved through a combination of process isolation and versioning. In Elixir, each process runs in its own lightweight thread of execution, known as a "process". When a process receives an updated version of some code, it can seamlessly switch to the new version while preserving its state. === Benefits of Hot Code Swapping === Hot code swapping offers several benefits for Elixir developers, including: * **Zero-Downtime Deployment**: With hot code swapping, it is possible to update an Elixir application without any downtime. The system can continue running while the updates are applied. * **Bug Fixes on-the-fly**: Hot code swapping allows developers to fix bugs in a running application without interrupting its operation. This feature greatly reduces the impact of critical bugs on the end-users. * **Seamless Rollbacks**: If a deployed update introduces unexpected issues, hot code swapping allows for seamless rollbacks. By reverting back to a previous version of the code, the system can quickly recover from any problems. === Hot Code Swapping in Practice === [[File:Elixir_Code_Example.png|thumb|alt=Elixir code example|Elixir code example]] To leverage hot code swapping in Elixir, you can follow these steps: 1. Design your application with a responsibility-based architecture, where each process has a well-defined responsibility. 2. Compile and build your Elixir code into a release package. A release package contains all the necessary files and dependencies to run the application independently. 3. Deploy the release package to a production environment. The deployment process can be automated using tools like [https://hexdocs.pm/distillery/ Distillery]. 4. Use a mechanism like [https://hexdocs.pm/distillery/distillery.html#module-application-0-tasks.env-update application env update] or [https://hexdocs.pm/hotup/readme.html Hotup] to update the running system with new code versions. 5. Ensure your application is designed to handle code updates gracefully. Follow best practices for handling processes, supervision trees, and state migration during the code update process. === Related Articles === Check out these related articles to learn more about hot code swapping and related topics: * [[Elixir_Processes | Elixir Processes]] - Learn about the lightweight processes that are fundamental to hot code swapping in Elixir. * [[Elixir_Supervision_Trees | Elixir Supervision Trees]] - Understand how supervision trees enhance fault-tolerance during hot code swapping. * [[Elixir_Release_Management | Elixir Release Management]] - Find out how to create and manage release packages for deploying Elixir applications. * [[Elixir_Distributed_Systems | Elixir Distributed Systems]] - Explore how hot code swapping can be leveraged in distributed systems built with Elixir. * [[Elixir_Testing | Elixir Testing]] - Discover best practices for testing and verifying the behavior of Elixir applications after hot code swapping. === Conclusion === Hot code swapping is a key feature that sets Elixir apart from many other programming languages. With its ability to update code in a running system without downtime, Elixir provides a robust and flexible environment for building resilient and highly available applications. {{ElixirNavbox}}
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