Release Handling

Release Handling

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The Elixir programming language logo

Release Handling is an important aspect of the Elixir programming language. It refers to the process of managing and deploying software releases built with Elixir. In this article, we will explore the various techniques and tools available in Elixir for effective release handling.

Building Releases

There are several tools available in the Elixir ecosystem to build releases:

• Mix: Mix is the build tool and package manager for Elixir. It provides functionality to create and manage releases through the `mix release` command.

• Distillery: Distillery is a battle-tested release management tool for Elixir applications. It offers a robust set of features, including release configuration, runtime configuration, and hot upgrades.

• exrm: Exrm is another popular release management tool for Elixir. Although it is no longer actively maintained, it is still widely used in existing Elixir projects.

Managing Releases

Once a release is built, various techniques and tools are available to manage its deployment:

• Release Upgrades: Elixir provides a built-in mechanism to perform hot code upgrades for running systems. With release upgrades, you can update your application without any downtime.

• Distributed Releases: Elixir supports distributed computing, allowing you to deploy releases across multiple nodes and manage them collectively.

• Containerization: Docker and other containerization technologies can be utilized to package Elixir releases, ensuring consistent deployment across different environments.

Deployment Strategies

When deploying Elixir releases, different strategies can be employed:

• Rolling Deployments: Rolling deployments involve gradually updating instances of an application while keeping the overall system running. This ensures availability during the deployment process.

• Blue-Green Deployments: Blue-green deployments involve running two identical environments side by side. Traffic is routed to the active environment, allowing for seamless upgrades and rollbacks.

• Canary Deployments: Canary deployments involve rolling out a new release to a small percentage of users or instances, allowing for testing and monitoring before a full rollout.

Conclusion

Effective release handling is crucial for the development and deployment of Elixir applications. The tools and techniques discussed in this article provide comprehensive support for managing releases, enabling seamless updates and an improved user experience.