Thinking Elixir Podcast
ThinkingElixir.com
The Thinking Elixir podcast is a weekly show where we talk about the Elixir programming language and the community around it. We cover news and interview guests to learn more about projects and developments in the community.
Whether you are already experienced with Elixir or just exploring the language, this show is created with you in mind. We discuss community news, Functional Programming, transitioning from OOP, coding conventions, and more.
Guests visit the show to help challenge our assumptions, learn about new developments and grow in the process.
Subscribe to join us on this journey!
Whether you are already experienced with Elixir or just exploring the language, this show is created with you in mind. We discuss community news, Functional Programming, transitioning from OOP, coding conventions, and more.
Guests visit the show to help challenge our assumptions, learn about new developments and grow in the process.
Subscribe to join us on this journey!
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 31, 2026 • 36min
297: JavaScript Joins the BEAM?
A new JS runtime called Quickbeam runs JavaScript inside the BEAM with OTP supervision and native DOM access. Volt brings an Elixir-first asset pipeline and TypeScript toolchain to replace Node build wrappers. Updates include LiveView Debugger improvements, a browser Elixir language tour with hands-on OTP lessons, Oban 2.21 performance and workflow features, and Rust/Wasm integrations for LiveView.
14 snips
Mar 24, 2026 • 47min
296: OpenAI Chose Elixir and A VM Inside a VMV
They cover Elixir 1.20 release candidates with a faster compiler and new interpreted mode. A clever trick to boot a peer VM inside a VM enables zero-downtime hot upgrades on Fly.io. Discord’s approach to adding distributed tracing without chaos is explored. Elixir running in the browser via WebAssembly and OpenAI choosing Elixir for Symphony spark lively discussion.
16 snips
Mar 10, 2026 • 27min
295: Is Your Type System Leaking?
A deep dive into Elixir's type system rewrite that slashes worst-case checks from seconds to milliseconds. A conversation about type systems as leaky abstractions and refactoring tradeoffs. New tools and releases: versioned AI skill packaging, Oban Pro workflow UI improvements, a native Spark Connect client, Livebook Desktop on Linux, and several ecosystem updates.
18 snips
Mar 3, 2026 • 31min
294: Compile Times, Language Servers, and Python, Oh My!
They cover the Expert LSP release candidate and its monorepo support with early adopter praise. They talk about José Valim’s Elixir 1.20 compile-time boosts and a new interpreted mode. They describe erlang-python enabling true parallel Python from the BEAM. They note Livebook Desktop’s move to Tauri and Nx v0.11 updates like sharding and backend improvements.
13 snips
Feb 24, 2026 • 29min
293: The BEAM as the Universal Runtime
They talk about Hackney switching to a pure Erlang QUIC implementation to add HTTP/3 without C. They explore Hornbeam running Python web apps on the BEAM for huge performance gains. They demo Easel, a Canvas 2D API for LiveView and native windows. They cover Hologram's big progress porting Erlang to JavaScript and new tooling like Tidewave and OpenCode.
19 snips
Feb 17, 2026 • 42min
292: Sage Advice for AI Agents
They unveil Sagents, an Elixir library for building LLM agents with human-in-the-loop oversight and real-time debugging. They demo a Live Debugger and discuss tracing, virtual filesystems, and safe tool authorization. Conversation covers why Elixir may suit AI, recent tooling like LiveDebugger v0.6, a minimal MCP server, a Lua revamp, job market salary analysis, and impressions of Opus 4.6.
23 snips
Feb 10, 2026 • 33min
291: From 2x Compilation to Junior Comprehension
News about a 2x compile-time speedup in Elixir and an added type checker. A new alternative Erlang syntax called Telelang and experiments with syntax parsers. Membrane’s YOLO plugin brings AI object detection to video pipelines. Tools for building containers directly from Erlang/Elixir code and conversational AI for managing dependency upgrades. Discussion of PR quizzes that turn code reviews into interactive learning.
20 snips
Feb 3, 2026 • 34min
290: Postgres Finally Gets Real Search
News roundup on Elixir tooling and language fixes, including improved type handling. Two Elixir-native Bash interpreters and their use for distributed orchestration are explored. LiveCapture brings zero-boilerplate storybooks to LiveView components. A DurableObject library adds persistent actor patterns. Postgres gains BM25 text search rivaling Elasticsearch. A new RAG approach removes the need for vector databases.
16 snips
Jan 27, 2026 • 27min
289: Erlang Drives into QNX Territory
A proof-of-concept brings Erlang/OTP to QNX, hinting at BEAM-powered in-car apps and HUD ideas. ExDoc gains LLM-friendly doc features and new tools like Tribunal and Beamlens apply AI to testing and runtime introspection. Oban Pro adds Python interop while Permit.Phoenix smooths LiveView authorization. Ecto_libsql, CKEditor5 integration, TideWave growth, and advances in typing Elixir round out the news.
11 snips
Jan 20, 2026 • 26min
288: 15 Years of Elixir and Full Type Inference
They celebrate 15 years of Elixir and a v1.20 release candidate adding full type inference. Chris McCord’s Sprites.dev brings hardware-isolated VMs for safer cloud execution. MDEx adds HEEx/Phoenix component support and a refreshed site. New tools include Gust for workflow orchestration and LiveDebugger for inspecting dead LiveViews. LiveVue 1.0 integrates Vue with Phoenix LiveView for reactive UIs.
