Why I Chose Elixir for My Backend

After years of building with Node.js and Python, constantly chasing the latest frontend framework, I was exhausted. The JavaScript ecosystem moves too fast. Every project meant a new bundler, a new state management library, a new "best practice." I was tired.

Then I discovered Elixir and Phoenix LiveView.

The Frontend Fatigue is Real

Let's be honest about modern web development:

• React, Vue, Svelte, Solid, Qwik... the list never ends
• Webpack, Vite, Turbopack, esbuild... another choice to make
• REST, GraphQL, tRPC... more decisions
• Separate frontend and backend repos, separate deployments, separate mental models

For every feature, you're writing code twice: once for the API, once for the UI. You're managing state in two places. You're debugging across two systems. It's exhausting.

Phoenix LiveView Changed Everything

With LiveView, I write Elixir on the server and get real-time, interactive UIs without touching JavaScript:

def handle_event("increment", _, socket) do
  {:noreply, update(socket, :count, &(&1 + 1))}
end

That's it. No useState, no useEffect, no Redux, no API endpoints. Just server-side code that feels like magic on the client.

One Language, One Codebase, One Deploy

What I love about Phoenix:

• No API layer needed - LiveView handles the communication
• Real-time by default - WebSockets built in, not bolted on
• One mental model - All my logic lives in one place
• Batteries included - Auth, emails, background jobs, all in the framework

The Concurrency Model Just Works

Elixir runs on the Erlang VM, built for telecom systems handling millions of connections. When I need to handle 10,000 concurrent users, I don't think about it. It just works.

# Spawn 100,000 lightweight processes? No problem.
1..100_000
|> Enum.each(fn _ ->
  spawn(fn -> :timer.sleep(1000) end)
end)

Trade-offs I Accept

Nothing is perfect:

• Smaller ecosystem than Node.js
• Fewer job postings (but also less competition)
• Learning functional programming takes time

But these trade-offs are worth it. I ship faster. I maintain less. I sleep better.

The Result

I went from dreading frontend work to enjoying full-stack development again. My projects are simpler. My deployments are easier. My weekends are free.

If you're tired of the JavaScript churn, give Elixir a look. You might find the peace I did.