Erlang is a concurrent, functional programming language designed for building scalable, fault-tolerant systems. Developed by Ericsson in the 1980s for telecom applications, Erlang is optimized for creating highly reliable, distributed software capable of handling numerous simultaneous processes with minimal downtime.
Erlang’s unique approach to concurrency, using lightweight processes that communicate via message passing, enables it to manage thousands or even millions of concurrent tasks without significant overhead. The language’s focus on fault tolerance and "let it crash" philosophy means systems are designed to handle failures gracefully and recover quickly.
Widely used in industries like telecommunications, banking, and messaging, Erlang powers systems where high availability and real-time processing are essential. Its ecosystem, including the BEAM virtual machine and frameworks like Cowboy and Phoenix, has made it a solid choice for building distributed applications, microservices, and real-time systems that require massive concurrency and uptime.