This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Tulio Calil
Most IoT projects today lean heavily on Python, C, or Node.js, and that’s fine. But during my recent academic paper selection process, I came across “The Benefits of Tierless Elixir/Potato for Engineering IoT Systems”, and it completely shifted how I think about building IoT architectures.
The paper raised a question that stuck with me:
why do we keep separating the logic, runtime and UI layers in IoT systems if functional, tierless architectures can unify everything?
That curiosity, combined with the influence of a professor(Adolfo Neto) who strongly advocates for functional programming and the BEAM, pushed me to test this idea in practice.
So I built a complete IoT prototype using Elixir, Circuits, Raspberry Pi, and Phoenix LiveView. And honestly? It felt like IoT the way it should be: supervised, fault-tolerant, reactive, and consistent from the edge to the dashboard.
The Prototype: What I Actually Built
My goal was simple:
Build an IoT system end-to-end using only Elixir, from the hardware to the backend.
That resulted in a two-part monorepo:
- A Raspberry Pi running Elixir (no Nerves this time, just Elixir Circuits)
- A Phoenix LiveView dashboard receiving sensor data in real time
The device communicates via Phoenix Channels/WebSockets, sending temperature, light level, and button events, while receiving commands to control a buzzer.
Architecture Overview
If a sensor process fails: only that process restarts.
If the network blips: the BEAM keeps the system stable.
If the dashboard disconnects: LiveView reconnects automatically.
This is where the “future feeling” starts to show.
Circuit Setup (Everything on the Pi4)
Hardware used:
- DS18B20 (1-Wire temperature sensor)
- LDR + Capacitor (for RC timing)
- Button (pull-up GPIO)
- Active buzzer + transistor
The LDR timing loop runs in a separate process so it doesn’t block WebSocket communication, a natural fit for the actor model.
Why Elixir Feels Like the Future of IoT
After building this, a few conclusions became obvious:
- The BEAM VM solves problems IoT devs fight daily
- Concurrency is natural, not bolted-on
- Fault tolerance is built-in
- Real-time dashboards require zero JS
- A single language from hardware to UI reduces mental load
- Tierless architectures aren’t just academic, they’re practical
This cohesiveness made the whole experience feel weirdly futuristic.
Not flashy.
Not hyped.
Just… right.
What’s Next?
- Implementing a Nerves firmware version
- Adding more sensors
- Testing distributed BEAM cluster of Pis
- Applying Potato tierless concepts end-to-end
- Publishing a deeper academic report
Elixir isn't mainstream in IoT, but maybe it should be.
This small prototype convinced me that a unified, functional, message-driven approach has the potential to dramatically simplify embedded systems.
If you're curious about IoT, the BEAM, or tierless architectures, give Elixir a try.
It might surprise you the same way it surprised me.
Try It Yourself
tuliocll
/
elixir-iot-sample
A complete IoT example using Elixir, Phoenix LiveView, and Raspberry Pi.
Elixir IoT Example 🚀
Elixir IoT Example is a monorepo demonstrating how to connect a Raspberry Pi to a real-time Phoenix LiveView dashboard using Phoenix Channels, WebSockets, and Elixir Circuits.
It includes:
- 🌡️ Real-time temperature readings (DS18B20)
- 💡 Light level measurement using RC timing (LDR)
- 🔘 Physical button input
- 🔔 Remote buzzer control through WS commands
- 📊 Web dashboard with auto-updating LiveView
This project serves as a practical, didactic example of building IoT systems entirely in Elixir.
Requirements
- Elixir 1.17+
- Erlang/OTP 26+
- Node.js 16+ (for assets)
- Raspberry Pi 4 / 3 (tested with Pi4)
- Erlang + Elixir installed in the Rasp
- Enable 1-Wire in Rasp (See doc/1-wire.md)
🏗️ Architecture and Circuit
Running server
cd server
mix deps.get
mix phx.server
Open:
http://localhost:4000/dashboard
📡 Raspberry Pi (Elixir Circuits)
Running
# Clone the repo on the rasp and:
cd rasp
mix deps.get
iex -S mix
The device will:
- …
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Tulio Calil
Tulio Calil | Sciencx (2025-12-02T23:19:37+00:00) Elixir for IoT: Why It Feels Like the Future. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/12/02/elixir-for-iot-why-it-feels-like-the-future/
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