Let’s start with the two best Elixir books for beginners: Programming Elixir and Elixir in Action.

Both have three sections: introduction/syntax, OTP, and stuff you can skip for now.

There are some differences. Programming Elixir is more accessible and beginner friendly, while Elixir in Action is a bit more detailed, which is a minus for it in the syntax section and a plus in the OTP section.

If you can access both, I’d advise reading them together until the third section. If not, choose Elixir in Action – it will take you to production-level Elixir faster.

Joy of Elixir

Both of the books above assume that you are switching to Elixir from another programming language. If Elixir is your first language ever, Joy of Elixir is well-suited for complete programming beginners.

Online resources

Elixir’s documentation

Elixir’s homepage has what amounts to a book on Elixir. It can serve as a quick intro to the syntax or even substitute for a “real book” if you’re a person that can’t wait to get a project up and running. Elixir’s documentation is renowned for its greatness, so don’t be afraid to use it.

Elixir School

Elixir School is a fantastic resource that includes syntax, OTP, and some stuff on Ecto (Elixir’s database tool) and other libraries. It is somewhat similar to the introduction on the Elixir website but more in-depth.

If you want to use an online resource instead of a book, or perhaps you feel more comfortable reading about Elixir in your native language (Elixir School has translations in 24 different languages!), this might be your choice.

Learn With Me: Elixir

Learn With Me: Elixir is a great resource to pair with Joy of Elixir for further beginner programmer studies. It’s like having a personal learning buddy!

Furthermore, if you like your intros with a bit more prose, this series is for you. It covers a lot of concepts and can help in case you have a question that the documentation or StackOverflow didn’t (or couldn’t) answer.

Since it’s a blog, it’s always in progress, but the basics have been covered.

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