Erlang

What is Erlang, really?

Erlang was created at Ericsson in 1986 to handle telephone switches that could never crash and never go offline. The same properties make it ideal for chat apps and messaging — which is why WhatsApp's entire backend runs on Erlang. The language is rare and respected.

Why learn it in 2026?

Telecom companies (Ericsson, Nokia) and certain messaging firms hire Erlang developers at premium salaries. Very limited Indian market but rewarding when you find the right opportunity.

What it looks like

% Spawn 1000 lightweight processes
lists:foreach(fun(N) ->
    spawn(fun() ->
        io:format("Process ~p running~n", [N])
    end)
end, lists:seq(1, 1000)).

▶ Try this code live →

What you can build with it

• Telecom systems
• Messaging apps
• Banking systems
• Distributed databases

Major apps using Erlang

These are real platforms with public engineering posts confirming they use Erlang in production:

Featured platforms in our database

Tap any to see the full stack:

How to get started with Erlang in 5 steps

1. Install Erlang Download Erlang from the official site or use a package manager like Homebrew (Mac) or apt (Linux).
2. Set up your editor Install VS Code (free) and add the official Erlang extension for syntax highlighting and autocomplete.
3. Write Hello World Create a file, write your first 'Erlang Hello World' program, and run it from the terminal.
4. Build a small project Pick something tiny — a calculator, a to-do list, a number guessing game. Building beats reading.
5. Join a community Join the official Erlang Discord, subreddit, or Stack Overflow tag. Ask questions when stuck.

Should you learn it first?

Honestly, no — not as your first language. Erlang is powerful and pays well, but the learning curve will discourage you. Learn Python or JavaScript first, then come back to this.

Frequently Asked Questions about Erlang

Sources & References

Salary ranges, popularity data, and tech stack information on this page were verified using:

• Official Erlang documentation — Primary language reference and getting started guides
• Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025 — Salary, popularity, and trend data
• GitHub Octoverse 2025 Report — Most-used languages and growth trends
• Naukri.com & LinkedIn India job listings — India salary verification (Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune)
• OneCity internal hiring data (2020–2026) — 650+ client projects across web, mobile, and AI work

Last verified: April 26, 2026. See an error? Email hello@onecity.co.in and we will fix it.