How to Install Elixir on Fedora Server

Elixir is a dynamic, functional language that runs on the Erlang virtual machine. In this tutorial, we'll go over the steps to install Elixir on Fedora Server.

Prerequisites

  • A running instance of Fedora Server
  • A user with sudo privileges
  • Internet connectivity

Step 1 - Update the System

Before installing Elixir, ensure your Fedora Server is up to date by running the following command:

$ sudo dnf update

This command updates the system with the latest security patches and software updates.

Step 2 - Install Elixir Dependencies

To install Elixir, we'll need to install a few dependencies. Run the following command to install them: 

$ sudo dnf install git gcc glibc-devel make ncurses-devel openssl-devel autoconf

Step 3 - Install Erlang

Elixir runs on the Erlang virtual machine, so we'll need to install it. Run the following command: 

$ sudo dnf install erlang

Step 4 - Download and Build Elixir

We'll use Git to download the latest stable version of Elixir. Run the following command: 

$ git clone https://github.com/elixir-lang/elixir.git

This command clones the Elixir repository to your current working directory.

Navigate to the newly cloned Elixir directory and compile it: 

$ cd elixir
$ make clean test 
$ make

The make command will compile Elixir and generate a bin directory.

Step 5 - Add Elixir to Your PATH

To use Elixir from anywhere on your system, you'll need to add it to your PATH variable. Run the following command to open your .bashrc file: 

$ nano ~/.bashrc

Add the following line to the end of the file: 

export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/your/elixir/bin"

Replace /path/to/your/elixir with the absolute path to your Elixir directory.

Save and close the file by pressing CTRL + X, then Y and ENTER.

To apply the changes, run the following command: 

$ source ~/.bashrc

Step 6 - Verify Installation

To ensure that Elixir is correctly installed, type the following command: 

$ elixir --version

This command displays the version of Elixir installed on your system.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we went over the steps to install Elixir on Fedora Server. You should now have a working installation of Elixir that you can use for your projects.