Languages, and about languages, on the BEAM

Contents

• Languages, and about languages, on the BEAM
  • Overview
  • 54 Languages on the BEAM
  • About Languages
  • About the BEAM
  • Erlang and Types

Overview

This document is intended to list (a) languages implemented to run on the BEAM, the Erlang virtual machine, and (b) documents (articles & presentations) about the hows and whys of writing languages to run on the BEAM.

For the moment, and for want of a better name, I call such languages “BEAM languages” (although I have heard that there are other Erlang VMs, …).

I would like the document to be comprehensive, or at least “representative”. If I have missed a BEAM language, some noteworthy discussion about a BEAM language, or documentation about implementing languages targetting the BEAM, please let me know through the usual channels (issues, forks, PRs, tweets, emails, etc.).

Thank you.

54 Languages on the BEAM

First Erlang itself, then the 6 main Lisp-influenced languages, then the 22 statically-typed languages, then the 25 others. Adding Erlang, that’s 54 languages in all.

In the latest update (December 2025), there are now too many lisps implemented in erlang and (mostly) elixir in github to count. There are also quite a few language projects I missed earlier. Projects which haven’t been updated since 2018 I haven’t always included. Many languages I didn’t include here are in Michał Łępicki’s beam languages list.

erlang itself

• http://www.erlang.org/
• https://github.com/erlang/otp

lisps

clojerl (2015+)

clojerl - Clojure for the Erlang VM

• http://clojerl.org/
• http://try.clojerl.online/
• https://github.com/clojerl/clojerl

lfe (2008+)

• http://lfe.io/
• https://github.com/lfe/lfe

erlscheme (-2025)

” An implementation of the Scheme programming language for the Erlang/OTP VM.”

• https://github.com/mikpe/erlscheme

joxa (2011-2020)

• http://joxa.org/
• https://github.com/joxa/joxa
• https://joxa.readthedocs.org/

Differences Between Joxa and LFE

• Eric Merritt
• 2012/02/21
• http://blog.ericbmerritt.com/2012/02/21/differences-between-joxa-and-lfe.html

Joxa: A Full Featured Lisp on the Erlang VM

• Eric Merritt
• 2012/08/22
• https://vimeo.com/49116180

kapok (2015-2018)

• https://github.com/kapok-lang/kapok

‘the concurrent schemer’ (2013-2014)

• http://the-concurrent-schemer.github.io/scm-doc/
• https://github.com/the-concurrent-schemer/scm

statically-typed languages

ActorForth (2020-5)

“A strongly typed Forth-like language ultimately intended to make it easy to build DSLs with an actor concurrency model. Implemented in Erlang. Should get along with anything running on the BEAM.”

• https://github.com/ActorForth/ActorForth

alpaca (2016+)

• https://github.com/alpaca-lang/alpaca

caramel (2020?+)

An Erlang backend to the OCaml compiler

• https://caramel.run/
• https://github.com/leostera/caramel

cure (2025+)

A strongly-typed, dependently-typed programming language for the BEAM virtual machine with built-in finite state machines, complete import system, and comprehensive standard library.

• https://cure-lang.org/
• https://github.com/am-kantox/cure-lang

cuneiform (2013+)

• https://cuneiform-lang.org
• https://github.com/joergen7/cuneiform
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuneiform_(programming_language)

elchemy (2017+)

An Elm syntax front-end for Elixir (i.e., converts Elm-style input language into Elixir source code).

• https://wende.github.io/elchemy/
• https://github.com/wende/elchemy

elm-beam (2018)

“Exploring Elm on the Erlang VM”

• https://github.com/kofigumbs/elm-beam

See also blog post elm-beam.

eml (2012)

“eml - Erlang flavored by Some ML”

• https://github.com/etnt/eml

erlml (-2018)

“erlml - an ML implementation for the Erlang/OTP VM”

• https://github.com/mikpe/erlml

erty (2023)

Erty is Erlang but with stronger support for types (ERlang with TYpes).

• https://github.com/masp/erty

fez (2017+)

fez - fsharp to core erlang compiler experiment

• https://github.com/kjnilsson/fez

fika (2020)

A statically typed functional programming language for the web

• https://github.com/fika-lang/fika

gleam (2016+)

gleam - “A statically typed language for the Erlang VM”

• https://gleam.run
• https://github.com/gleam-lang/gleam

hamler (2020)

Haskell-style functional programming language running on Erlang VM.

• https://github.com/hamler-lang/hamler
• https://hamler-lang.org/

haskerl et al. (1993-2014)

• https://github.com/etnt/Haskerl

The Haskerl Index

http://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~partain/haskerl.html

Yhc/Erlang/Proof of concept

https://wiki.haskell.org/Yhc/Erlang/Proof_of_concept

idris-erlang (2014-17)

• https://github.com/lenary/idris-erlang

This is an Idris package (therefore requiring Haskell and Idris) which compiles Idris source code into erlang source code.

idris2-erlang (2020+)

An Erlang code generator for Idris 2 (eg compiles Idris 2 programs to Erlang source code or to BEAM).

• https://github.com/christian-public/Idris2-Erlang

lark (-2022)

“… designed to be simple to use, easy to read and provide powerful static guarantees.”

• https://github.com/arnfred/Lark

purerl (2016+)

Erlang backend for PureScript

• https://github.com/purerl/purerl
• https://purerl.fun/

Introducing PureScript Erlang

http://nwolverson.uk/devlog/2016/08/01/introducing-purescript-erlang.html

purescript-backend-erl (-2025)

“PureScript to Erlang optimizing compiler”

• https://github.com/id3as/purescript-backend-erl

rufus (2018+)

“A general-purpose programming language for the BEAM”

• https://github.com/rufus-lang/rufus

There’s website source, but no website. Some docs, eg here:

• https://github.com/rufus-lang/rufus/blob/main/rufus-lang.org/public/doc/spec.md

Looks like it’s implemented in erlang too!

sesterl (2020+)

A “Session-Typed Erlang”, an ML-inspired statically-typed Erlang

• https://github.com/gfngfn/Sesterl
• The Sesterl Book
• Notes on using Sesterl
• Sample game reference based on Elm and Sesterl

shen-erl (-2019)

Erlang port of the Shen programming language.

• https://github.com/sborrazas/shen-erl

terp (-2021)

” A functional programming language with lisp syntax and ML semantics that runs on the BEAM.”

• https://github.com/smpoulsen/terp

etc

bada (2023)

“Simple Programming Language that compiles to BEAM bytecode”

• https://github.com/tsoding/bada

dfs (2018-2024)

“Essentially InfluxData’s TICKscript for Erlang”

• https://github.com/heyoka/dfs

efene (2009+)

• http://efene.org/
• https://github.com/efene/efene

elixir (2011+)

• http://elixir-lang.org/
• https://github.com/elixir-lang/elixir

ephp (2013+)

An erlang interpreter for PHP

• https://github.com/bragful/ephp

Presumably as used by Bragful — “A resilient and scalable PHP”.

er (-2020)

” er ~ emergency room (a BEAM language “improving” on Erlang)”

• https://github.com/er-lang/er

erl2 (2012)

• https://github.com/joearms/erl2

Announcement and ensuing discussion on erlang-questions

http://erlang.org/pipermail/erlang-questions/2012-February/064687.html

“A Few Improvements to Erlang” (EUC 2012)

http://www.erlang-factory.com/conference/ErlangUserConference2012/speakers/joearmstrong

A blog post about the above presentation in Chinese

http://www.cnblogs.com/me-sa/archive/2012/06/06/2538941.html

erlog (2008-2018)

• https://github.com/rvirding/erlog

Backtracking in Erlang, part 1 - control

• Robert Virding
• 2009/03/18
• http://rvirding.blogspot.co.uk/2009/03/backtracking-in-erlang-part-1-control.html

erlyjs (2008-2013)

The original repo (on Google Code) no longer exists, but there are several forks, e.g.:

• https://github.com/KlausTrainer/erlyjs

A couple of blog posts from 2008 (the second is by the original developer of erlyjs):

ErlyJS: JavaScript on Erlang

http://ajaxian.com/archives/erlyjs-javascript-on-erlang

ErlyJS - translating Javascript to Erlang

http://rsaccon.blogspot.co.uk/2008/02/erlyjs-translating-javascript-to-erlang.html

exprolog (-2018)

Exprolog is a logic programming language(DSL) like Prolog built on top of Elixir.

• https://github.com/k1complete/exprolog

ffe: Forth-flavoured Erlang (2014-2016)

• https://github.com/tonyrog/ffe

gdminus (-2024)

“gdminus is an implementation of GDScript for Erlang, allowing Erlang applications to share code with Godot.”

• https://github.com/saltysystems/gdminus

grant_lang (2020)

” A (terrible) BEAM programming language”

• https://github.com/GrantJamesPowell/grant_lang

hoeg (2020)

“a toy concatenative language running on the BEAM”

• https://github.com/vorce/hoeg

interfix (2015)

• https://github.com/marianoguerra/interfix

krarup (2024)

“krarup is an Erlang dialect for composing concurrent data processing flows.”

• https://github.com/mpope9/krarup

luerl (2012+)

• https://github.com/rvirding/luerl

noether (2017-2018)

“… of a C/C++/Java-friendly language to do easier the adoption of the BEAM.”

• https://github.com/altenwald/noether

OTPCL (2017+)

Open Telecom Platform Command Language: “a scripting language designed to integrate with and extend applications written in BEAM-based languages”

• https://otpcl.github.io/
• https://github.com/otpcl/otpcl

plex (-2016)

Plex is a simple programming language based on a notion of objects as extensible records. It supports eager evaluation, first-class functions and dynamic types, but tries to check the integrity of programs statically — that is, at compile time.

• https://github.com/rpip/plex

reia (-2012)

• http://reia-lang.org/
• https://github.com/tarcieri/reia

slick (2021)

“A duck-typed, dynamic oop language with a fully redundant actor-model, running on top of the BEAM architecture.”

• https://github.com/gitter-badger/slick-2

tele (2024-5)

“Alternative syntax for Erlang”

• https://github.com/fancycade/tele
• https://telelang.org

template_compiler (2016-)

This compiler is a complete rewrite of the Erlang Django (ErlyDTL) template language fork used in Zotonic. In contrast with ErlyDTL the template_compiler generates small Erlang modules which are shared between different templates and sites.

• https://github.com/zotonic/template_compiler
• https://test.zotonic.com/page/1352/templates

xerl (2013)

• https://github.com/extend/xerl

Five web articles in 2013 starting with:

Xerl: empty modules (2013/01/30)

http://ninenines.eu/articles/xerl-0.1-empty-modules/

About Languages

Other BEAM Langagues lists

• Michał Łępicki’s beam languages (current)

Implementing languages on the BEAM (4)

(video)

• Robert Virding & Mariano Guerra
• 2018/05/17 (Erlang Solutions Webinar)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MTiqI9v-ck

Implementing languages on the BEAM (3)

(video)

• Robert Virding & Mariano Guerra
• 2018/03/06 (CodeBEAM SF)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkAbwmn5Rv8

Efene and the BEAM Community

(slides & video)

• Mariano Guerra
• 2017/06/06 (EUC)
• http://www.erlang-factory.com/euc2017/mariano-guerra

How BEAMs are made

Slides with link to github repo

• Mariano Guerra
• 2016/10 (BEAM BA Meetup)
• http://marianoguerra.org/talks/beamba-buenos-aires-meetup/#/how-beams-are-made

Eric Merritt, Erlang and distributed systems expert, gives his views on BEAM languages, Hindley–Milner type systems and new technologies

(article/interview, with links to podcast & video)

• Federico Carrone
• 2015/08/11
• https://medium.com/this-is-not-a-monad-tutorial/eric-merritt-erlang-and-distributed-systems-expert-gives-his-views-on-beam-languages-hindley-a09b15f53a2f

Create Your Own Language: How to implement a language on top of Erlang Virtual Machine (BEAM)

(slides)

• Hamidreza Soleimani
• 2015/08/06
• https://www.slideshare.net/hamidreza-s/create-your-own-language

Implementing Languages on the BEAM (2)

(slides & video)

• Robert Virding
• 2014/11/04 (Codemesh 2014)
• http://www.codemesh.io/codemesh2014/robert-virding

Implementing Languages on the BEAM (1)

(video)

• Robert Virding
• 2014/10/29 (London Erlang UG)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm0mbQbc9Kc

Erlang, LFE, Joxa and Elixir: Established and Emerging Languages in the Erlang Ecosystem

(slides)

• Brian Troutwine
• 2014/07/23
• http://www.slideshare.net/BrianTroutwine1/erlang-lfe-elixir-and-joxa-oscon-2014

About the BEAM

The BEAM Book

A description of the Erlang Runtime System ERTS and the virtual Machine BEAM https://github.com/happi/theBeamBook

The BEAM Toolbox

A list of tools and libraries that are useful for BEAM languages like efene, erlang, LFE and Elixir projects. http://efene.org/toolbox.html

Erlang and Types

These first two papers are linked from Philip Wadler’s erlang page: http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/wadler/topics/erlang.html

A practical subtyping system for Erlang (1997)

(paper)

• Simon Marlow & Philip Wadler
• 1997
• http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/wadler/papers/erlang/erlang.pdf

The great type hope (2002)

(slides)

• Philip Wadler
• 2002
• http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/wadler/papers/erlang/erlang-slides.pdf

Pure Type System for Erlang (2014+)

• Namdak Tonpa
• 2013
• Paper: http://aip.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1063/1.5045439
• Code: https://github.com/groupoid/pure

Gradualizer: A Gradual Type System for Erlang (2018+)

A gradual typing system and static code analysis tool for Erlang.

• https://github.com/josefs/Gradualizer

The type system is based on “Gradual Typing for Functional Languages” (Siek & Taha, 2006) (see doc/GTLC.hs):

• http://scheme2006.cs.uchicago.edu/13-siek.pdf.

ErlT - experimental erlang dialect (2021)

Facebook’s abandoned project to add first-class support for static typing to erlang. Github repo archived and read-only.

• https://github.com/WhatsApp/erlt

Bidirectional typing for Erlang (2021)

Erlang Type Checker Prototype Based on Bidirectional Typechecking.

• Nithin Vadukkumchery Rajendrakumar, Annette Bieniusa
• Paper: https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3471871.3472966
• Video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=MAerjPQUKQQ
• Code: https://github.com/vrnithinkumar/ETC