Phoenix Channels
Scalable real-time for Elixir
Phoenix Channels enable soft real-time communication with millions of connected clients using WebSockets. Built into the Phoenix framework for Elixir, they provide bidirectional communication with topic-based pub/sub, presence tracking, and multi-node clustering support.
22K
GitHub Stars
medium
Learning Curve
4.0
DX Score
Pricing
Model
free
Free Tier
Completely free and open source (MIT)
Features
- ✓ WebSocket-based communication
- ✓ Topic-based pub/sub
- ✓ Presence tracking
- ✓ Multi-node clustering via PubSub
- ✓ Channel authentication
- ✓ JavaScript client library
- ✓ Long polling fallback
- ✓ Bidirectional messaging
- ✓ Phoenix LiveView integration
- ✓ Millions of concurrent connections
Pros
- + Handles millions of connections per server
- + Built on Erlang/OTP for reliability
- + Excellent multi-node support
- + Integrated with Phoenix ecosystem
- + Powers Phoenix LiveView
Cons
- - Requires Elixir/Phoenix knowledge
- - Elixir ecosystem smaller than others
- - Learning curve for OTP concepts
- - Self-hosted only
Best For
indie hacker startup
Alternatives
elixir phoenix realtime websockets pubsub