Install Elixir on Ubuntu

Update apt

Start by refreshing the package index so APT sees the latest builds. This step keeps the next install clean and predictable.

sudo apt update

apt install elixir

Install Elixir with one APT command. The package pulls in Erlang/OTP as well, so you get both runtimes at once.

The exact version depends on your Ubuntu release. Any recent build is fine for this course.

sudo apt install elixir

elixir --version

Ask Elixir for its version. The answer lists both the Erlang/OTP runtime and the Elixir language version.

elixir --version

Erlang/OTP 27 [erts-15.2] [64-bit]

Elixir 1.18.2 (compiled with Erlang/OTP 27)

If the command is not found, close the terminal, open a new one, and try again.

Newer versions note

The Ubuntu repositories can lag behind the newest Elixir release. That is normal and fine for learning the basics.

If you later need a newer build, version managers such as asdf/vfox can install newer Elixir and Erlang/OTP side by side as plain local tools.

Next: Install Elixir on Rocky Linux

Article author: Arthur Isaev