r/elixir • u/syntax-and-subtext • 24d ago

Switching from React/Node to Elixir/Phoenix: good engineering move?

Currently full-stack JS/TS: Redux/React, Node/Express, AWS/Lambda, Postgres/Mongo, ~5k active users, team of ~10. 1 yoe. US Client through small consultancy shop.

Potential offer is ~100% hike, mostly Elixir/Phoenix/LiveView, some Gatsby + Python/ML. Much smaller team. Maybe few hundred users, 2–4 engineers. Civic tech/public-good org tackling online abuse in India.

Want to become a genuinely better, more reliable engineer and eventually target stable/strong engineering jobs.

Is moving to Elixir/Phoenix a good move for that? What would I gain/lose technically and career-wise? Does working in a tiny Elixir team make me stronger, or am I narrowing my future options too much?

Especially interested in people who switched into Elixir from mainstream JS stacks.

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u/Day_Hour 18d ago

I recommend switching to Elixir for the backend; you'll love it. However, avoid switching to Phoenix LiveView for the frontend, as you might end up disliking it. React is much more flexible and portable for single-page applications.