BEAM is the
virtual machine
In computing, a virtual machine (VM) is the virtualization or emulator, emulation of a computer system. Virtual machines are based on computer architectures and provide the functionality of a physical computer. Their implementations may involve ...
at the core of the
Erlang Open Telecom Platform
OTP is a collection of useful middleware, libraries, and tools written in the Erlang programming language. It is an integral part of the open-source distribution of Erlang. The name OTP was originally an acronym for Open Telecom Platform, which ...
(OTP).
BEAM is part of the Erlang
Run-Time System
In computer programming, a runtime system or runtime environment is a sub-system that exists in the computer where a program is created, as well as in the computers where the program is intended to be run. The name comes from the compile time a ...
(ERTS), which compiles Erlang
source code
In computing, source code, or simply code or source, is a plain text computer program written in a programming language. A programmer writes the human readable source code to control the behavior of a computer.
Since a computer, at base, only ...
into
bytecode
Bytecode (also called portable code or p-code) is a form of instruction set designed for efficient execution by a software interpreter. Unlike human-readable source code, bytecodes are compact numeric codes, constants, and references (normal ...
, which is then executed on the BEAM.
BEAM bytecode files have the
.beam file extension.
Originally BEAM was short for ''Bogdan's Erlang Abstract Machine'', named after Bogumil "Bogdan" Hausman, who wrote the original version, but the name may also be referred to as ''Björn's Erlang Abstract Machine'', after Björn Gustavsson, who wrote and maintains the current version.
Both developers worked on the system while at
Ericsson
(), commonly known as Ericsson (), is a Swedish multinational networking and telecommunications company headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Ericsson has been a major contributor to the development of the telecommunications industry and is one ...
.
The predecessor of the BEAM was JAM (Joe's Abstract Machine), which was the first virtual machine for the Erlang language and was written by
Joe Armstrong and Mike Williams in the
C language
C (''pronounced'' '' – like the letter c'') is a general-purpose programming language. It was created in the 1970s by Dennis Ritchie and remains very widely used and influential. By design, C's features cleanly reflect the capabilities o ...
.
BEAM languages
Although BEAM was created for Erlang, several other languages have been either created for it or ported to run on it. The most popular of these is
Elixir
An elixir is a sweet liquid used for medical purposes, to be taken orally and intended to cure one's illness. When used as a dosage form, pharmaceutical preparation, an elixir contains at least one active ingredient designed to be taken orall ...
, which had more responses than Erlang itself in a 2023
Stack Overflow
In software, a stack overflow occurs if the call stack pointer exceeds the stack bound. The call stack may consist of a limited amount of address space, often determined at the start of the program. The size of the call stack depends on many fa ...
developer survey. Other notable examples include:
*
Clojerl, a port of
Clojure
Clojure (, like ''closure'') is a dynamic programming language, dynamic and functional programming, functional dialect (computing), dialect of the programming language Lisp (programming language), Lisp on the Java (software platform), Java platfo ...
to BEAM
*
Cuneiform
Cuneiform is a Logogram, logo-Syllabary, syllabic writing system that was used to write several languages of the Ancient Near East. The script was in active use from the early Bronze Age until the beginning of the Common Era. Cuneiform script ...
, a language for large-scale scientific data analysis
*
Gleam, a statically typed functional language for BEAM
*
LFE, Lisp Flavored Erlang, a lisp frontend for the Erlang compiler
*
Luerl,
on the BEAM, designed and implemented by one of the creators of Erlang
See also
*
Comparison of application virtual machines
Application virtualization software refers to both application virtual machines and software responsible for implementing them. Application virtual machines are typically used to allow application bytecode to run portably on many different comput ...
*
Register machine
In mathematical logic and theoretical computer science, a register machine is a generic class of abstract machines, analogous to a Turing machine and thus Turing complete. Unlike a Turing machine that uses a tape and head, a register machine u ...
References
External links
Erlang websiteA History of ErlangThe BEAM Bookby Erik Stenman
Languages, and about languages, on the BEAM
{{Authority control
Erlang (programming language)
Programming language implementation
Register-based virtual machines