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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsUse an OTP behaviour such as GenServer when a component needs a long-lived process with state, a standard request protocol, system-message handling, or a supervised lifecycle. Use ordinary functions for calculations and domain logic that do not need process identity or retained runtime state. Choose a plain spawned process only when you have a real need for a custom message loop or lifecycle.
These are not different kinds of BEAM execution: a GenServer is an Elixir process. The decision is about the process machinery and lifecycle your component needs—not about where to put code.
When should I use a GenServer?
Choose a GenServer when one process should own runtime state or provide a conventional service interface. Its callbacks let you implement a protocol for synchronous calls and asynchronous casts while the behaviour manages the receive loop. The GenServer documentation also describes support for system messages—including periodic messages and monitoring events—optional naming, tracing and error reporting, and compatibility with supervision trees.
A GenServer is still an ordinary Elixir process; use GenServer gives it a standard set of callbacks and process interactions. That abstraction is useful when those conventions match the component’s job.
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Good fits
- A long-lived in-memory component that owns state and processes updates through a defined protocol.
- A service that needs a stable call/cast interface, a registered name, or standard handling of system messages.
- A child process whose startup, shutdown, monitoring, and restart policy should be managed as part of an OTP supervision tree.
Do I need a GenServer for this?
Start with the simplest option that supplies the runtime behavior you actually need. The options overlap: a GenServer is a process, while functions need not create one at all.
| Need | Starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Calculation, validation, transformation, or domain logic | Ordinary functions and modules | No process identity or retained runtime state is required. A GenServer would add message-based indirection and could funnel unrelated work through one mailbox. |
| One isolated concurrent computation | A task abstraction, or a small plain process when its lifecycle is simple | Concurrency alone does not imply a long-lived stateful server. Make result collection, cancellation, and failure handling explicit. |
| Long-lived state with serialized updates | GenServer or a more specific OTP behaviour | A process owns the state and handles a standard protocol through callbacks. |
| Named service, periodic work, system messages, or supervised lifecycle | GenServer or the OTP behaviour that matches the protocol | OTP provides common process interfaces and integrates children into supervision. |
| Custom receive protocol or unusual lifecycle | Consider a plain process if the custom behavior is a genuine requirement | A custom loop can fit specialized needs, but you take responsibility for its lifecycle and failure handling. |
Keep business logic separate from process mechanics
Even when a GenServer is the right runtime component, keep calculations and domain rules in ordinary functions when that makes them reusable and independently testable. Callbacks should coordinate process state and protocol handling rather than turn every operation into a message round trip.
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When should I use a plain Elixir process?
A plain process is appropriate when you deliberately need a custom receive loop or lifecycle that the standard behaviour does not fit. Elixir processes communicate through messages; links can propagate abnormal exits to linked processes that are not trapping exits. Those mechanics can be useful, but a bare spawn does not by itself provide a considered restart strategy.
Use a custom process only when the custom protocol is worth owning its message handling and failure behavior. If the component needs conventional calls, system-message integration, and supervised startup or recovery, a GenServer or another suitable OTP behaviour usually supplies a clearer structure.
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What does OTP supervision add?
A supervisor is itself a process. It supervises child processes in a hierarchy called a supervision tree, providing structure for fault tolerance and application startup and shutdown. The Supervisor documentation describes the tree as the place to encapsulate these lifecycle concerns. A module using GenServer provides a child specification so it can be started beneath a supervisor.
Supervision defines lifecycle and recovery policy around processes; it does not make a GenServer a different execution primitive. Choose and configure the supervision strategy to match how the application should respond when a child exits.
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Why not put every function behind one GenServer?
The GenServer guide states that a GenServer must never be used for code organization purposes. Its calculator example routes simple addition and subtraction through a single server; the documentation calls this an anti-pattern because it convolutes the logic and puts operations behind one process that can become a bottleneck as calls grow.
“If you don’t need a process, then you don’t need a process.” — Elixir GenServer documentation, “When (not) to use a GenServer”
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This is an architectural warning, not a universal speed ranking. A single mailbox can serialize work that could otherwise be independent, but the cited documentation does not establish that plain processes are always faster. If throughput matters, profile the workload and identify the actual bottleneck.
How should I decide?
- Ask whether runtime process behavior is required. If the work is just a calculation or transformation, use a function.
- Identify state and protocol needs. If a long-lived component owns state and should handle standard calls or casts, use a GenServer or a more specific OTP behaviour.
- Decide how it should start and recover. If the component belongs to the application’s managed lifecycle, define it as a supervised child and choose a recovery policy.
- Use a custom process only for a real custom requirement. Account for its message loop, monitoring, and failure behavior rather than treating
spawnas a substitute for supervision. - Measure performance where it matters. Do not assume that choosing one abstraction guarantees higher throughput.
Which Elixir and OTP versions does this apply to?
The process-versus-behaviour distinction is about design, but compatibility details change by release. As of October 4, 2026, the official Elixir documentation index lists Elixir v1.20.4 as stable and Erlang/OTP 27, 28, and 29 as supported for it. Check the compatibility requirements for your project’s specific Elixir and Erlang/OTP versions before installing or upgrading.
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