Nerves Project
Information
Nerves is the open-source platform and infrastructure for building, deploying, and managing professional-grade embedded systems in Elixir. It combines the power of the Elixir language and the Erlang VM (BEAM) with a minimal, customized Linux system (via Buildroot).
What it is for
Nerves is designed for creating reliable, fault-tolerant firmware for embedded devices. It is commonly used in:
- IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
- Industrial automation.
- Smart home systems.
- Remote monitoring and data collection.
Key Features
- Minimal Linux: Boots in seconds and includes only what’s necessary for the BEAM.
- Reliable Updates: Built-in support for A/B firmware updates.
- Hardware Support: First-class support for Raspberry Pi, BeagleBone, and other popular embedded boards.
- Elixir/Erlang ecosystem: Full access to Mix, Hex, and OTP.
Installation and Setup
Prerequisites
You need Elixir and Erlang installed. You also need specific tools for firmware creation (like fwup and squashfs-tools).
Creating a New Project
mix archive.install hex nerves_bootstrap
mix nerves.new my_nerves_app
cd my_nerves_app
Building Firmware
export MIX_TARGET=rpi3 # Set your target hardware
mix deps.get
mix firmware
Burning to an SD Card
mix firmware.burn