5 Little Potions, expanded edition
Learn Elixir and Phoenix LiveView by building playable games
Learn functional programming the practical way: by shipping small, focused Elixir projects that grow from a terminal warm-up into five substantial game builds.
Get the Expanded Edition ($35)
Turn abstract concepts into working software
Functional programming can feel abstract. Immutability, pattern matching, processes, and message passing make sense in theory, but they click faster when you use them to build something you can play. 5 Little Potions turns those ideas into practical Elixir projects with visible feedback at every step.
What's New in the Expanded Edition?
- Updated chapters for modern Elixir, Phoenix, and LiveView workflows.
- Expanded explanations around architecture, state, processes, and testing.
- A new multiplayer Garden Keeper project that brings PubSub and Presence into play.
The 5 Potions You Will Build
After an introductory Guessing Game, the book moves through five fuller projects that layer on Mix, LiveView, process state, and multiplayer Phoenix patterns.
Grid Games
Mix, structs, pattern matching
Model board state and player turns while building classic grid-based games.
Play the demo Flappy Phoenix
LiveView state and events
Build a browser game that responds to player input and updates in real time.
Play the demo
Text Adventure
Graphs and command parsing
Create a larger world with rooms, edges, commands, and deeper state.
Play the demo
Space Merchant
GenServers and process state
Use a server process to run a text-based simulation with turns, markets, and events.
Play the demo
Garden Keeper
PubSub, Presence, multiplayer LiveView
Finish with a shared real-time browser game where connected players affect one world.
Play the demoStart building in Elixir today
100% satisfaction guarantee. If you don't love the book, reply to your Gumroad receipt within 14 days for a full refund.
Start Building in Elixir NowWelcome! →