--- name: "iex" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "elixir" version: "1.20.4-1" release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/iex" --- # iex(1) The Elixir shell ## NAME **iex** – The Elixir shell ## SYNOPSIS **iex** \[*OPTIONS*\] ## DESCRIPTION The interactive shell is used for evaluation, debugging and introspection of the Elixir runtime system. It is also possible to use the program for testing the work of small pieces of code escaping the stage of saving the code in a file. ## OPTIONS Note that many of the options mentioned here were borrowed from the Erlang shell, therefore [erl(1)](/erl/1.md) can be used as an additional source of information on the options. - **-h**, **--help** Displays the help message to the standard error (stderr) and exits. - **-v**, **--version** Displays the Elixir version to the standard output (stdout) and exits. - **-e**, **--eval** *expression* Evaluates the specified expression (see the **--rpc-eval** option). - **-r** *file* Requires the specified file. In other words, the file is checked for existence at the start of **iex**. - **-S** *script* Runs the specified script. - **-pa** *directory* Adds the specified directory to the beginning of the code path. If the directory already exists, it will be removed from its old position and put to the beginning. See also the function **Code.prepend\_path/1**. - **-pr** *file* Does the same thing as **-r** (see above) but in parallel. - **-pz** *directory* Adds the specified directory to the end of the code path. If the directory already exists, it will be neither removed from its old position nor put to the end. See also the function **Code.append\_path/1**. - **--app** *application* Starts the specified application and all its dependencies. - **--boot** *file* Specifies the name of the boot file, *file*.boot, which is used to start the system. Unless File contains an absolute path, the system searches for *file*.boot in the current and $ROOT/bin directories. Defaults to $ROOT/bin/start.boot. The option is equivalent to Erlang's **-boot**. - **--boot-var** *var* *dir* If the boot script contains a path variable *var* other than $ROOT, this variable is expanded to *dir*. Used when applications are installed in another directory than $ROOT/lib. The option is equivalent to Erlang's **-boot\_var**. See also the function **:systools.make\_script/1,2** in SASL. - **--erl** *parameters* Serves the same purpose as ELIXIR\_ERL\_OPTIONS (see the **ENVIRONMENT** section) - **--erl-config** *file* Specifies the name of a configuration file, *file*.config, which is used to configure applications. Note that the configuration file must be written in Erlang. The option is equivalent to Erlang's **-config**. - **--cookie** *value* Specifies the magic cookie value. If the value isn't specified via the option when the node starts, it will be taken from the file *~/.erlang.cookie* (see the **FILES** section). Distributed nodes can interact with each other only when their magic cookies are equal. See also the function **Node.set\_cookie/2**. - **--hidden** Starts a hidden node. Connections between nodes are transitive. For example, if node A is connected to node B, and node B is connected to node C, then node A is connected to node C. The option **--hidden** allows creating a node which can be connected to another node, escaping redundant connections. The function **Node.list/0** allows getting the list of nodes connected to the target node; however, the list won't include hidden nodes. Depending on the input parameter, the function **Node.list/1** allows getting the list which contains only hidden nodes (the parameter *:hidden*) or both hidden and not hidden nodes (the parameter *:connected*). - **--logger-otp-reports** *val* Enables or disables OTP reporting (*val* can be either true or false). - **--logger-sasl-reports** *val* Enables or disables SASL reporting (*val* can be either true or false). - **--sname** *name* Gives a node a short name and starts it. Short names take the form of*name* @host, where host is the name of the target host ([hostname(1)](/hostname/1.md)) which runs the node. The nodes with short names can interact with each other only in the same local network. - **--name** *name* Gives a node a long name and starts it. Long names take the form of*name* @host, where host is the IP address of the host which runs the node. In contrast to the nodes with short names, the nodes with long names aren't limited by boundaries of a local network (see above). - **--pipe-to** *pipedir* *logdir* Starts the Erlang VM as a named *pipedir* and *logdir* (only for Unix-like operating systems). - **--rpc-eval** *node* *expression* Evaluates the specified expression on the specified node (see the **--eval** option). - **--vm-args** *file* Reads the command-line arguments from *file* and passes them to the Erlang VM. The option is equivalent to Erlang's **-args\_file**. - **--dot-iex** *file* Loads the specified file instead of *.iex.exs* (see the **FILES** section). - **--remsh** *node* Connects to the specified node which was started with the **--sname** or **--name** options (see above). - **--** Separates the options passed to the compiler from the options passed to the executed code. ## NOTES The following options can be given more than once: **--boot-var**, **--erl-config**, **--eval**, **--rpc-eval**. ## ENVIRONMENT - ELIXIR\_ERL\_OPTIONS Allows passing parameters to the Erlang runtime. ## FILES - *~/.erlang.cookie* Stores the magic cookie value which is used only when it wasn't specified via the option **--cookie** (see above). If the file doesn't exist when a node starts, it will be created. - *.iex.exs* After **iex** starts, it seeks the file *.iex.exs* and, in a case of success, executes the code from the file in the context of the shell. At first the search starts in the current working directory; then, if necessary, it continues in the home directory. ## SEE ALSO [elixir(1)](/elixir/1.md), [elixirc(1)](/elixirc/1.md), [mix(1)](/mix/1.md) ## AUTHOR - Elixir is maintained by The Elixir Team. - This manual page was contributed by Evgeny Golyshev. - Copyright (c) 2012 Plataformatec. - Copyright (c) 2021 The Elixir Team. ## INTERNET RESOURCES - Main website: https://elixir-lang.org - Documentation: https://elixir-lang.org/docs.html