Exploring Elixir's Handling of External Processes and Communication

The content discusses the journey of creating a library in Elixir to manage file transfers using 'rsync'. It begins with the challenges of interfacing with external processes, describing how to safely handle file paths, and the limitations of using direct shell commands. The article highlights the use of the 'Port' API in Elixir to run 'rsync' asynchronously and capture its output. However, it also uncovers problems with managing the lifecycle of these processes, such as the risk of leaving processes running when the controlling Elixir process exits. The author explores solutions like the use of a C shim to terminate 'rsync' properly and discusses broader implications for process management in the Erlang/OTP ecosystem.