Málaga hosted the ElixirConf EU 2026. Here's what changed.

1. Type Inference Arrives (No Annotations Required)

Elixir 1.20 introduces whole-program type inference. The compiler now understands function signatures, guard conditions, and map key domains without explicit type annotations.

What this means: A function performing arithmetic on map values now infers that the input must be a map containing numeric keys. Pattern matching across clauses carries type knowledge forward. Handle nil in one branch? Subsequent branches know the value cannot be nil .

The system also tracks map mutations through the Map module, emitting compile-time warnings when operations reference keys proven to be absent.

For teams: Fewer runtime errors. Earlier logic flaw detection. Testing effort shifts from defensive type checking to business logic validation.

Requires Erlang/OTP 27 or later.

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