BEAM File – What is .beam file and how to open it?
BEAM File Extension
Compiled Erlang File – file format by Ericsson
BEAM (BEAM) is a compiled format for Erlang code. BEAM is a virtual machine that executes Erlang bytecode. It is used to compile and run Erlang programs, and it is the official runtime environment for Erlang. BEAM is a stack-based virtual machine that uses a register-based calling convention.
What is a BEAM file?
A BEAM file is a compiled Erlang file. Erlang is a programming language developed by Ericsson that is known for its concurrency and fault tolerance. BEAM files are created by compiling Erlang source code using the Erlang compiler. The BEAM file contains the compiled code, which can then be executed by the Erlang virtual machine (BEAM VM).
BEAM files are portable, meaning that they can be executed on any platform that has the BEAM VM installed. BEAM files are also efficient, as they contain the compiled code, which is faster to execute than the interpreted source code. BEAM files are used to distribute Erlang applications and libraries.
Opening BEAM Files on Windows
To open a BEAM file on a Windows system, you can use the Erlang Virtual Machine (BEAM) emulator. The BEAM emulator is a software program that can execute Erlang bytecode, which is the format used to store compiled Erlang source code. Once you have installed the BEAM emulator, you can open a BEAM file by double-clicking on it or by using the following command:
erl -noshell -s filename.beam
This will start the BEAM emulator and load the specified BEAM file. You can then interact with the Erlang code in the BEAM file using the Erlang REPL (read-eval-print loop).
Opening BEAM Files on macOS
To open a BEAM file on a macOS system, you can use the same method as described above for Windows. However, you can also use the built-in Erlang shell to open a BEAM file. To do this, open the Terminal application and type the following command:
erl -noshell -s filename.beam
This will start the Erlang shell and load the specified BEAM file. You can then interact with the Erlang code in the BEAM file using the Erlang REPL.
Structure of BEAM Files
BEAM (Beam Erlang Abstract Machine) files are compiled Erlang files that contain code instructions, constants, and metadata. They are the primary executable format for Erlang virtual machines (EVMs) and consist of two sections: a header and a code area. The header contains basic information about the BEAM file, such as its version, size, and entry point. The code area contains the actual Erlang code, which is represented as a sequence of bytecode instructions. These instructions are optimized for efficient execution by the EVM.
Execution of BEAM Files
When an Erlang program is compiled, it is translated into one or more BEAM files. These BEAM files are loaded into the EVM when the program is run. The EVM executes the bytecode instructions in the BEAM files, which perform the necessary computations and interactions. The EVM maintains a stack, heap, and other data structures during execution to store intermediate results and references to objects. The execution of BEAM files can be optimized through various techniques, such as just-in-time compilation (JIT) and garbage collection, to improve performance and reduce memory usage.