[[erlang_beginners]]
== Erlang for beginners

Chances are you are interested in using Cowboy, but have
no idea how to write an Erlang program. Fear not! This
chapter will help you get started.

We recommend two books for beginners. You should read them
both at some point, as they cover Erlang from two entirely
different perspectives.

=== Learn You Some Erlang for Great Good!

The quickest way to get started with Erlang is by reading
a book with the funny name of http://learnyousomeerlang.com[LYSE],
as we affectionately call it.

It will get right into the syntax and quickly answer the questions
a beginner would ask themselves, all the while showing funny
pictures and making insightful jokes.

You can read an early version of the book online for free,
but you really should buy the much more refined paper and
ebook versions.

=== Programming Erlang

After writing some code, you will probably want to understand
the very concepts that make Erlang what it is today. These
are best explained by Joe Armstrong, the godfather of Erlang,
in his book http://pragprog.com/book/jaerlang2/programming-erlang[Programming Erlang].

Instead of going into every single details of the language,
Joe focuses on the central concepts behind Erlang, and shows
you how they can be used to write a variety of different
applications.
