changelog.com
The open-source CMS behind changelog.com, built with Elixir and Phoenix as a real-world example application.
What is changelog.com?
Changelog.com is the open-source content management system that powers the Changelog podcast network website. It's built with Elixir and the Phoenix web framework as a production-ready example application for developers to study. The project solves the need for real-world, in-production Phoenix codebases that developers can reference for inspiration and learning.
Elixir and Phoenix developers looking for a real-world, production example to study, or anyone interested in seeing how a modern web application is built with these technologies.
Developers choose this project because it provides a rare, fully-functional Phoenix application that's actually running in production, offering practical insights beyond tutorials. Its open-source nature and active community make it a valuable learning resource.
Overview
Changelog makes world-class developer pods. This is our open source platform.
Use Cases
Best For
- Studying real-world Phoenix application architecture
- Learning how to structure an Elixir web application
- Understanding production deployments of Phoenix apps
- Exploring community-driven open-source development
- Referencing code patterns for podcast or content websites
- Analyzing performance optimizations in Elixir applications
Not Ideal For
- Podcast networks needing a customizable CMS for multiple shows without deep code modifications
- Teams wanting a plug-and-play content management system for blogs or general websites
- Developers without Elixir/Phoenix expertise looking for a quick-deploy solution
- Projects requiring extensive, out-of-the-box documentation for customization and scaling
Pros & Cons
Pros
It's a fully functional, in-production Phoenix application that developers can study to see how Elixir, Phoenix, and PostgreSQL are wired together, providing concrete code patterns beyond tutorials.
Known for being ridiculously fast in real-world usage, as evidenced by community praise and Twitter references, demonstrating Elixir's concurrency and efficiency benefits.
Built with contributions from over 30 open-source developers, fostering a collaborative environment with ongoing improvements and bug fixes, as shown in the contributors list.
Serves as a practical reference for production deployments, including infrastructure and build tools, helping developers understand real-world best practices in Phoenix apps.
Cons
The README explicitly advises against using it as a platform due to its specific design for Changelog's needs, with hardcoded podcast logic and custom data structures that limit adaptability.
Adapting it for other use cases requires significant Elixir and Phoenix expertise, as it's not modular or configurable out-of-the-box, making it time-consuming for non-experts.
As a learning example rather than a product, it lacks comprehensive documentation for extending or modifying the codebase, leaving developers to reverse-engineer the implementation.
Frequently Asked Questions
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