[gamache]

Elixir's `mix release` is intended to replace (or remove the need for) third-party packages like Distillery. However, it's not there yet, and Distillery is strictly more powerful at the moment.

Notably, Elixir's release implementation does not support hot code upgrades. I use upgrades all the time, and won't be trying out Elixir's releases until this shortcoming is addressed.

[KZeillmann]

What's the benefit of a hot code upgrade vs a blue/green deploy?

[di4na]

speed. A hot code upgrade can deploy a whole cluster in a few seconds. Plus it can keep states safe without rebalancing.