GenServer - handle_cast vs handle_info

[derek-zhou]

earlier thread on this topic:

What should I do cast/2 instead of just sending it a plain message?

Usually, you cast from the client side of your GenServer, so it is also inter-process. A good GenSenver encapsulate its operations so from outside the module it feels like a normal function call. So instead of: def doit() do GenServer.cast(__MODULE__, :doit) end ... def handle_cast(:doit, state) do {:noreply, do_something(state)} end I can: def doit() do send(__MODULE__, :doit) end ... def handle_info(:doit, state) do {:noreply, do_something(state)} end Same thing?