Erlang runs atop its own VM that includes scheduler, routing services, etc.
There are (at least) a couple of different ways to identify the recipient of a message: process ID (unique identifier for another actor) or Erlang's name service.
The VM does indeed know whether the recipient is local; the sender typically neither knows nor cares, although the information is available if useful.
There are (at least) a couple of different ways to identify the recipient of a message: process ID (unique identifier for another actor) or Erlang's name service.
The VM does indeed know whether the recipient is local; the sender typically neither knows nor cares, although the information is available if useful.