Introduction
Do you know what is that programming language whose syntax is of high level and it is so easy to understand that you can do coding in it as easily as you can do coding in English language. Its syntax is so clean and easy that it is possible to learn it quickly and easily for a new developer.
Companies like Hulu, Twitter, Zendesk, Shopify and Urban Dictionary use this language. And this language is very famous among web application development professionals. And this language is RUBY, the Ruby language. You must have definitely heard the name. Because this is a dynamic open source object oriented language which is a general purpose programming language. It is one of the most popular languages in the world.
Table of Contents
It is a scripted language, which means it is an interpreted language, not a compiled language. It was invented by Yukihiro Matsumoto in the mid-90s. By learning this programming language, you can reach positions like web developers, software engineers, data analysts, and many such coding positions. This language is written in C language and it supports multiple different platforms like Windows, Mac, Linux, and Unix.
Applications of Ruby
This language should not be considered limited only to web application development due to its speed and simplicity. Because it can also be used on the backend for data science and memory management purposes. This language is an amazing choice to build desktop applications, static websites, data processing services, and automation tools. It is used in web servers, DevOps, and web scrapping and crawling.
The features of this language are similar to Smalltalk, Perl, and Python languages. It can be used to write common gateway interfaces or CGI scripts. And this language can easily be connected to DB2 MySQL Oracle.
Let me tell you that there is an interface specification that enables web servers to execute external programs. Especially to process user requests and a CGI script is such a program that runs on the web server. Database2 is a set of relational database products made and offered by IBM. And MySQL and Oracle are two famous relational databases.
Comparison with Python
Did you know that Ruby and Python are included in the most popular programming languages. In this case, there is often a comparison between these two languages and then which language to learn and use best for the project, this confusion remains.
Therefore, it will be better to understand the similarities and differences between these two languages. First, let’s know about the similarities of these two languages.
These are both high-level server-side scripting languages. Both of them can be used in web applications and they also work on multiple platforms. Apart from these, Ruby and Python get support for Emacs modes and they work with embedded doc tools. Not only that, they can also be used in GNU debugger styles. And yes, the syntax of both these languages is clean and it is easy to read them.
Despite so many similarities, there are many differences between the Python and Ruby languages. Like Python is a strictly high-level programming language, while Ruby is more of a general-purpose language. Their frameworks are also different, like Ruby uses the Ruby on Rails framework while Python only uses Django.
Ruby is widely used for websites like Airbnb, Hulu, Kickstarter and GitHub, while Python is the programming language used for Google, YouTube, Spotify and Quora. Python supports multiple IDEs, while Ruby only supports the Eclipse IDE. Python has more libraries than Ruby. And yes, the Python community mainly focuses on Linux and Academia, while the Ruby community focuses on web development.
You will find many more differences between these two languages, but based on these basics you can also remove the confusion between these two languages. It can also select the best choice for you that which language to learn first will be the right choice for you.
Advantages of Ruby
Let’s know about the advantages and disadvantages of Ruby language. The advantage is that the code of the Ruby language is small and powerful because it has fewer lines of code. In this language, web application creation is simple and fast, which also reduces the hard work. Using and modifying this language is free. That means you can make the required changes whenever you want.
In this language, you have to write less code and you can focus on finding the solution to your problem. That’s why developers really like to use this language. Where in many low-level languages you will have to write many lines of code even for the smallest thing. While in Ruby language you can build your first cloud application in just a few hours.
That’s why you can think about learning this language. Because it is easy as well as interesting.
Disadvantages of Ruby
If we talk about the disadvantages of this language, it is a new language and it has its own unique coding language. Which makes coding a little difficult for programmers in the beginning. However, after practice, it becomes easy to use. Debugging the code written in this language is hard.
This language does not have as many informational resources as other programming languages. This language is slow in comparison to many other languages because it is an interpreted scripting language and scripting languages are often slower than compiled languages.
Ruby on Rails Framework
Ruby’s development framework is Rails Web, so we also know a little about it. That is, Ruby on Rails is also an open-source development tool and Ruby developers have made many such applications with Rails, like popular booking site Airbnb and TV streaming service Hulu. Apart from these, GitHub, Goodreads and MyFitnessPal applications are also made through this tool.
Through Ruby and Ruby on Rails, you can make a website and secure it. This is an open-source software to build web applications. Rails is a framework that is used to create websites and Ruby programming language is used in it. Its purpose was to give developers a framework through which high-performing web pages can be quickly developed.
Let me tell you that you also know that software development is a complex process, which includes many tasks such as coding, designing, and testing. In this way, software frameworks help to make the life of developers easy. Because through the framework, it is possible to control the software development process on a single platform.
With their help, it takes less time to develop the application, the codes are more secure, and the testing and debugging of the code becomes very easy. It is best to create online stores. It can be used to create efficient stock marketing platforms. It can also be a perfect choice for social networking sites, and it can also be used to create non-standard complex projects.
Ruby on Rails Architecture
Ruby on Rails is known as a MVC or Model-View-Controller-Pull-Stack-Framework. And in it, the code is separate in three interconnected layers – Model, View and Controller.
- Model – In the model, there is the logic of the application, i.e. all the necessary data and high-level classes.
- View – In the view model, the present data has a UI representation and connects the controller model and the view.
- Controller – User receives input and decides how to handle the input.
It is also important to know that Ruby on Rails is not a scripted language and its use is done as a web application development framework also it is based on Model-View-Controller or MVC architecture. Let me tell you that this Model-View-Controller architecture can separate data structures from user interface design. It offers different views of data sets and enables the fast design and development of complex projects.
Ruby on Rails is also very popular among developers because it has the ability to write HTML code, easy database connectivity, effective app development and it also saves developers from writing the same lines of code again and again.
Difference between Ruby and Ruby on Rails
Many projects and applications use Ruby on Rails to enhance the effectiveness and capabilities of the Ruby language and Ruby programming language can be made more efficient and powerful.
Despite this, there are many differences between these two. For example, Ruby is an open-source object-oriented language, while Ruby on Rails is an open-source web development framework. Ruby language has its own syntax i.e. language, while Ruby on Rails is a framework that is written by a wide community of developers and uses scripts. But they do not have their own syntax or language, that’s when Rails uses Ruby programming language.
A web application is used to improve and enhance the capability of framework programming languages. That’s why Ruby on Rails developers need to have a little knowledge of Ruby programming language. Both are flexible because both are open source. But Rails gets this advancement that developers can include additional languages like HTML, Java, CSS and XML code in their scripts.
In this way, Ruby on Rails is slightly more flexible in syntax and speed than Ruby. And instead of building its desktop applications, it is more of a web development framework. Ruby is built on the principle of user interface composition, while Ruby on Rails is built on the convention over configuration or COC or DRY or Don’t Repeat Yourself.
Don’t Repeat Yourself is a principle of software development that reduces the repetition of codes or information. And convention over configuration is also called coding by convention. This is a software development approach through which quick and simple software creation can be done by maintaining the base software requirements.
Learning Ruby and Ruby on Rails
After knowing all this, if you are confused about whether Ruby on Rails can be learned alone or Ruby language learning is necessary for this, then know that you can learn Ruby on Rails without Ruby if you want.
But if you are a beginner, then you have to keep in mind that it is a framework written in Ruby language. And both of them are deeply connected. So you should take knowledge of both of them, for which you can start with Ruby language. And after that, you can also learn the framework. Because the better understanding of both of them will make you a better coder.
If you are a high-skilled developer and know basic concepts, then you can learn Ruby on Rails and can also cover the concept of Ruby language when needed.
Now, if you want to learn Ruby language, you will get a lot of such resources, with the help of which you can start, like through Code Academy and Udemy and some other best books like:
- Ruby for Beginners, Your Guide to Easily Learn Ruby Programming in 7 Days by iCode Academy
- Head First Ruby by Jay McGavren
- Intro to Ruby Programming Beginner’s Guide Series by John Edler
- The Well-Grounded Rubyist by David A. Black and Joseph Leo III
- Ruby Learn Ruby in 24 Hours or Less A Beginner’s Guide to Learning Ruby by Robert Dwight Pluralsight
- Linda Code Academy
- Learn Ruby the Hard Way
- Go Rails
You can learn Ruby on Rails through Go Rails.
Conclusion
Ruby is a powerful and easy-to-understand programming language used by worldwide biggest companies like Hulu and Twitter. It’s great for web development and offers flexibility.
While learning Ruby, you’ll also come across Ruby on Rails, a web development framework. Both are connected, so it’s good to learn both for better coding skills. Ruby simplifies coding with its small yet powerful syntax, but debugging can be a bit challenging.
Despite its drawbacks, Ruby on Rails is excellent for building websites quickly. You can start learning Ruby through online courses and books. Mastering Ruby can open doors to exciting opportunities and jobs in the path of programming.