Ruby vs. Ruby on Rail: Make the right choice for your next project!

You would surely have heard of Ruby and Ruby on Rails if you were a software developer or a business owner researching software development tools. Most of us believe these terms can be used interchangeably and are confused by people. To ease the process for you, we have curated a quick guide for you to understand the difference between the both better;

In simpler terms, Ruby is a general-purpose language, whereas Ruby on Rails applies basically to building data-driven web applications. Many well-known organizations such as Airbnb, GitHub, SlideShare, Dribble, and Shopify have used Ruby on Rails in their applications. 

In this article, we will discuss in-depth what tools are necessary and the key differences between Ruby and Ruby on Rails. By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of the advantages, disadvantages, and use cases of Ruby vs. Ruby on Rails. 

Definitions

What is Ruby?

Yukihiro Matsumoto developed the open-source Ruby programming language in 1995. It is an object-oriented scripting language that is noted for its speed in the development of internet applications.

Technically, Ruby was created in the C programming language and is compatible with various operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Unix. Professionals who build web applications frequently use Ruby because of its speed and simplicity. 

Because it uses dynamic typing, which is more like spoken English than other coding languages, Ruby is typically seen as more straightforward to comprehend than specific other programming languages.

What is Ruby on Rails?

Ruby on Rails is not a scripting language but an open-source development tool. Model View Controller (MVC) is the Rails framework’s foundation, mainly used to construct online applications.

To provide alternative perspectives of data sets, model view controller architecture may isolate data structures from user interface (UI) design. This allows for quick deployment of complicated projects and continuing maintenance and support.

Ruby on Rails has different modules that provide a flexible architecture.

But why do both Ruby and Ruby on Rails of these have such similar names? Because Ruby on Rails is programmed in Ruby and was released to the public in 2005.  

The primary usage of Ruby on Rails is in building web applications and developing interface scripts. 

Rails promote the use of convention over configuration (COC), which allows developers to write a code line once, eliminating the need for developers to write the same lines of code again. This makes the web-building process easier.

Ruby and Ruby on Rails may coexist; many apps and projects use Ruby on Rails to increase Ruby’s functionality and efficacy, making the programming language more effective and potent.

Let’s move forward and have a quick look at the differences between Ruby and Ruby on Rails;

Differences Between Ruby and Ruby on Rails

The contrasts between these two software tools may be divided into five distinct “categories”: project usage, development speed & script maintenance, flexibility, and programming language vs. web development framework.

When beginning your next project, each of these must be taken into account; thus, it is crucial to understand how they differ from one another and the benefits and drawbacks of each.

1. Differentiating a foundation vs. an Add-on

While Ruby on Rails is an open-source web development framework, Ruby is an open-source, object-oriented, general-purpose programming language.

Ruby has its own “syntax” or grammar and specific guidelines for usage and application. 

However, Ruby on Rails is a framework for creating web applications rather than a programming language. Open-source frameworks employ code created by a large developer community but often lack a specific syntax or language. Rails, for example, uses the Ruby programming language.

A web application framework is intended to expand and enhance the capabilities of programming languages; therefore, to effectively utilize Ruby on Rails for creating web applications, a Dedicated Ruby on Rails developer must have some familiarity with the Ruby programming language.

2. A fundamental tenet

The foundation of Ruby is the idea of user interface design. Matsumoto asserted that the language was made to reduce effort and boost efficiency for developers.

However, the DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) and COC principles were used in developing Ruby on Rails (Convention over Configuration). 

DRY signifies that RoR can retrieve this data from the database using the class name. COC represents that developers may state an application’s uncommon features. 

3. Types of projects

Ruby and Ruby on Rails are often utilized for various applications, as you may anticipate, given their distinct features.

There are still some projects where it would be advantageous to use Ruby on Rails on top of Ruby, such as web app development projects, where Rails can help simplify code and accelerate the overall development process, even though you can’t use Ruby on Rails without having a working knowledge of Ruby.

It’s vital to remember that while Ruby may be used to create web apps, Rails is recommended since it streamlines and expedites the process.

Due to Ruby on Rails’ quickness, it is a feasible alternative for creating web application prototypes and minimum viable products (MVP).

4. Deploying time and script maintenance capabilities

Ruby is easier and more potent than other object-oriented scripting programming languages since it was purposely made to be easy for its users.

This increases the language’s script maintenance capabilities and development speed as well. The distinction is that while Ruby-based software development is speedy, Ruby on Rails development is considerably quicker.

As we indicated before, the ‘convention over configuration’ tenet served as the foundation for Ruby on Rails. The development process may be significantly sped up by using default conventions rather than customized configuration files, freeing up your developers’ time to work on the areas of the program that would truly benefit from more custom configurable features.

5. Syntax

The “DRY” philosophy, which stands for “Don’t Repeat Yourself,” is another tenet of Ruby on Rails.

Ruby on Rails syntax further improves the maintenance capabilities of Ruby on Rails by making the process even simpler by removing the need for coders to write repetitive lines of code, saving time and creating a less cluttered script. Ruby has a simple syntax, making it easy to write and maintain.

Ruby on Rails is comparable to Phoenix in Elixir, although Ruby employs a syntax that is akin to other languages like Perl and Python. Syntactic flexibility, garbage collection, reliable typing, inheritance, overloading, exception handling, lexical closures, built-in support, iterators, variable scope, centralized management system, and custom dispatch behavior are just a few of the syntax characteristics Ruby contains.

6. Flexibility

Both programs have flexibility as a key component because they are both open source. By enabling programmers to use additional languages like HTML, Java, CSS, and XML code in their scripts, Rails significantly improves upon Ruby.

Ruby on Rails may be more flexible than Ruby alone since these capabilities are only available to developers who use Ruby with others.

The adaptable architecture of Ruby on Rails enables developers to quickly and dynamically create web apps that accurately convey the original design intent.

Ruby Vs. Ruby on Rails: A Quick Recap

We can see that Ruby and Ruby on Rails have the same heritage. Ruby is necessary for Rails to exist. However, since Ruby on Rails was initially created in 2005 and incorporated improvements to several Ruby capabilities and functions, it has grown in popularity.

Ruby on Rails’ potential is demonstrated by the number of profitable businesses that use it for their app development and user interface design.

Although Ruby on Rails’ syntax is more flexible than Ruby’s and develops and maintains scripts more quickly, we’ve also learned that it is more frequently utilized as a web development framework than for creating desktop apps.

You now understand the primary variations between Ruby and Ruby on Rails and can make an informed decision next time!