Why choose Ruby for your project?

Getting started

Ruby-on-Rails (RoR) or Rails is a framework that caused a shockwave that invaded the web development world when it was introduced. Ruby on Rails (RoR) is a combination of the Ruby programming language and object-oriented structure and, thus, makes it much easier to build very extensive web applications. One can say that it has become synonymous with efficiency and speed, and it has spread all these practices all over the globe in the field of web development.

Ruby on Rails is greatly dependent on principles like Convention over Configuration and "Don't Repeat Yourself," which reduces the number of repetitive coding tasks a developer has to perform and allows them to focus more on the application's features.

As a full-stack framework, it provides developers with the tools necessary to build both the frontend and backend of web apps. It also has a solid and supportive community that contributes to its libraries, or "gems," which extend applications' functionality.

What is Ruby on Rails?

Rails, built using Ruby — a language known for its clear and simple syntax that resembles human thought — was developed by David Heinemeier Hansson in 2004 and has evolved significantly since then. Notable updates include Rails 2.0 in 2007, which made RESTful architecture a standard, and Rails 5.0 in 2016, which added WebSocket support for real-time features.

Ruby is versatile, used for tasks like data processing and automation, and ranks well in tech industry surveys, including Stack Overflow's list of high-paying languages.

Rails supports various web standards and tools, including database integration and web services. Major platforms like GitHub, SoundCloud, and Twitch use Rails and value its ability to manage large volumes of traffic and complex data efficiently.

Core principles of Ruby on Rails

• Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture

This structure of the application fragments it into three reliant pieces which provide an exclusive functionality for each. In this Model-View-Controller (MVC) design, the Model manages the data and logic; the View handles the display and the user interface; and the Controller works as the link between the user and model objects. It processes commands and makes calls to the model objects and views to fetch the data. For example, a blog application has its Model managing posts and comments, the view renders them, and the controller serves to remove or create each.

• DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself)

The DRY principle is a prominent practice that makes the system free from redundancy. It calls for a single, clear presentation of every piece of information in the system, irrespective of its context. This entails that if developers need to make changes in one or more sections, the whole system is affected. This is why the frequency of errors and duplications is low.

• Convention over configuration

Rails's main principle speeds up development by letting developers merely decide what to design and what logic to use. At the heart of it, the framework enables a set of standardized configurations that streamline certain portions of the app unless the app developers specifically indicate otherwise. It facilitates developers' avoidance of initial installation and set-up and allows them to start developing functions immediately.

Key features and advantages

• Scripting and active record. Scripting and active record. Rails believes in scripting, which is a platoon that facilitates quicker code writing and running. It comes along with Active Records, the object-relational mapping system, that developers won't need to write SQL code to create database queries.
• Built-in support for RESTful APIs and routing. It provides for out-of-the-box restful interfaces, which is imperative for the design of web services. Rails has routers that effectively help programmers manage URLs and in-app traffic distribution. Besides that, this makes the process of creating SEO-friendly URLs easy.
• Libraries and plugins. It is supported by a large number of libraries and plugins (we call them gems here). These gems broaden the spectrum of functions an app can provide without writing the code from the beginning. They can be implemented right into the applications built on Ruby on Rails for purposes like authentication or payment systems, as well as message queues, amongst other things.
• Community support and resources. Developers have an array of tools accessible to them, including documentation, forums, tutorials, and active community discussions. The community serves the framework's purpose to be 'evergreen' by providing its codebase with contributions to it.

Ruby: the foundation of Rails

Invented in the mid-90s by Yukihiro Matsumoto, Ruby is an open-source, object-oriented scripting language that differs fundamentally from lower-level languages like, for instance, C or C++. Unlike these languages, which communicate directly with hardware, software interprets Ruby scripts, translating them into machine-readable code.

Ruby's real strength lies in its syntax and object-oriented nature, which prioritize readability and reusability. With Ruby, developers can create modular code in which objects — self-contained blocks of code — can be reused across different parts of a program or even in different programs. As a full-stack language, Ruby is used for both frontend and backend development.

Ruby vs Python

Ruby and Python are both in-demand and highly specialized scripting languages, noted for their readability as well as their application in server-side scripting. In comparison, although they share common features, there are important distinctions. Ruby is object-oriented; therefore, objects are objects only. On the flip side, Python keeps to a simple, and sometimes little or even difficult-to-learn style, which can be an obstacle to some people.

Python has plenty of benefits for data science—its libraries are fully fledged and can be used together with various Django frameworks. Ruby is typically favored for website programming because of its great syntax and the structurally sound Rails framework. Furthermore, Ruby’s block feature is a flexible feature that directly helps Python get out of that situation.

It mostly comes down to project demands, and whatever is more useful to an individual or team is often chosen between Ruby and Python. Ruby's design principle of 'multiple ways to solve a problem creates flexibility, but Python's single solution approach of 'there is the right way' makes the decision-making and maintenance process easy.

Learning and resources

This includes the main agenda of the Rails framework itself and guides you through the process of learning the Ruby programming language.

• Official guides. These amazing How-tos offer comprehensive instructions on both the beginner and the pro levels. They represent the current one throughout their update cycles.
•  Codecademy and Udemy courses. Interactive platforms like Codecademy offer Ruby courses with more hands-on instruction, while Udemy teaches beginner to advanced Rails courses. Professionals with long-term expertise in the industry teach the courses.
• RailsCasts. Indeed, though the contents of that particular video series may have been superseded already, RailsCasts still remains a valuable resource. While having about 200 episodes full of one certain topic, they are very nicely set into small videos.
• Books. Books such as "Agile Web Development with Rails" by Sam Ruby and "The Ruby Programming Language" by David Flanagan and Yukihiro Matsumoto provide in-depth knowledge of Ruby. These titles range from basic to intermediate and to advanced levels.
• GitHub and StackOverflow. Start by talking to the Ruby and Rails communities on these channels and sharing your experiences. GitHub projects will be presented, but StackOverflow provides users with code examples to solve the problems at hand.

Tips for beginners

• Start with basics. The language gets easier when you know the fundamentals.
• Follow a structured path. Learning can be facilitated through books, online courses, and tutorials. By following a structured learning path, the process of knowledge and skill-building will happen slowly.
• Practice. Working on small projects or contributing to open-source can help you learn and give you real-world experience.
• Explore MVC architecture. It is vital to have a great understanding of it when working with Rails since it is based on its structure.
• Don’t rely on gems too much. While gems are variously applied to improve functionality, doing so too frequently without a solid foundation in the basics might lead to difficulties. Ensure you know what the gems do and why.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Skipping the basics. Diving into Rails without first understanding the basics of Ruby can cause confusion.
• Ignoring testing. Rails is built with testing in mind. Neglecting this aspect can lead to harder-to-maintain code. Embrace Test-Driven Development (TDD) early on.
• Not using version control. Beginners often overlook version control. Learning to use Git from the start can save you from many headaches if you need to revert to earlier versions of your code.

Community and support

Rails took the world by storm, and its open-source code contributed to its amazing results. This has attracted many developers to join and contribute to the system. Its GitHub repository has become a place where developers submit pull requests, report issues, and improve.

Sites such as Stack Overflow have communities exclusively dedicated to Rails, where not only newbies but also experts discuss their technical problems and post solutions they would have applied to them. The Ruby on Rails Talk mailing list, the Rails subreddit, and meetups feature advice, solutions, and tips, as opposed to workshops, lectures, and code-alongs in RailsConf and regional Ruby conferences.

The Rails community has clearly shown that it made a significant difference in the world of companies of all sorts that needed to utilize the Internet and web applications. Take Basecamp or Shopify as a case in point, which are the Rails-built applications that not only return Rails a share of their open-source libraries but also invest in its development and disseminate their expertise.

In addition, there are loads of good learning activities and bootcamps, like The Odin Project and RailsBridge, to make Rails easier and wider for those who may not be so popular in tech. 

What's next?

 Ruby on Rails will continue to rule the future as a result of certain trends and innovations. First of all, DRR is the answer to the demands of contemporary web applications. As the availability of the web is growing simultaneously with the appearance of more and more complex web services, Rails is developed in accordance with that. It is worth noting that the emergence of Action Cable functionality that supports real-time capability provides evidence of Rails’ capability to keep up to date with the times.

Second, Ruby is a language based on constant improvement. The newer versions of this language give users faster execution time and improved performance, which can break the observation that Ruby lags behind the other languages in this respect.

The community keeps it innovative and also strongly supports the ecosystem of gems, which are impeccably used to improve Rails applications. Major tech companies such as GitHub, which are dedicated to supporting Rails, show that the future considers Rails a popular and healthy language to use.

Yukihiro Matsumoto and David Heinemeyer Hansson would be surprised if you tell them Ruby is dead while they’re still working on it. Hundreds of our clients would be surprised too, given that the technical part of their business works on Ruby and accomplishes their needs.

Alexander Kirillov CTO, Evrone

Conclusion

To sum up, Rails produces clean and maintainable code by leveraging its two building principles, "Convention over Configuration" and DRY ('Don't repeat yourself'), which take care of the development overhead. Such a community and ecosystem help the framework successfully integrate new features in a timely manner and solve problems quickly, making the framework progressive and developed.

Deciding on RoR as a framework for the next project comes down to its constant development for both developers and the community. However, Rails is still the ultimate decision for accelerated development of high-quality web apps.