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What is Ruby on Rails?

No matter whether you need a simple application or you need a complex application, Ruby on Rails can help you with both. As Ruby on Rails is one of those open-source web application frameworks which is very popular for building applications these days. It can be built easily using the programming language known as Ruby. The web application framework has most of the tools and codes that can be used for building a specific web application in a more organized way. If you are aware of Ruby on Rails, you will not find any difficulty in building a web application using this framework. There are many people who think that Ruby on Rails is just a programming language. But one needs to understand that it is much more than a programming language and if you will read about it in-depth, you will be able to understand the actual concept behind the Ruby on Rails.

Ruby on Rails

To understand the framework of Ruby on Rails, one needs to understand what Ruby is what is Rails. So, Rails is used by web developers as a web development tool. It helps in giving a structure and framework to all the codes which the web developers write. Often, when web developers try to make any web application or a website, there are many repetitive tasks. Rails help in providing a framework that manages repetitive tasks by simplifying it with the help of the Rail framework.

Now, as you already know that Rails is a framework, so you should also know that it is the Ruby programming language that is being used for writing Rails. Just like Python is for Django, in the same manner, Ruby is for Rails. The best thing is that it is free and any web developer can use it. Or they can also help in making it better. Many people ask this question that why they should use Ruby on Rails and why it is good to use. Let’s know about it below.

Why use Ruby on Rails?

We already told you what Ruby is and what Rails is. They do have some characteristics which make them different and better from other frameworks. Like: 

  • Ruby on Rails works on convention over configuration. This means a programmer or a web developer will not have to configure the files just for getting the setup. A lot of time goes into configuring the files, but that can be taken care of with the help of Ruby on Rails, as Rails helps in speeding up the development process with the help of the different sets of conventions it has.
  • Ruby on Rails offers agile web development, which means they provide web developers with a flexible and collaborative approach. At the present time, where the websites and web applications have fast and quickly changing requirements, other frameworks may not work in such a way as the Ruby on Rails work. They are well suited for the development of the web applications.
  • During the web development, one often needs some temporary codes, that are helpful at the beginning for developing any web application fast. Also, to check how the web components are working when placed together, some web developers do create temporary codes. When you work with Rails, you will not have to worry about these temporary codes, as rails take care of it automatically.
  • As we have already mentioned above, that Ruby on Rails is helpful for both simple and complex web applications. It is somehow being possible because of the Rails, as it provides with the all the 3 environments required for making the software or application development work easier. The 3 environments are Development, Testing, and Production. 

Benefits of Ruby on Rails

Everything has pros and cons, and so do the Ruby on Rails also have. But, Ruby on Rails has some limited cons only. So, here we are going to help you with some of the benefits of Ruby on Rails. 

  • As we just told you above that Rails provide all the 3 environments for software development. You should know that it mainly focuses on the testing process. It has some really good frameworks for testing, which are very useful.
  • We all know that not every programming language is readable or is understandable. But Ruby is one of those programming languages which is easily readable. This is also one of the reasons why web developers want to use it. Web developers can easily take any existing project, as the need for writing a separate document is less. This helps in increasing productivity.
  • The framework provided by Rails helps in making changes very quickly. That is why it is suggested to be used for Rapid Application Development.
  • As Ruby has the Object-Oriented nature and Rails has a collection of a lot of open-source codes, so it makes the complete programming process faster and better.