Introduction to Ruby On Rails (RoR)

Manuel Aparicio

Oct

2023

•

Development

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There’s a massive amount of web development enthusiasts asking the following questions. Is Ruby On Rails a dying framework? Is it worth learning it? Is Ruby dead? Ruby on Rails came out nearly two decades ago, and it’s not as popular as it used to be in its early days. In popularity terms, it doesn’t compete with JavaScript and its tools, like React and Node. Even so, Ruby and Ruby On Rails (RoR) are among the 20 most popular tools for Software Development.

On top of that, Ruby proved to be the 4th most lucrative programming language, surpassing Java, Python, Swift, and TypeScript. Ruby remains one of the easiest languages to learn and one of the most affordable web app development options. Therefore, the answer is that Ruby On Rails is not dying or becoming obsolete. Let’s explore why it is so powerful.

What is Ruby?

Ruby is an easy-to-learn Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) language perfect for scripting tasks. It supports genuine OOP features like Smalltalk, which is great for advanced debugging practices. Also, like Python, its syntax is very similar to English making it easy to understand and use for beginners (human-readable markup language). That’s why it’s ideal for anyone who wants to enter the vast realm of software development for the first time.

# Define a method to display coffee details
def display_coffee_details(type, price)
puts "Coffee Type: #{type}"
puts "Price: $#{price}"
end
# Coffee details
coffee_type = "Mocha"
coffee_price = 4.25
# Using the method to display coffee details
display_coffee_details(coffee_type, coffee_price)

Another cool thing about Ruby is that it has a giant community of developers who use it for new projects and maintain old ones. People refer to it as a general-purpose programming language. That means you can use it for almost anything, including Web Development, which leads us to Ruby On Rails.

What is Ruby On Rails (ROR)?

Ruby On Rails (RoR), often called Rails, was one of the main reasons Ruby became so popular. It’s a server-side open-source web development framework that follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern. That allows for separate development, testing, and maintenance while simplifying common repetitive tasks. As a Full-Stack Development Framework, it renders HTML templates, updates the database, and receives HTTP requests. Besides, it has a strong focus on RESTful API mode. Like Django with Python, developers normally use Ruby On Rails for Back-end Development with a Front-end JavaScript framework. Yet, it now has its default framework for Front-end Development.

What is Ruby On Rails Used For?

Rails provides developers with a wide range of out-of-the-box tools for building world-class, cost-effective, and scalable web applications. Hence, it’s perfect for startups looking for an affordable way to launch their Minimum Viable Product (MVP). That includes e-Commerce, Content Management System (CMS), Social Media, and other modern solutions.

Ruby On Rails Core Principles

RoR Convention Over Configuration (CoC)

No one likes spending ages configuring the tools they’ll use to start a project. Rails considers it and promotes the Convention Over Configuration (CoC) principle. This way, developers can get their projects up and running in the blink. For example, if there's a model named User and a controller named UsersController, Rails automatically associates the two because of the naming convention.

RoR Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY)

Rails’ DRY principle covers maintainability, efficiency, and readability. Minimizing repetition also helps you ensure your code remains concise, organized, and less prone to errors. DRY also promotes writing reusable code that you can use across multiple application parts, making your life as a developer easier. Here you have some application code example:

Without DRY Principle

def full_name(user)
return "#{user.first_name} #{user.last_name}"
end
def full_name_uppercase(user)
return "#{user.first_name.upcase} #{user.last_name.upcase}"
end

With DRY Principle

def full_name(user, uppercase = false)
first_name = uppercase ? user.first_name.upcase : user.first_name
last_name = uppercase ? user.last_name.upcase : user.last_name

return "#{first_name} #{last_name}"
end

RoR Model-View-Controller (MVC) Architecture

MVC separates your app into three interconnected components: Model, View, and Controller. It allows for better modularization and organization, translating into easy scalability. If it isn’t clear, the Model involves data and business logic, the View represents the app’s User Interface, and the Controller acts as a bridge between the Model and the View.

How to Create an App with Ruby On Rails?

The first step is to ensure you have previously installed Ruby (version 2.7.0 or later) and SQLite3. Using Brew and RVM to simplify and smooth the process is good practice. Once you’ve done that, the rest is child’s play. You just need to run Rails new your_app on your terminal, head over to it by running cd your_app, and start the server by running Rails server or Rails S. You can easily create your database by running Rails db:create and then add some functionality with controllers by running Rails generate controller ControllerName.

Why is Worth Knowing Ruby On Rails?

Rails applications have a robust ecosystem and CLI that greatly simplifies development environments. Its vast pool of libraries comes with countless solutions for building complex functionalities. This way, developers never have to start a project from scratch, reducing development time and boosting productivity. Ruby On Rails framework has tools for managing your relational database, testing, logging, and scaffolding.

Ruby on Rails (RoR) Hotwire Front End Framework

Hotwire is a state-of-the-art Front-end Framework allowing developers to build modern, interactive, fast Web Apps with minimal logic. It brings the speed of Single-Page Applications without their overwhelming complexity. Hotwire uses a potent tool called Turbo that renders HTML templates to update one or multiple sections of your site.

Turbo uses ActionCable to deliver updates asynchronously over a WebSocket connection. This way, you can stream partial page updates to multiple browser sessions without JavaScript. Hotwire also allows you to add modern JavaScript elements with Stimulus if needed. With Stimulus, you can easily connect controller actions to your interactive elements using HTML attributes.

Conclusion

Ruby On Rails (RoR), or Rails, is one of the most powerful Full-Stack frameworks for cutting-edge Web Apps. Some may say it’s old-fashioned, yet its future is far from over. They describe Rails as a batteries-included framework since it has all the tools you need in a deployment ecosystem to build robust Web Apps without needing external libraries.

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