In 1993, Yukihiro Matsumoto in Japan developed a pure object-oriented programming language, named Ruby. Ruby is a general-purpose, dynamic, and object-oriented programming language.
Edureify, the best AI Learning App is bringing more programming language and coding courses and informative articles for students to learn. Earlier we have discussed JavaScript and Python for Loop, two important programming languages. In this article, Edureify will talk about Ruby, another essential programming language web developers and programmers must know about.
What is Ruby?
Ruby is a user-friendly programming language that is used for various purposes from web development to data analysis.
“Ruby is a dynamic, open-source, reflective, and object-oriented programming language that acts as a sensible buffer between human programmers and the underlying computer machinery.” The program is similar to Perl, Smalltalk, and Python, the scripting languages.
Features of Ruby
The lucrative features of Ruby that make it an essential component of web development and skill demanded amongst programmers are-
- It is open-source, therefore freely available on the web but is subjected to licensing
- It is an interpreted, general-purpose programming language
- It is similar to Python and Perl, the server-side scripting languages
- It is used to write Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts
- It can be inserted into Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)
- A new developer can learn Ruby easily because of its clean and easy syntax
- Ruby’s syntax is similar to that of other programming languages like C++ and Perl
- Big programs written in Ruby are easily manageable
- Internet and intranet applications are developed using Ruby
- Ruby can be installed in POSIX and Windows
- Many GUI tools like Tcl/ Tk, GTK, and OpenGL are supported by Ruby
- DB2, MySQL, Oracle, and Sybase can easily connect to Ruby
- Ruby’s set of built-in functions can be directly used in Ruby scripts
Uses of Ruby
Apart from creating web applications, Ruby’s feature of being a general-purpose language has uses in many other programs also. To list some-
- Ruby is versatile- Ruby has been used in various applications like-
o Airbnb the booking site
o Hulu the streaming site
o MyFitness Pal the calorie tracking app
- Ruby on Rails- The framework Ruby on Rails makes use of ready-made conventions that saves a developer’s time in configuring projects. Rails has code generators that can create parts of an application automatically.
- Static Site Generation- A static website loads all the web pages at the same time. This helps in webpage loading speeds and allows quick, easy website deployment.
- Web Servers- Web servers can function better and easily with Ruby. Puma, Unicorn, and Passenger are some of the web servers that have improved since the use of Ruby.
Some more uses of Ruby are-
- DevOps
- Data Processing
- Web Scrapping
- Crawling
The Development of Ruby
Yukihiro “Martz” Matsumoto, the father of Ruby, was in search of a programming language that was entirely object-oriented and was an easy-to-use scripting language. Perl is a programming language that falls under the category of Toy language, whereas Python is not an entirely object-oriented programming language. Therefore, Matsumoto, who was already well-acquainted with the programming languages like Perl, Eiffel, Lisp, Ada, and Smalltalk, came up with the idea of Ruby and included the best features of each of these languages.
Ruby through the years
Ruby was publicly released in 1995 but its acceptance and growing use took a good amount of time. By 2006 Ruby received its mass acceptance and ever since has attracted global users across various industries to make some of the world’s best applications.
Ruby on Rails
In 2005, the Ruby on Rails web development program was released and has since aided in its popularity. The key feature of Ruby on Rails that made it such a popular hit amongst web developers is its ability to create complex and user-friendly web applications in very less time. Ruby on Rails acted as a revolutionary programming language that improved web development.
Startups benefited from Ruby on Rails more as it allowed small teams to build big applications quickly. SoundCloud, Shopify, Square, GitHub, Kickstarter, Instacart, Twitch, Ask.fm and Hulu are some of the sites that use Ruby on Rails.
Ruby Vs. Python
Developers need to decide on a programming language that will cater to the needs of developing a website or application efficiently, easily, and without a lot of time. Amongst other programming languages like C++, C, and Java, Python most often gets compared to Ruby.
Some of the similarities and dissimilarities of both Python and Ruby are-
Similarities of Ruby and Python-
- Both are server-side, high-level scripting languages used for web applications and on multiple platforms
- Both are supported by Emacs modes
- Work with embedded doc tools
- Used in GNU debugger styles
- Both use an interactive prompt called IRB
- Objects of both languages are strongly and dynamically typed
- Have clean syntax that are easy to read
Dissimilarities of Ruby and Python-
| S.No. | Ruby | Python |
| 1. | General-purpose language | High-level programming language |
| 2. | Uses framework Ruby on Rails | Uses framework Django |
| 3. | Only supports EclipseIDE | Supports multiple IDEs |
| 4. | Mixins can be used with Ruby | Mixins cannot be used with Python |
| 5. | Focuses on web development | Focuses on Linux and academia |
Here was a brief understanding of Ruby, one of the friendliest web development programming languages.
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Some FAQs on Ruby-
1. Who developed the programming language, Ruby?
Yukihiro “Martz” Matsumoto developed Ruby the programming language in the mid-1990s.
2. What is Ruby?
“Ruby is a dynamic, open-source, reflective, and object-oriented programming language that acts as a sensible buffer between human programmers and the underlying computer machinery.” The program is similar to Perl, Smalltalk, and Python, the scripting languages.
3. Briefly mention the features of the uses of Ruby.
Some of the features of the uses of Ruby are-
- It has versatile uses in streaming, health, and online booking sites
- Ruby on Rails framework
- Static Web Generation
- Web Servers
4. What is Ruby on Rails?
The key feature of Ruby on Rails is its ability to create complex and user-friendly web applications in very less time. Ruby on Rails acted as a revolutionary programming language that improved web development.
5. From where can I learn more about Ruby?
Edureify and its dedicated coding site will help interested students learn more about Ruby and other programming languages.
