If you’ve been researching coding and programming languages, you may have come across Ruby and Ruby on Rails. Although the two are often confused due to the similarity of their names, there are some fundamental differences between them.

In this article, we’re going to explain what Ruby and Ruby on Rails are, as well as highlight the key differences between them. Hopefully, by the end of the article, you’ll have a clear understanding of the two applications and what they’re used for.

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Ruby on Rails vs. Ruby: Which Developers Earn More?

Although this may be the golden question for those looking to choose between the two, it’s difficult to provide a concrete answer. As with all jobs, salaries vary wildly depending on location, experience, and more. However, our research shows that the average salary for a Ruby developer in 2023 is $109,000, while the salary for Ruby on Rails developers is slightly higher at $125,000.

Many well-known companies like Airbnb, Shopify, and Github use Ruby on Rails, as well as lots of YC startups. This makes it a great framework for budding developers to learn.

But that doesn’t mean Ruby can be dismissed—remember that you’ll need to have a good understanding of Ruby to be able to use Rails.

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What Is Ruby?

Ruby is a general-purpose programming language that was created by Yukihiro Matsumoto and launched in 1995. It was designed to be a simple, user-friendly scripting language to help bridge the gap between programmers and the computers they work with.

This object-oriented scripting language is one of the most popular programming languages available, and many programmers utilize Ruby for web app development.

Benefits of Ruby

The Ruby language has a number of advantages over other solutions. Here’s a quick summary:

• Ruby is a dynamic programming language that is more similar to spoken language than some other programming languages. This makes it ideal for beginners.
• As an open-source programming language, Ruby is free to use and is constantly being improved by developers around the world.
• Additional libraries help to broaden Ruby’s capabilities.
• Its fast and powerful script is ideal for quickly creating web applications.

Disadvantages of Ruby

Although Ruby is a great option for many web applications, it does have some limitations. We’ve listed them below:

• Ruby has a unique coding language that is different from others. Some developers see this as a disadvantage, as they have to learn it in addition to other languages like Python.
• There are not as many books about Ruby programming as there are about more popular languages like the C programming language, which can make Ruby more difficult to learn.
• Ruby isn’t updated as much as other programming languages.
• Compared to other programming languages, Ruby is often slower at processing.

What Is Ruby on Rails?

Unlike Ruby, Ruby on Rails is not a scripting language. It’s actually a web development framework that is an add-on to Ruby and was released ten years later, in 2005. It is mostly used for building web applications and server-side scripting. Brands like Airbnb, Etsy, and Github are known to use its technology, which means it’s valuable for developers to learn.

It’s important to stress that Ruby on Rails— or “Rails” for short—is an add-on to Ruby. This means that developers wanting to use Rails will need to have an understanding of Ruby first in order to use it.

Benefits of Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails has some standout features that make it a great web application framework to learn. Here’s a quick rundown:

• HTML code can be written in Rails scripts. This means that developers can use CSS, Java, and XML code while using Ruby on Rails.
• Ideal for speeding up the process in web app development projects.
• Easy to connect with databases, making it extremely versatile.
• Rails is an open-source framework that is free to use and distribute, which is great for beginners.

Disadvantages of Ruby on Rails

Now let’s take a look at the disadvantages of Ruby on Rails:

• You have to be familiar with the Ruby programming language to use Ruby on Rails, which means it is not as accessible as some other frameworks.
• Ruby on Rails has a slower runtime speed than other web frameworks like Node.js and Django. This can make it harder to scale applications.
• Ruby on Rails is designed to simplify the coding process, which leaves less room for creativity.
• The Rails framework is not as widely used as some other frameworks, which means it could be more difficult to find helpful resources.

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Learning Ruby vs. Ruby on Rails: Key Differences

Although many newcomers to coding get Ruby and Ruby on Rails mixed up, there are some important distinctions that set the two solutions apart.

Let’s take a look at them in a little more detail:

Programming language vs. web development framework

The most obvious difference between the two systems is that Ruby is a programming language, while Ruby on Rails is a web development framework. The Ruby language has its own syntax and rules, and it can tell a computer what to do and how to do it.

By contrast, Ruby on Rails is a web application framework that uses the Ruby language and scripts written by other developers.

Development principles

User interface design is at the heart of Ruby; its creator Matsumoto said that he wanted it to increase developers’ productivity and minimize their workload.

Ruby on Rails was founded on the principles of DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) and COC (Convention over Configuration). This means that it focuses on simplifying the web development process, using existing patterns and code to reduce the amount of new input required.

Uses

An important difference between Ruby and Ruby on Rails is what they’re used for. If you want to develop desktop applications (such as Microsoft Word or VLC Media Player, for example), Ruby is a great option. Rails would not be suitable for these types of use cases, because it is a server-side script that mainly runs on a web server.

However, Rails does come into its own when it comes to building web applications, where it can speed up development and simplify code. This makes it ideal for creating MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) or prototype apps during the early stages of product development.

Ruby vs. Ruby on Rails: Which One Should You Learn?

If you want to use Ruby on Rails you’ll need to learn Ruby first, so the answer is both! Ruby is a great programming language for beginners, thanks to its simple syntax and its similarity to spoken language.

Once you’ve mastered Ruby, you can start learning Rails to speed up the app development process and add another string to your bow.

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