Ruby Frameworks
What is Ruby on Rails?
Ruby on Rails, or simply Rails, is a popular open-source web framework written in the Ruby programming language. It follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern and provides a set of conventions for rapid application development.
Some of the key features of Ruby on Rails include:
- Convention over Configuration: Rails has a strong emphasis on convention over configuration, which means that developers can focus on writing application code instead of configuring the framework.
- Active Record: Rails provides an object-relational mapping (ORM) library called Active Record, which simplifies database operations by mapping database tables to Ruby classes.
- Action Pack: Rails provides a set of tools for handling web requests and responses, including a router, a controller layer, and a view layer.
- Scaffolding: Rails provides a tool called scaffolding, which generates a basic CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) interface for a given database table.
- Gems: Rails has a rich ecosystem of community-contributed libraries called gems, which can be easily added to a project to provide additional functionality.
Ruby on Rails is widely used in industry and has been used to build many popular web applications, including GitHub, Airbnb, Shopify, and Basecamp.
External Resources
- Ruby on Rails official homepage
- Ruby on Rails official guides
- Ruby on Rails Tutorial by Michael Hartl
- Upcase by thoughtbot
- GoRails by Chris Oliver
Reactive Frameworks
Ruby on Rails is not a reactive framework by default. However, there are a number of reactive extensions that can be used with Rails, such as StimulusReflex and Hotwire. These extensions allow you to build web applications that are more responsive, resilient, and elastic.
Bookmarks
StimulusReflex
StimulusReflex is a real-time, reactive Rails framework that enables developers to build fast and scalable web applications. It leverages Rails, StimulusJS, and WebSockets to deliver a seamless and high-performance user experience.
The advantages of StimulusReflex include its ability to automatically synchronize data between the server and client, its easy integration with Rails applications, and its support for real-time updates without the need for polling or refreshing the page.
Hotwire
Hotwire is a set of libraries that allow developers to build modern, reactive web applications using Rails. It includes Turbo, Stimulus, Strada, and CableReady, which provide a complete solution for building real-time, interactive websites.
The advantages of Hotwire include its ability to build reactive web applications with minimal JavaScript, its easy integration with Rails applications, and its support for server-side rendering and partial updates, which can improve website performance.
Turbolinks
Turbolinks is a JavaScript library that enables fast, seamless navigation between pages on a website. It works by replacing the browser's standard page loading process with a JavaScript-based approach that loads only the parts of the page that have changed.
The advantages of Turbolinks include its ability to improve website speed and reduce server load by minimizing the amount of content that needs to be loaded, its easy integration with Rails applications, and its support for progressive enhancement, which allows web applications to gracefully degrade when JavaScript is disabled.
Stimulus.js
Stimulus.js is a small, lightweight JavaScript library that makes it easy to build reactive web user interfaces. It enables developers to add behavior to HTML, CSS, and SVG elements without having to write custom JavaScript code.
The advantages of Stimulus.js include its simplicity and ease of use, its ability to improve website interactivity without the bloat or complexity of larger frameworks, and its focus on providing a clear and intuitive development experience for web developers.
Reactive-Ruby
Reactive-Ruby is a reactive programming framework that brings the power of reactive programming to Ruby developers. It provides an elegant and intuitive way to write reactive code, making it easy to build responsive, real-time web applications.
The advantages of Reactive-Ruby include its ability to improve website interactivity and responsiveness, its support for functional reactive programming, which can make code easier to reason about and test, and its focus on providing a clear and concise programming model for web developers.
Plezi
Plezi is a Ruby-based framework for building real-time, reactive web applications. It includes a range of tools and features, including server-sent events, WebSockets, and support for real-time database updates.
The advantages of Plezi include its support for real-time updates and its focus on building responsive, reactive web applications with minimal overhead. It also includes a range of built-in tools and features that make it easier to build complex web applications with minimal coding.
Volt
Volt is a full-stack reactive framework that enables developers to build reactive web applications using Ruby. It includes built-in support for WebSockets, live-data binding, and other features that make it easy to build real-time web applications.
The advantages of Volt include its focus on building real-time, reactive web applications with minimal overhead, its support for data binding and live data updates, which can improve website interactivity, and its easy integration with other Ruby frameworks and libraries.
Conclusion
If you're looking for a way to make your Ruby on Rails applications more responsive, resilient, and elastic, then you should consider using a reactive extension.
Read next: Ruby Doc