Ruby on Rails, commonly referred to as Rails, is a server-side web application framework written in Ruby under the MIT License. Rails is a model-view-controller (MVC) framework, providing default structures for a database, a web service, and web pages. Created by David Heinemeier Hansson and first released in 2004, Rails has gained popularity due to its emphasis on convention over configuration (CoC) and don’t repeat yourself (DRY) principles.
Ruby on Rails simplifies web application development by making assumptions about what every developer needs to get started. It allows developers to write less code while accomplishing more than many other languages and frameworks. The emphasis on convention over configuration also means that developers can make modifications to their applications with ease, as the source code is straightforward and easy to understand.
The MVC architecture in Rails divides an application into three interconnected parts: Model, View, and Controller. This modular approach promotes organized and modular programming that improves the scalability and maintainability of the application.
Rails includes Active Record, an Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) system for handling database communication. It simplifies data handling by automatically mapping tables to classes and rows to objects.
Rails is designed to make decisions for you on how to do things in a way that most developers would agree upon. This means less configuration and more focus on the business logic, reducing the complexity of the project.
Rails includes a robust testing framework that helps developers to create a bug-free application. It encourages Test-Driven Development (TDD) and Behavior Driven Development (BDD), emphasizing the importance of ensuring code quality.
Ruby on Rails is suitable for a wide variety of applications, from simple websites to complex web applications. It is used by many high-profile companies including GitHub, Shopify, Airbnb, Twitch, and many others.
Here’s an example of how you might set up a simple blog post resource in Rails:
rubyCopy code# The Post model (app/models/post.rb)
class Post < ApplicationRecord
validates :title, :body, presence: true
end
# The Posts controller (app/controllers/posts_controller.rb)
class PostsController < ApplicationController
def show
@post = Post.find(params[:id])
end
# other actions...
end
# The Post "show" view (app/views/posts/show.html.erb)
<h1><%= @post.title %></h1>
<p><%= @post.body %></p>
In this example, we’ve created a Post model with validation, a PostsController that finds a post by id, and a view that displays the post’s title and body.
Ruby on Rails is a robust, pragmatic, and efficient framework for building web applications. Its principles of convention over configuration and DRY code lead to cleaner, more maintainable code, making it a great choice for web development. Whether you’re a new developer wanting to build your first application or an experienced developer looking for a productive tool, Ruby on Rails provides the resources to deliver outstanding results.