Ruby on Rails, often referred to as Rails, is a powerful web application framework written in the Ruby programming language. It is known for its convention over configuration philosophy and rapid development capabilities. Ruby on Rails is a popular choice for developers when creating dynamic and database-driven web applications. This introduction guide will cover the basics of Ruby on Rails including why it’s important, and best practices.
What Is Ruby On Rails
Ruby on Rails is a web application framework with a model-view-controller architectural pattern. Created in 2004, Ruby on Rails has become one of the most popular and widely used frameworks for web development. Rails emphasizes convention over configuration, meaning it provides sensible defaults for applications, allowing developers to focus more on building features rather than configuring files.
Why Ruby On Rails Is Important
Ruby on Rails is a critical tool in web development for the following reasons:
- Rapid development:
- Ruby on Rails conventions, generators, and scaffolding features allow developers to quickly build and deploy applications.
- Clean code:
- Ruby on Rails emphases convention over configuration and the DRY principle to result in clean and maintainable code.
- Large community:
- Rails has a large community of developers who contribute to its development. The community created a wealth of tutorials and documentation, making it easy to learn and find support when needed.
- Proven and reliable:
- Ruby on Rails has been used to build some of the most popular websites in the world, including GitHub, Shopify, and Airbnb.
- Full-stack framework:
- Rails is a full-stack framework, which makes building a complete web application from front-end components to back-end services and databases much less complex.
Ruby On Rails Best Practices
To effectively use Ruby on Rails in your projects, follow these best practices:
- Follow Rails conventions:
- Rails is designed with conventions that guide you toward best practices.
- Use RESTful resources:
- Rails has built-in support for RESTful resources to create clean and maintainable routes and controllers.
- Write tests:
- Rails has built-in support for testing with tools like RSpec and Minitest.
- Keep controllers slims:
- Move business logic from controllers to models or service objects to ensure that controllers are slim, which will improve code maintainability.
Conclusion
Ruby on Rails is a powerful and efficient framework that allows developers to build web applications quickly and with ease. This introduction guide has provided you with the basics of Ruby on Rails including why it’s important, and best practices. Continue through this section to learn more about Ruby on Rails and build your first web application using it.