Ruby on Rails vs Node.JS

What if we say Ruby on Rails (ROR) and Node.js are entirely different? Then you will think, what’s the matter of comparing them?

Why is the Ruby on Rails vs Node.JS debate trending in the globe of web app development? All these answers we will find in this article.

ROR has been the framework for giants like Twitter, Airbnb, and many more. But now certain claims show people are migrating towards using Node.JS more than ROR. Is it so that ROR is dead?

ROR and Node.js both have become well-known backend languages. Hence, when choosing any one of them, there arises a stack of confusion. To solve this uncertainty, we have brought this article for you. Here, we will discuss the pros, cons, functionalities, and much more about ROR and Node.js.

You will also find some instances of tech giants who use Ruby on Rails and some famous companies that use Node. JS. Now, let’s see what we have on the plate for you. Let’s begin!

Basics and goals of Ruby on Rails and Node.js

Let’s first see what Ruby on Rails is.

Ruby on Rails (ROR)

ROR or Ruby in Rails is a website building platform. It is also known as Rails, and it was developed to manage internal logic, manage routing, data computing, etc. ROR is known for its high speed and code efficiency. What one has to write in dozens of lines in Java, will only take 5-10 lines in Ruby.

Node.js

Firstly, Node.js isn’t a language, it is a runtime environment that helps users to change client-side coding to server-side code. Node.js converts JS into machine code that is quickly processed by any hardware. The Chrome v8 Engine is used as the base for Node.JS. This platform is one of the fastest engines that contribute to higher conversion speed.

After learning the basics of Node.js and ROR, let’s now compare ROR vs Node. JS.

Advantages of Ruby on Rails

As we all know that Node.js is popular for its high performance and scalability. ROR is a mature framework for web development and it is written in Ruby that is widely used for developing web apps. Here, we will discuss the primary Ruby on Rails advantages for server-side development which include its convention-over-configuration structure, developer-friendly functions, and extensive libraries.

Here are the ROR advantages:

Extensive libraries

Ruby on Rails includes a varied ecosystem of gems and libraries (Ruby’s package manager) that can be integrated easily into Ruby apps. This feature allows engineers to attach to existing solutions and code, saving efforts and time in developing complex functionalities.

Developer-friendly functions

With a strong experience in Ruby vs Node.js development, ROR provides an elegant and clean syntax and makes the line of code easy to write and read. Rails platform also has in-built features for base tasks like routing, authentication, and testing which speeds up the software development process and encourages best practices.

Convention-over-config approach

ROR implements the principle of convention over configuration structure. It means developers are free from spending excessive configuration time on directories and files. Rails have conventions that untangle the development procedure and make it faster and more efficient.

Full-Stack framework

ROR framework is a full-stack web development platform that provides everything one needs to develop both back-end and front-end web apps with a single framework and reduces the requirement of multiple libraries and tools.

RAD (Rapid App Development)

ROR is also known for its feature of RAD which is Rapid App Development capacity. It allows programmers to develop apps efficiently and quickly. ROR scaffolding functionality generates a boilerplate code and makes it easy to develop MVC with minimal endeavour.

Challenges of Ruby on Rails

There are some potential cons of Ruby on Rails:

• No static typing system
• Performance speed
• Garbage collection ineffectiveness

However, if Ruby on Rails perfectly suits your project requirements, these challenges are easy to overcome in one or the other way. You can take help from your software development partner for the same.

Companies that use Ruby on Rails

Organisations use Ruby on Rails because of its security and responsiveness. GitHub, Airbnb, Zendex, Shopify, Hulu, etc. are the companies that use ROR for their backend support.

Where to use Ruby on Rails?

ROR is used for developing the backend of web apps. It has scalability and efficiency. Developers can create richer functionality with very few lines of code than you need to write in Node.js or Java.

CMS (Content Management Systems)

ROR (Ruby on Rails) isn’t the global top choice for CMS (content management system) development. PHP is a go-to choice, but Ruby on Rails, ROR, entered the meadow in modern times, and it offers a lot of competitive advantages. Ruby on Rails helps with quick writing of rich functions using the high abstraction levels. You can develop whole tables and DBs as different objects. And, you can also find a big cluster of functions with various lines of codes.

Full-stack web app

ROR is a structured framework used for high-quality web development. Rails follow rules on how to organise the code. The platform uses the MVC framework. To respond to an app and request, you have to define a route, view, and controller. To begin with, MVC might seem time-consuming. But, ultimately, the code will be well-organised in the end and will be easy to read. You will end up getting a fully-efficient code that is easy to edit and maintain.

Prototyping

ROR allows developers to develop code faster and implement the in-built features available in the environment. When one is working on a minimalistic viable version of any product, one doesn’t need an interface or ultimate speed. The main need is the well-organised and operational efficiency of that product. ROR gives multi-command-line code builders which lets developers avoid writing code from the beginning. It is coupled with different open-source libraries and is ready-to-use code that accommodates more functionalities.

After understanding the basics of Ruby on Rails, let’s understand the pros and cons of Node.JS and where to use it.

Advantages of Node.JS

Whether you are comparing ROR vs Node.JS for your next project, here are some strengths of Node. JS. These advantages helped this environment is becoming a popular choice for developers:

Faster Performance

Node.JS is developed on Chrome’s V8 JS engine that compiles JS code to machine format code for easy and faster execution. When one compares Ruby on Rails vs Node.JS, Node.js is the fastest server-side JS platform. It is a good alternative for apps that require data processing that is real-time like chat apps or gaming apps.

Scalability

Node.JS is also known for being scalable because of its event-driven feature and non-blocking I/O model. This allows the Node.js environment to manage multiple concurrent connections together; making it easy to develop apps with high-performance capacity and handling multiple users at a time.

Flexible platform

Node.js makes a modular approach, it allows developers to develop modular and reusable code. Now, managing and updating apps has become a lot easier. Node.js also supports different microservices architectures which allow developers to develop complex apps as a group of loosely coupled and small services that are made, deployed, and ascended independently.

Large user community

Node.js environment has an active and large community of engineers who contribute their experience in this open-source environment. It means that users get a plethora of tools, modules, and libraries for making the development process of complex apps easier.

Compatible with Cross-platform development

Node.js environment is compatible with cross-platform development, meaning that it can run on different operating systems like Linux, Windows, and macOS. This feature makes it flexible and suitable for deployment on various hosting frameworks like AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and many others.

Challenges of Node.js

There are some potential cons of the Node.js platform:

• Node.JS is inconsistent as its API is updated constantly
• Unlike ROR, it’s not good for CPU-intensive apps
• Not a good alternative based on a security feature

However, if the Node.JS environment perfectly suits your project requirements, these challenges are easy to overcome in one or the other way. You can take help from your software development partner for the same.

Companies that use Node.JS environment

Organisations switch to Node.JS as it has performance and responsiveness. Uber, LinkedIn, New York Times, Medium, and Hapi use this framework. For some organisations, a transition to Node.js is coupled with a change to a different Microservices structure.

Where to use Node.js?

Node.js is a command-line platform that allows executing the same JavaScript line of code that you develop for creating the front end. It allows making similar code with the browser and the backend and managing multiple operations together. Here are a few examples where you can use a Node.js environment:

API Development

Node.JS is the go-to language for REST API building. Representational State Transfer is the architecture that helps the end users to get the output of their web requests easily. The primary principles of REST development are stateless, uniform, client-server, and layered systems. It also offers a cacheable structure and on-demand response.

REST APIs are amazingly practical in the process of web development. Whenever any user is searching for something, the web app utilises this API to give source outcomes. This API connects the end user's input in the app code and opens a communication channel. Node.js has faster request processing and JS tech stack, hence, it is the first alternative for the development of REST API.

Server-side development

Node.js can establish a reliable communication centre between the browser and the server. It utilises the long-polling process which allows the apps to manage multiple incoming traffic simultaneously. Node.js doesn’t wait for various queries to be executed before managing the new incoming queries. 

This feature makes Node.js the best for creating real-time apps like online games, messengers, real-time collaboration platforms, chat rooms, etc. The chances of using JS for both frontend and backend can make the development process a little easier and faster. If you have previously worked with JS, then learning the Node.JS framework for the backend is not a problem.

Microservices

Node.JS architecture fits in perfectly with the microservices structure. Its request-processing non-blocking algorithms and also event-driven approach allows us to connect various services and process multiple requests altogether. Microservices require communication at each time. And this ensures speedy data processing.

Both Node.JS and microservices architecture will focus on efficiency and speed. The whole aim of any microservice architecture is to allow developers to develop scalable and well-performing platforms by cutting functionalities into manageable and efficient services. Node.js assists in bringing this to life with a quick V8 Chrome environment and non-blocking processing.

Ruby on Rails vs Node.js- Which one is better?

Node.js framework is a well-advanced technology that is developed and updated continually. This framework is used generally for large-scale apps. On the other hand, Ruby on Rails is an easy-to-learn and implement framework that is a good alternative for smaller IT businesses. It’s now used for backend and frontend development. 

Based on this perspective, one can draw one conclusion: the more Node.JS and Ruby on Rails skills you have, the better. The option to use any one technology should be based on the future goals and needs of the software. As you know both frameworks will also bring a lot of opportunities for ROR jobs and Node.js programmers Jobs.

Ruby on Rails vs Node.js- Final verdict

At the end of this article, both Node.js and Ruby on Rails are strong and popular frameworks. They offer various and distinct benefits for the web development process. Ruby on Rails or Rails has the feature of a convention-over-configuration approach and provides developers with an intuitive and highly productive environment. It also enhances the RAD- Rapid Application Development that offers a quite rich set of features and strongly focuses on code readability.

On the other hand, Node.js is standing out from the competitors for its non-blocking I/O model, and event-drive, making it a good choice for real-time apps and highly performative systems. Node.js is a vast ecosystem and it has the ability to use JS in the whole stack providing scalability and flexibility. In the end, when one has to choose between Ruby on Rails and Node.js framework, it depends on some specific requirements of the software, the expertise of your software development team, and the required performance of the project. Both these platforms have proved their validity for real-time scalability and developer productivity. Hence, choose wisely and make sure to take suggestions from your software development providers before choosing any one framework. 

For more such informative pieces of information, stay tuned with us, and happy reading!