What Applications are Being Developed on Ruby

As a relatively inexperienced developer, there are high chances about which programming language to build expertise in. This decision is particularly vital, as it sets the tone for the kind of projects you will work on and how your career trajectory will ultimately turn out. However, you cannot decide to build competencies in specific languages without understanding the intricacies and features of those languages. This article will highlight the features of the Ruby programming language, and the kind of projects built using the language.?

What is the Ruby Programming Language?

Ruby is an object-oriented multi-purpose programming language often used to develop web applications. Due to its simplicity and English-like syntax, Ruby is relatively easy to learn. Thus, it is a great option for beginners. Apart from its simplicity, Ruby has several features which make it stand out in the current tech ecosystem.?

First, Ruby is highly scalable. This means that it can be deployed to develop large-scale applications that will be easily maintained. Ruby also supports object-oriented programming. This is significantly different from procedural programming which adopts a top-down approach to instruction execution. Ruby’s object-oriented feature ensures that code can be written on a highly contextual basis. Essentially, developers can easily deploy code for specific classes to run in certain contexts.?

Since Ruby’s creation in 1995, it has become a popular programming language. Today, about one million programmers use the Ruby programming language. This demonstrates how widespread the adoption of Ruby is.?

What Applications Are Being Developed on Ruby?

1. Web Applications: While Ruby has many in-built frameworks, Ruby on Rails (RoR) has become a global favorite for web development. To clarify, a framework is a collection of default structures for running code and executing tasks. Thus, Ruby on Rails is an open-source Ruby library that provides a pre-built structure for developers seeking to build web applications and run functionalities. The framework is a preferred choice for many developers because it makes development significantly easier. Developers can also utilize Ruby’s other libraries to extend the pre-built features provided by the Rail framework. Also, Ruby on Rails is a suitable framework for web development because it has numerous security features and mechanisms. Quite interestingly, startups often opt for RoR because it is relatively inexpensive to run. The RoR technology is open-source, thus, companies can easily avoid licensing issues. Today, Ruby on Rails has been deployed to power some of the most prominent web applications including AirBnB and CrunchBase.?
2. E-commerce Solutions: Ruby can also be used to develop e-commerce software. Shopify is one of the major e-commerce platforms deployed using Ruby. Shopify currently serves over 3 million stores. This shows that Ruby is a great choice for the development of e-commerce solutions. However, Ruby’s suitability for the e-commerce sector is primarily due to its abundance of useful frameworks. Like web applications, Ruby on Rails is also vital for e-commerce software development. This is because the framework has built-in accounting features which ease accounting workflows and automate processes. The framework also enables developers to integrate inventory accounting and strong payment systems.?
3. Prototyping: There are certain situations where developers need to create quick prototypes to test out the feasibility of their designs. Ruby comes in handy in these situations because of its simplicity and versatility. Rapid prototyping is highly beneficial when companies are trying to gauge consumers' interest in a product. However, for prototyping to be effective, it needs to be developed promptly (to reduce the time-to-market of the final product). Ruby is fast, simple, and readable. Developers can use it to tweak features until a semblance of a fully functional and market-acceptable product is developed.?
4. Web Scraping: Web scraping is simply the process of extracting relevant data from the web. It is used for several purposes. Some companies use web scraping to duplicate website content, while some use it to retrieve contact information from their target market. Ruby is commonly used to undertake web scraping. In such cases, Ruby will be used to create a script that automatically extracts data from the web. Ruby has many libraries that facilitate web scraping. One of them is Nokogiri. Nokogiri is a Ruby-based library that enables users to parse XML and HTML files and duly extract data.?
5. Building Content Management Systems: Like the name implies, content management involves editing, deleting, and adding content to a web application. While web applications can be successfully deployed without Content Management Systems, this situation can make website management significantly challenging. Ruby (specifically RoR) is a great option for developing content management systems because it enables fast development. Ruby content management systems can also help you control several functionalities on your web application.?
6. Database Management: First, Ruby effectively integrates with other database management systems. This ensures that you can easily manage complex databases. However, apart from this, Ruby can be used to develop highly effective database management systems. This can be conducted through ActiveRecord, a library that enables users to access data stored in Ruby Data Management Systems. ActiveRecord also facilitates easy database management without requiring SQL.?

Conclusion

While Ruby is not as popular as many of the mainstream programming languages, its use cases are numerous. It can be used to develop responsive web applications, effective database systems, and specialized e-commerce solutions.?