What is Ruby on Rails?
Ruby on Rails, also known as Rails or RoR, is an open-source web application framework written in Ruby programming language. The framework was created by David Heinemeier Hansson and was released in 2005. Ruby on Rails follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern, which encourages the separation of concerns in web application development, making it easier to build and maintain complex web applications.
Ruby on Rails, often referred to as Rails or RoR, is an open-source web application framework written in the Ruby programming language. It was created by David Heinemeier Hansson and released in 2005. Ruby on Rails follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern, which promotes the separation of concerns in web application development.
Here’s a brief overview of the key components and concepts of Ruby on Rails:
- Model: The Model represents the application’s data and business logic. It typically interacts with the database to retrieve, store, and manipulate data. In Rails, models are created as Ruby classes and are responsible for defining the data schema and the relationships between different data entities.
- View: The View is responsible for handling the presentation layer of the application. It defines how data is presented to users. Views in Rails are typically written in HTML with embedded Ruby code (ERB) for dynamic content generation.
- Controller: The Controller acts as an intermediary between the Model and the View. It receives requests from the user, processes them, interacts with the Model to fetch or update data, and then renders the appropriate View. Controllers are also Ruby classes.
- Routing: Ruby on Rails uses a routing system to map incoming HTTP requests to specific controller actions. This allows for clean and RESTful URLs and helps organize the application’s functionality.
- Active Record: Active Record is the Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) library included with Rails. It simplifies database interactions by abstracting away much of the SQL code. Models in Rails are typically subclasses of Active Record classes, making it easy to perform database operations.
- Scaffolding: Rails provides a scaffolding feature that can generate a basic set of files (models, controllers, views, and database migrations) for a resource (e.g., a blog post or a user) to help kickstart development.
- Gems: Ruby on Rails has a vibrant ecosystem of open-source libraries known as gems. These gems can be easily integrated into a Rails application to add additional functionality, such as authentication, pagination, or file uploads.
- Convention over Configuration (CoC): Rails follows the principle of convention over configuration, which means that it makes certain assumptions about how your application should be structured. This reduces the need for extensive configuration and allows developers to focus on writing application-specific code.
- Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY): Rails encourages developers to follow the DRY principle by minimizing code duplication. This is achieved through code reuse, such as using partial views and shared layouts.
