Node. JS vs. RoR: Which is the Best Framework in 2021?

Author(s): Kristy Hill

Originally published on Towards AI.

Node.JS vs. RoR: Choosing the Right Framework For Your Startup in 2021

Choosing the right tech stack is a herculean task for businesses. For that matter, most of the businesses opt for technology consulting advice from the experts. Selecting the right tech stack is extremely important for your business as it can make or break your online venture.

To help you with that, we decided to compare two popular languages: Nodejs and Ruby on Rails. At the end of the blog, you are likely to figure out which of the technologies viz Ruby vs. Node.js fits best with your business. So, let’s dig in:

Understanding The Baseline of the Frameworks

Node.JS: Overview

Written in C/C++, JavaScript, Node.js is one of the famous javascript technologies these days. The developers demand this technology is gaining momentum day after day. Its package ecosystem NPM (node package manager) comprises a plethora of open source libraries in the package.

Introduced in 2009 by Ryan Dahl for macOS and Linux, Node.js has many built-in modules that can be used with a command line. Node.js can be used to handle asynchronous JS code in order to perform various activities. There are many web development company working on enterprise-grade Node.js projects.

Ruby on Rails: Overview

An open-source programming platform, Ruby is an object-oriented language. This programming language was created mostly on Linux and works flawlessly across all major platforms like Windows, UNIX, Mac OS, and DOS, etc.

First released in the year 1995, Ruby was created by Yukihiro Matsumoto. Being an open-source platform, one can freely edit, modify, as per one’s needs and use. It is similar to Perl and Small talk as it is object-oriented such as Small talk and convenient as per Perl, which makes it codes easy to maintain.

Heads Up for Google Trends!

According to the reports of google trends during the last four years, Node.JS has just smashed Ruby on Rails as a trending programming language, and node continues to expand in the market.

Now, let’s compare the runtime of these programming languages.

As it is seen from this graph, Ruby on Rails has the slowest runtime. Another factor is the quantity of the jobs being offered by the programming language. The more developers’ positions in the market, the more demanding is the programming language.

A Detail Comparison Between ROR and Node.Js

Here is the list of main points that explain the differences Between Node and Ruby:

Node.js offers faster server-side development solutions owing to its event-based programming pattern as well as non-blocking I/O usage of a single CPU as compared to the Ruby.

Node.js has less learning curve compared to Ruby programming language, and it is pretty easy to learn for those developers who come from different backgrounds of programming language. In contrast, Ruby has more communities, learning resources available online.

Ruby requires a definite file or folder structure whereas Node is quite flexible in which we can put entire source code in a single file or multiple directories or files.

Node has no rules on filenames, and we can name files or folders as we need whereas Ruby has stringent regulations on filenames, if anyone changes filename then the application will crash soon.

Ruby on rails supports multi-threading options in its operations, and it’s better for the CPU intensive web applications. In contrast, Node is a single-threaded programming language, which is best suited for massive I/O web applications and not suitable for any CPU intensive web applications.

In Ruby on rails, there are no callbacks that mean all instructions are carefully executed in a sequential manner and on the other hand Node has callbacks, and it works in an asynchronous manner.

In Ruby on rails, code maintenance is pretty easy because it has rules while creating an easily transferable between the developers, on the other hand, Node.js code maintenance is quite tricky or difficult as it does not have any rules when you hire software developer.

Node is pretty inconsistent as API will change in a frequent manner and improves over time. On the other hand, Ruby is pretty consistent in its function as it will have fewer changes.

A node can be used as a programming technology for both back-end and front-end development, and on the other hand, Ruby is only used for back-end web app development.

Node package ecosystem node package manager (NPM) has a vast collection of libraries, and on the other hand, Ruby does not have as much as Node.

Ruby on Rails vs. Node Js Comparison on Different Parameters:

1.Framework Type

Ruby is an opinionated programming framework and expects to do a wide array of things in a specific manner which is a con while debugging any web application

On the other hand, Node is a non-opinionated programming framework as it offers more control, but there are no standard rules that need to be followed while developing. To work in a software development team, anyone needs to have specific rules and guidelines that need to be followed while coding, which Node does not have.

2. Development Time

Ruby can create a complete CRUD web application with good database connection, migration with a few commands via the command line.

On the other hand, Node will take some time as web app developers need to find modules, write code, which will be required and integrated with various other web modules. Also, Node offers excellent flexibility in choosing different components. Furthermore, incorporating those components takes more time.

3.Performance

Ruby on rails is pretty slow in performance wise which is a bottleneck for this programming technology. Sometimes debugging Ruby on rails web applications is a time-consuming task and difficult process owing to its abstract nature.

Node is pretty faster than Ruby on rails in most of the cases due to its JS-based engine even though it has various issues.

4.Learning Curve

Ruby is pretty easy to learn as it has a plethora of tutorials & courses are there for learning online. It has one of the most active communities of web app developers by which anyone can learn easily if he or she is stuck anywhere while learning.

The node learning curve is less as compared to Ruby on Rails, but web app developers from different backgrounds of programming like C or C++ also can learn easily. It is pretty easy for the front-end web app developers to learn this technology as it is being written in JavaScript.

5.CPU Intensive Tasks

Ruby on rails is well suited for various CPU intensive tasks like data processing, image processing, and rapid web application development.

Node causes a hang of web apps while handling various CPU intensive tasks as it uses a single thread for the entire process. In addition to this, it will take a long time and prevent various other tasks from running the program.

6.Scalability

Ruby on rails technology is not as scalable as Node technology, and so most of the companies migrated from Ruby to Node due to the scalability issue such as the LinkedIn, New York Times, PayPal, Uber, etc.

Node is more scalable as compared to Ruby on rails as it possesses clusters with the abstractions, which can spawn processes that are based on the workload of the web application with a minimum number of central processing units.

7.Talent Finding

Ruby on rails is known by very few people with the knowledge of both Ruby on rails and framework owing to this. They have a huge demand and requirement to give high pay, as these are quite hard to get.

Node has more people with good knowledge of this technology. We can get both back-end and front-end developers from a single person and no need to pay as high as Ruby on rails.

A Benefits and Pitfalls of Ruby on Rails You Should Know

Benefits Of RoR

First, we will see the pros of Ruby on Rails and then its cons. As it is said earlier, RoR has a very strong MVC construction. Most RoR based applications will look pretty similar in terms of basic folders and files. It has a pretty solid base, and then you can create it using gems, custom libraries, and packages. In addition to this, RoR has a great opinion that means it keeps you with its way of doing things.

RoR assumes that coders will write a symbol in a certain way, and some people may say that it is a bit restricted. But it makes the cleaner programming code much easier and also makes it pretty complex to create problems and errors. It is not a limitation in this sense that you cannot create what you exactly want, but in the way, you’ll do it. If you do it in the right way, it’ll probably be one of the easiest ways.

Roy also has a really good database function of migration. In addition to this, it allows web developers to do things like modifying and create various tables as well as columns in the database without having to enter or change or add things manually. In addition to this, it offers a small story or route that you can follow in order to see exactly what has been done with the structure of your database.

Now to the Node, there are various migration packages or modules, just like DB-migrate, that may work really well but are not as deep as well as easy to use as the RoR chord migration system. When it comes to various prototypes and rapid web development, there are not various techniques that can beat the bars. Therefore, with some basic configuration as well as two scaffolding orders, you have a fully functional CRUD based web application.

In addition to this, database migrations are also added at this rate. Node and Express are pretty good with the rapid app development process if you use various third-party modules and other tools. But these bars have all these things straight out of the box.

There are various pros and cons in the RoR technology, but for the most part, it’s completely respectable and pretty clean to use. RoR is a multi-paradigm technology, it can make functional procedure code, but for the most of the part, it is an object-oriented programming language. In addition to this, everything can easily be seen as an object. RoR is the package manager for RoR and is widely used to extend the basic functionality of this framework. NPM is similar to Node. All Rails web applications have a gem file where you can easily define your own gem. After this, you can easily execute the assembly command in order to install them all, which is similar to the installation of NPM with the Node.

Another good thing about RoR is that it has been around for a long time and has a pretty intelligent and respectable community. When you hire Ruby on rails developer, you get developers that are very intelligent and passionate about the framework. There are a plethora of resources in the main framework, including blog posts, forums, and documents, in order to help you get stuck. These are various other benefits for Ruby on Rails.

Pitfalls Of RoR

Let us talk about some flaws in this technology. One of the biggest complaints that are being heard about RoR is that it is relatively slow. The RoR is a wonderful framework with many features at its core. In addition to some lighter frames, it has a gem dependency factor and various similar application files. There is so much automation that the developer does not learn much about how the rails framework works. You might also know Ruby language, syntax, or your web application structure, but for someone who really understands how RoR works, this is excellent due to its rapid web development process.

On the other hand, some web app developers really have to make an extra effort so as to really understand a few things. RoR is more difficult for large projects than for small web applications. In addition to this, you may encounter some measurement problems.

Another con is that the bars are not as popular as the Node. At the moment, the Node is at the forefront of custom web app development, and the excitement of RoR has already dwindled. In my opinion, if you are looking for a job, I’ll tell you to learn the Node and maybe Express.js to be on the safer side. More software development companies use JS developers than any other language. If this was 5 years ago, you would be one of the three major programming languages ​​to be learned.

But now these days are not very popular. Therefore, I mentioned earlier briefly that the main RoR framework has really good examples and documentation, which lets you learn simple commands and migrate the database easily. That is all good. Although, when you try to learn a more advanced programming language and try to figure out the specific gems, sometimes it may seem that you are figuring out a Newton needle in a haystack.

Some fairly large companies have been using or used RoR on its main platform. I do not think it can be greater than Twitter. In addition to this, they have moved most of their back-end services to Java and Scala due to some domain issues. But they have been using RoR for a long time, and I am pretty sure they still use it on other aspects of this platform, as their partnership with Shopify. In addition to this, Basecamp is a project management solution, said that Rails is the heart and soul of this project. This program running GitHub was created in RoR. Soundcloud and Hulu, which is a popular streaming service, was created in RoR. From the start, Groupon, SlideShare, LivingSocial, and Urban Dictionary used RoR in their development project.

A Benefits and Pitfalls of Node.Js You Should Know

Benefits of Node.JS

Now that we have seen RoR, let us start looking at Node’s pros and cons. For this matter, we will start with the pros. A great benefit of Node is it has great popularity as compared to you. Basically, it is one of the latest web app development technology, and it has a high demand in this market. This web development technology is quite popular among startups. In addition to this, there is a thriving open source community around Express and Node JS Framework. There are a plethora of well-developed units in the NPM, and when it comes to performance and speed, this technology hits the rails badly. In fact, take almost anything out of it. It runs on the fast JavaScript engine of Google. In addition to this, the Node is widely used to create real-time web applications which are almost similar to the desktop applications.

In addition to that, Node.js is also asynchronous. It means when a program sends a request to the server, no response is needed. Furthermore, it can continue to be implemented. Moreover, the Node runs in a thread instead of other programming languages ​​that send the request. They wait for this request that needs to be fulfilled, then they send the following request and so on. So Node is very scalable, and being on a topic plays a very crucial role in it. In addition to this, Node works well with NoSQL databases such as MongoDB that are more scalable than traditional relational databases like MySQL. Almost all the important firms all software development companies all across the world have changed their programming to Node.js, and have reported at least a decent increase in productivity.

Another great feature of the Node.js is that it uses JavaScript, which is widely used with a plethora of web stacks. Most of the times, the front-end language is different from the background, but it is not the case while using Node, we use JavaScript on the back and front end. There are various client-side frameworks that dominate this industry: Angular, React, Vue.js. In addition to this, it is a great addition to Node.js technology. Obviously, JavaScript works quite well with various JSON APIs, which are very popular.

Node.js, Express, or Happy.js, none of these web app development frameworks have a really flexible file structure. Furthermore, it allows web app developers to create their own web applications as they wish. They can jam everything in their javascript application. If you want to get a more traditional architecture in MVC for this format, I think there are bad and good aspects to Node. But for the most part, if you know very well what you are doing and you are a good programmer, flexibility is a good thing.

Just like Ruby Gems, Node also has its own package manager called npm or Node package manager. The biggest difference between the npm and Ruby gems is the way the dependencies are managed. With Ruby, the dependencies are installed globally. Therefore, you must use an assembly tool, and you must manage it yourself. npm really takes care of everything in their units. It is placed in the node modules folder. Then these units can also have their own Node Units folder with their own dependencies. NPMs seem to have better documentation, at least in my experience.

Pitfalls of Node.JS

So we have looked at the positive aspects as well as the advantages of Node.js. Now let us see some flaws. As good as Node for many CRUD-style web apps, it is quite foolish for apps that require a lot of CPU. In addition to this, the reason for this is that every time you do something that takes time, such as running a CPU, it will queue all incoming requests because it runs on a single thread. Something like Apache, which has more threads available, will distribute CPU time between them. In addition to this, only I / O operations are parallel because they are performed asynchronously. An example of a CPU intensive task is something like 3D presentation, video coding, scientific modeling, etc.

Another complaint about the knot is that it may be a bit inconsistent. Some feel that the API is constantly changing at frequent intervals. In addition to this, sometimes, it is not compatible with previous versions. Not only that, but the overall Express app architecture is free and very flexible. Sometimes you can give developers enough rope to hang themselves.

The bars are very strict, which makes it difficult to write the wrong code. In addition to this, since the Node is not synchronized, it will handle many callback functions and can appear often and enter what is called hell callback. In addition to this, there are solutions to this, such as asynchronous utilities and the use of promises. There are a few things you can do to avoid this. This personally does not bother me, but I know that some developers who are not used to asynchronous programming have a problem with many callbacks.

As you can see, these two options have advantages and disadvantages, but both are great techniques. In addition to this, everything should always be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, rather than saying this is better than the other in all situations.

Conclusion:

RoR is still a popular framework and loved. It is being loved by a lot of web app development companies. However, these two biggest advantages of node technology. First being that it is JS-based technology, and the second advantage is that it has an event-driven architecture which makes it suitable for the mobile applications, chatting apps, or any other mobile applications that use the rest of the services as a back-end. If you have any queries and find difficulty in choosing Node or RoR, you can take help from website development companies, or you can also hire web development company for your project.

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Published via Towards AI