Ruby on Rails vs Django: Choose The Best Framework for 2023

Ruby on Rails vs Django: Choose The Best Framework for 2023

Quick Summary:

Having web applications is a need of an evolving market. Web applications are a mandatory aspect of any growing business. Hence, choosing the correct web framework for your web application development becomes crucial and confusing. Here, we have shown an in-depth comparison of two outstanding backend technologies ; Ruby on Rails vs Django . This comparison will help you to decide from all the aspects which framework is best for your project in 2023.

Already, there are a number of famous business companies that have trusted Ruby on Rails and Django as their web development framework, and they succeed.  

So many entrepreneurs are wanting web apps to give a success touch to their business . But, somehow they are confused in choosing the right web development framework. This blog is meant to help you with selecting the correct framework for your project.

Ruby on Rails is an open-source, full-stack web app programming language used to simplify web app development. 

Because of its great default structures concerning databases and web services, Ruby on Rails is the most preferable for making high-speed web apps, MVPs, and startup prototypes.

Whereas, Django from python programming language also gives tough competition as it can create complex and highly secure websites. 

Django framework gives quick and flexible web apps of Machine Learning and AI.

That’s why RORBits experts did the best research work for you. We have distinguished the critical difference of both the frameworks that help you to pick the best.

Let’s start!!!!

What Is Ruby on Rails?

Under the MIT License, Ruby on Rails is developed by David Heinemeier Hansson. Rails is a web application development framework from the server-side that is written in the programming language called Ruby. 

Like C++ or Java, technically Ruby is a language, but most used to serve benefits in web programming. Rails has a software library that stretches the Ruby language. 

Ruby on Rails has default structure for database, web pages, and web services due to MVC(model-view-controller) architecture. 

It also uses web standards like JSON or XML for data transfer and HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for the user interface. 

This Ruby on Rails backend framework works on 2 famous principles such as:

  1. Don’t Repeat Yourself (DRY)
  2. Convention Over Configuration (CoC)

Here are the features offered by Ruby on Rails web development framework!!

Features of Ruby on Rails:

What Is Django?

Django is a high-level web framework written under the Python programming language. That enables quick development of safe and secure websites. 

This framework is made by skillful developers, that’s why Django provides hassle-free web development, so you can develop your app without any disturbance..

The Django framework is completely free and open source.

It has an active community, great and easy documentation, and many options for support.

Django works on principles such as scalability, re-usability, and rapid development. With this, Don’t repeat yourself (DRY) is an integral principle of Django.

Have a look at the features offered by the Django web development framework!!

Features of Django:

Ruby on Rails vs Django: Quick Comparison

Before we dive into the in-depth comparison, let’s checkout the quick comparison for Ruby on Rails vs Django:

Criteria Ruby on Rails Django
Release Date August-2004 July-2005
Language Ruby programming language Python web framework
Known For Rapid Development Dynamic Applications
License MIT License BSD License
Main Benefits Powerful RubyGems AI & ML apps
Architecture Design Follows Model View Controller (MVC) Architecture. Follows Model View Template (MVT) Architecture.
Popularity Comparatively less popular Highly popular web framework
Area of Popularity Vibrant Community Academic Teaching
Syntax Flexible Coding One Obvious way
Performance High-performance app development Comparatively perform low
Use Cases Scalable web app development, e-commerce projects, web APIs, and CMS Data-Analysis solutions, database-driven, AI, ML, and Data Science applications
Unique Features COC, DRY Data Science
Learning Curve Smooth and easy learning curve Complicated and tough learning curve
Community Support Comparatively Small Larger as compared to RoR
Flexibility More flexible to use Less flexible compared to RoR
Company-wise Usage GitHub, Shopify, Netflix, Airbnb, Hulu, Soundcloud, etc. Spotify, Instagram, Dropbox, Pinterest, and National Geographic

Now, see where Ruby on Rails and Django are used most.

Where Can We Use Ruby on Rails?

Ruby on Rails is a web application framework that has gained popularity among developers due to its simplicity, flexibility, and productivity. 

RoR is a full-stack framework that develops web apps efficiently. Here are some of the areas where Ruby on Rails can be used:

  • E-commerce websites
    Major Ruby on Rails Ecommerce examples are Shopify, Groupon, and Airbnb for their web applications.
  • Social networking websites
    Social networking websites like Twitter, Twitch, and SoundCloud use Ruby on Rails for their web applications.
  • Content management systems (CMS)
    CMS like Refinery CMS and Radiant CMS are built using Ruby on Rails.
  • Healthcare and fintech applications
    Ruby on Rails is used to build healthcare applications such as Practice Fusion and fintech applications like Wealthsimple.
  • Education and learning management systems
    Many learning management systems like Open edX and Codecademy are built using Ruby on Rails.
  • Project management and collaboration tools
    Project management and collaboration tools like Basecamp, Trello, and Asana are built using Ruby on Rails.
  • Online marketplaces
    Online marketplaces like Etsy, Kickstarter, and Upwork are built using Ruby on Rails.

Overall, Ruby on Rails can be used to build a wide range of web applications across different industries and sectors. Its flexibility and productivity make it a popular choice among developers. You can hire ruby on rails developers from any trustable company to make your dream project.

Where Can We Use Django?

Django is a popular high-level Python web framework that allows developers to build robust, secure, and scalable web applications quickly and efficiently. Here are some areas where Django is commonly used:

  • Content Management Systems (CMS)
    Django provides a powerful admin interface that makes it easy to manage content, making it an ideal choice for developing CMS applications.
  • Social Networks
    Django’s built-in authentication and authorization system, along with its support for user-generated content, make it a great choice for building social networking sites.
  • E-commerce Sites
    Django provides powerful tools for building e-commerce sites, such as integrating payment gateways, order management, and inventory management.
  • Data Analytics
    Django’s support for database modelling, data manipulation, and data visualization makes it an excellent choice for developing data analytics applications.
  • Scientific Computing
    Django is used in scientific computing applications, such as data analysis, visualization, and simulation.
  • IoT (Internet of Things)
    Django’s support for HTTP, MQTT, and WebSocket protocols makes it a great choice for developing IoT applications.
  • Education
    Django’s ease of use and powerful features make it a popular choice for developing e-learning platforms, school management systems, and other educational applications.

In general, Django is a great choice for any web application that requires robust functionality, security, and scalability.

Pros And Cons Of Ruby on Rails

Here, We have listed the major pros and cons of Ruby on Rails. Have a look:

Pros:

  • Ruby on Rails will increase your time efficiency of work.
  • It provides a great number of tools and libraries.
  • Ruby on Rails has a huge and active community.
  • It has strong adherence to standards.
  • Quick development is possible with Ruby on Rails.
  • Automated testing can be done with Ruby on Rails.
  • Easy migration availability with Ruby on Rails.

Cons:

  • Sometimes API creation becomes tricky with Ruby on Rails.
  • Ruby on Rails has low flexibility.
  • Continuous evolvement.
  • Ruby on Rails has very poor runtime.
  • Poor Documentation.

Pros And Cons Of Django

Let’s see the pros and cons of Django framework also:

Pros:

  • Django is used to make scalable apps.
  • The Django framework is highly configurable.
  • It works with REST API.
  • Django supports MVC Programming.
  • There is a high compatibility with Django.
  • Easy documentation with Django.
  • Django provides a high level security framework.
  • It is versatile to handle any complicated data.

Cons:

  • Django is not good for simpler projects.
  • It may lead to slower websites.
  • You need to know everything to work with it.
  • Django has a lack of convention.
  • It is based on ORM.
  • Standalone.
  • Too tight knit.
  • Not offer multiple requests.

Let’s see the similarities first, then we will see the key differences of Ruby on Rails and Django web development backend framework.

What Are The Similarities?

Ruby on Rails and Django are similarly used for the developing backend framework of different web apps. 

Both backends are strong server-side frameworks, share a wide range of super  functions, and have the top performance benchmarks.

Below, we have explained the similarities of both the frameworks, which describes why these frameworks are a popular choice of backend web app development.

  • Communities

As per the detailed Django vs Rails comparison, you can understand now that both frameworks and their respective languages have a large number of communities.

That means, easily you can get help when any specific bugs are detected, unwanted behaviour occurs, or in case of any other related issues.

All the queries can be solved online through unique solutions, suggestions, real examples, and recommendations.

  • Huge Set of Libraries

From Ruby on Rails vs Django libraries, we know that both are open-source languages ​​with an inclusive set of programming libraries. 

Ruby on Rails library generally called as “Ruby gems,” which fasten the development procedure and enhance app functionality. With this, it provides library extension support and service class.

Same as RoR, Django provides several other libraries with “packages” at no cost for extensions.

Both Ruby on Rails and Django have almost the same installation and syntax usage.

  • Language Version Management

Ruby on Rails and Django web frameworks have well founded language version management. 

Multiple version managers can be offered by both web frameworks, by using which you can have hassle-free version control.

Ruby has rvm and rbenv whereas Python has pyenv for version control. 

With effective language version management and environment control, you can run multiple projects in Django and RoR at same time.

  • Other Similarities

Django and RoR web frameworks have some others similarities also which is quite necessary to mention.

The qualities, which are important to mention is:

  • Dynamic type
  • Both are available as Open-source
  • Both have Late binding
  • Syntactic sugar
  • Both are Highly extensible
  • Easily understandable syntax
  • Used for General-purpose
  • Both frameworks are Free to use

Ruby on Rails vs Django: Key Differences

  • At First, Ruby on Rails is a Ruby-based framework and Django is a python based framework.
  • Ruby on Rails is used for developing database backend web applications and metaprogramming whereas Django is used for developing complex database-driven websites.
  • Both are released under different license. Ruby on Rails is released with MIT license and Django released under BSD license.
  • RoR works on the principle of convention over configuration and Django states explicit is better than implicit.
  • Ruby on Rails installation takes more time than the Django installation process.
  • Ruby on Rails has a steep curve because of a lot of independent concepts and Django’s curve is small due to good readability code.
  • Django uses Apache, Nginx, and Gunicorn and Ruby on Rails uses WEBrick, Apache, Nginx as web servers.
  • There is a vast difference between the community of RoR and Django. Ruby on Rails has large community support whereas,  Django has a small community of developers.
  • RoR has built-in static compilation by default and django has server static files as per the configuration.

Let’s dive into the in-depth comparison of Ruby on Rails vs Django.

In-Depth Comparison Of Ruby on Rails vs Django

The in-depth comparison shows how Ruby on Rails vs Django behave on these considered factors. Let’s dive into them.

Popularity and Statistics

Although both web frameworks are growing day by day and their demand is increasing. Currently, the Django web framework is more popular than RoR by looking at the opinions of developers and users.

This year Stack Overflow Framework Survey is done with three parameters (Loved, Dreaded, Wanted) for web frameworks all over the world.

Ruby on Rails ranked at 11th position of Loved parameter from developers and Django got the 7th place with 55.3%.

At the Dreaded survey Ruby on Rails got the 6th position which is quietly bad and Django is also at 10th place.

In the Wanted survey list, Ruby on Rails got the 10th place, whereas Django web framework is at 4th position. 

Performance

For the performance criteria, both Ruby on Rails vs Django frameworks are excellent and are not comparable. 

They have theirrespective tools and technology to achieve best outcomes and aid the fast delivery of the project. 

General-purpose and high-performance applications are suitable on Ruby on rails, whereas Django is preferable for specific-use applications.

Development Speed

The real-time speed test experiment says that Ruby on Rails is a little faster than Django by 0.7 percent. 

We can see that there is not much percentage difference between both, but in the long run you can feel Rails to be much faster.

Language

From this blog we all know that Django and RoR, both web frameworks, are based on different programming languages. 

Ruby on Rails is based on the Ruby programming language and Django is written under the Python programming language.

Django gives more readability to the code, and Ruby on Rails offers flexibility and freedom of coding.

Scalability

Django is a Python-based framework, the second most popular programming language. Still, Ruby on Rails performs better than Django in this segment. Because of the freedom and flexibility of code, RoR has the edge over Django.

Architecture

The RoR developers must adhere to the standard Model-View-Controller (MVC) design norms in order to successfully understand the various database data, including posts, images, comments, and more. 

Django, in contrast, uses the Model-View-Template (MVT) architecture, which represents the database and shows the data structure.

Security

You won’t need to worry about SQL Injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), or other security breaching threats if you use RoR to secure your website or online application. 

But when it comes to creating online apps with higher security, enterprises favor Django.

Documentation

Django and Ruby on Rails both provide extensive documentation that enables users to quickly and easily discover answers to their questions. 

Django has more documentation than RoR, but it is organized nicely so that developers and individuals can discover everything easily.

Libraries and Tools

Numerous libraries and tools in Ruby on Rails enable quick prototyping, testing, and development. 

The helpful “Ruby Gems” libraries are created to let developers add new features and capabilities without having to engage in difficult coding.

Django provides a number of useful modules and tools that improve performance and efficiency when used in your next project. 

The extensive library and package selection of the Django web framework can give you a wide range of options for assistance and support.

Syntax

Even though the web framework works with Python, Ruby’s Rails has a far more flexible syntax than Django. As a result, while using Ruby on Rails, implementing the same feature in many methods is conceivable.

HTML Templating

HTML templating is a basic component of Django and RoR, giving developers the opportunity to create high-quality functions with little knowledge of HTML or programming. For quicker development, HTML Templating should be simple to read and understand.

App Development

The performance, scalability, efficiency, rapid development, and functionality of apps differ from those of websites built using the Ruby on Rails or Django frameworks. 

It’s crucial for rapidly expanding organizations to distinguish between Ruby on Rails and Django when developing huge apps.

Learning Curve

Because it has its own distinct principles, Ruby on Rails has a somewhat steep learning curve. 

Django, on the other hand, uses Python, one of the most straightforward programming languages with a straightforward syntax for app creation. 

For Rails developers, learning Django would be relatively simple, but not for Django developers.

Web Servers

Ruby on Rails generally uses NGINX, Puma, Apache, and Mongrel as web servers. WEBrick web servers are also available by default in the Ruby standard library. Additionally, PostgreSQL and MySQL serve as the database servers for the Rails framework.

The primary web servers used by Django are NGINX, Apache, Gunicorn, and WSGI (Python’s default web server). Django offers PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and Oracle database servers, just like RoR does.

Let’s see, which one is actually better for your project.

Which Framework Is Best For Your Project?

Overall, Both frameworks are giving hard competitions to each other. It is very complicated to choose any one with few criteria’s. 

Still, some requirements vary from project to project. If you need sustainability in your web app, then you have to choose the right framework.

Although, we understand that you are reading this blog to ensure the Ruby on Rails Backend Development for your project. Let’s see the quick points of choosing the correct web development framework:

If Your project demands the following, then you can use the Ruby on Rails framework for the best:

  • Fast and accurate MVP development
  • Rapid prototypes development
  • The most secure and trustable eCommerce web apps
  • Easy usability and highly productive
  • Scalable websites that can be updated whenever you want

And, If your backend development requires the things listed below, then you can use Django as a framework:

  • Modern web applications having ML and AI features
  • The complicated scientific and mathematical programming
  • Highly secure and safe website development
  • Capability of handling huge database
  • Massive development team

To know more details about web development solutions and frameworks to create your presence in the market, we suggest; you must contact any best Ruby on Rails web development company now.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both Ruby on Rails and Django are excellent web development frameworks that can help developers build robust and scalable web applications quickly. 

Each framework has its unique features and strengths, and the choice between the two largely depends on the specific needs of the project and the experience of the development team.

For developers looking for a framework that offers simplicity, ease of use, and rapid development, Ruby on Rails may be the way to go. 

On the other hand, Django is a more comprehensive framework that provides advanced features such as built-in authentication, admin interface, and powerful ORM, making it ideal for complex and large-scale web applications.

Ultimately, the decision between Ruby on Rails and Django should be based on the specific needs of the project, the development team’s skills and experience, and the goals of the business. 

With both frameworks continually evolving and improving, it’s essential to keep up with the latest updates and trends to make informed decisions and stay competitive in the fast-paced world of web development in 2023 and beyond.

You can get in-depth insights with Ruby on Rails consulting companies.

We wish you the best for choosing the right web development framework for your valuable project!!!!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Mitul Patel
Mitul Patel
www.rorbits.com/

Mitul Patel, Founded RORBits, one of the Top Software Development Company in 2011 offer mobile app development services across the globe. His visionary leadership and flamboyant management style have yield fruitful results for the company.

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