Ruby on Rails (ROR) is a web application framework written in Ruby, a dynamically typed programming language similar to Python, Smalltalk, and Perl. It is intended to be used with an Agile development methodology that is used by web developers for rapid development.
The new version Rails version 2.3 was released on March 15, 2009. Ruby on Rails is typically integrated with a database server such as MySQL and a web server such as Apache.
RoR is based on MVC (Model View Controller) architecture that divides entire web application into layers, which makes it highly manageable and easy to maintain. Before Ruby on Rails, web Pages were written using languages such as PHP, Java, ASP, which could take lot of time to complete and you might just have a large stack of unmentionable code at the end.
There are two basic principles that govern the way that Ruby on Rails works. The first is often referred to as DRY, or Don’t Repeat Yourself. The idea is to keep the language as simplistic as possible, so the code remains simple as well. This means that the person writing the programming does not have to specify column names in class definitions. Ruby on Rails will simply pull the information from the database source.
The second principle is COC or Convention over Configuration. What this means is that the programmer can rely on defaults on the naming of the classes and tables. For instance, if there is a class that is named “date” in the model, then the related table in the database source will automatically be named “date.” This means that the programmer only has to take the time to name tables if he or she wishes to assign a different name to the table. Use of this logical solution can result in speeding up the process of writing the code and getting the web pages ready to go.
RoR is gaining popularity day by day mainly due to its ability to support rapid application development. Developers around the world are contributing constantly to add value to this magnificent framework further making it a platform of choice for organizations worldwide.
