Ruby and Python, two programming languages that have gained a lot of prominence in this decade, have quite a few differences that set the apart. They have some similarities as well, both Python and Ruby address the rising needs of the programming community, are object-oriented languages, dynamic and flexible in nature, etc. If you are a programmer or inspiring to be one, then what follows is for you. Here, we will present a comparative chart depicting Ruby vs. Python and tell you more about what is Python, what is Ruby, the difference between Ruby and Python in points, features of Python and Ruby, etc.
Python vs Ruby : Comparison Chart
|
Basis of difference |
Ruby |
Python |
|
Used for websites like |
Ruby is used in the programming of websites like Airbnb, Hulu, Kickstarter, Github, etc. |
Python can be found as the programming language of websites like websites Google, Spotify, YouTube, Quora, etc. |
|
Philosophical approach |
It’s often seen in Ruby that there exist multiple means of solving the same problem. Depending on who’s writing the code, there may be unnecessary complexities and obfuscation as plenty of solutions may surface for the same problem. |
Python depicts a singular method of solving any specific problem. Even though Python codes are not the most flexible in the lot, they promise to be more readable for inexperienced programmers. |
|
Type of programming language |
Ruby serves to be a dynamic, reflective, general-purpose, object-oriented programming language. |
Python serves as a high-level programming language for general purpose only. It is very useful for the purpose of writing short scripts, building an API, drafting complicated object oriented web spiders, etc. |
|
Use cases |
Commonly used by organizations creating web applications. Ruby on Rails programs allow for the rapid development of business processes rather than creating codes from the scratch. The model–view–controller (MVC) structure offered by Rail separates data, user interface, business functions, etc. to make programming easier. |
Django, Python’s popular MVC framework, helps programmers tackle all issues of web applications with flair. Pandas library, is Python’s go to tool for data munging/preparation. Python also offers several math libraries as stats-model and Numpy, SensorFlow for machine learning tasks, Matplotlib for data visualizations, SciPy for solving math functions, etc. Overall, its use cases go beyond the realms of web applications. |
|
Popularity |
As per the stats published by Octoverse 2018 by GitHub, the use of Ruby is slowing reducing in terms of top 10 languages. It held the 5th place in 2014 and is now down to the 10th place in 2018. |
Python has maintained its popularity, it has moved upward in the list of most used language in 2014 (4th position) to the 3rd position in 2015. It has managed to retain this position till 2108. |
|
Preference metric |
Job applicants desirous of a niche job carrying higher pay, in the short and long run, opt for Ruby in USA, as per Payscale. |
Job applicants looking or a skill set that is in high demand choose Python in lieu of Ruby. |
Ruby language Overview
Created in 1995, Ruby is the brainchild of Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto. In this programming language of high repute, everything serves to be an object.
- The 100% object-oriented programming language does not show any primitive data type.
- There are no exceptions for integers, characters or anything else. In Ruby, all elements act within the same paradigm of receiving and sending messages.
- The Ruby on Rails framework is very useful for the development of websites and applications. This is because it simplifies and abstracts the common repetitive tasks.
- Ruby provides single inheritance feature only. It has classes and modules; the modules contain methods but there are no instances. The modules can be combined to form a class; methods of the specific modules can be added to the class.
- The core philosophy pertaining to Ruby focuses on humans and deals with the ways in which they go about programming tasks. Ruby is led by the principle of least astonishment. Extremely user friendly, Ruby, is seemingly similar to English rather than complicated programming languages with tough-to understand syntax.
Python language Overview
Python is an interpreted, interactive, object-oriented, high-level scripting language. Highly readable, Python uses English keywords quite frequently. In comparison to other programming languages, it uses lesser punctuation, has far reduced syntactical constructions, etc.
- Python is interpreted/ processed at runtime by interpreters. It is not important to compile the programs before going for their execution. This feature of Python can also be found in PERL and PHP.
- As Python is very interactive, users can sit at the Python prompt and go about their interactions easily. They interact one-to-one with the interpreter for writing their programs.
- Python supports the Object-Oriented style/technique of developing programs and encapsulates codes within objects.
- Python serves to be a beginner-level language for programming. It is supportive of the development of numerous applications – be it simple text processing, WWW browsers or games.
Key difference between Python and Ruby
The key differences between Ruby and Python are enumerated below:
1. Reusable code: Python offers more than 150000 “modules” that can be reused via PyPI, they are publicly available and can be used readily. In comparison, the reusable codes in Ruby are called Gems. Though are over 150000 gems to search for; the manual evaluation of codes and libraries is not as easy as that through PyPI.
2. Python enables users to isolate various versions of the popular Python interpreter, making automatic dependency resolution and packaging less painful than otherwise. Ruby presents similar options via rbenv or rvm, but is quite cumbersome.
3. Python is quicker to learn. It has an easier-to-understand syntax that makes it more legible for beginners. On the other hand, Ruby takes more time for some programmers to get used to. However, the built-in features of Ruby on Rails like Active Record and scaffolding are useful for escalating their development.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it will suffice to say that Python is the choice of language for web applications that have least time to market. However, you are looking for a more enjoyable language, then Ruby is certainly the way to go. If you have any further queries with regards to the difference between Ruby and Python then do get back to us. We will strive to give answers to your queries as quickly as possible.