Best Ruby feature? (2024)
In June 2024 I went to two ruby conferences in Europe.
Ruby on Rails is a mature framework. Most attendees were senior developers, architects, and team leads.
But, lately other languages have gained strong popularity. Many new projects get started in Javascript or Python.
I wanted to know why they still stick to Ruby? Why not move on?
My name is Till Carlos, and I am the CTO of a team of remote engineers. I document our learnings on my Channel, and today we’ll discuss:
What is the best Ruby feature?
And these are opinions from people from America and Europe.
Lorin Thwaits, @lorint
Key Takeaways: Metaprogramming
Lorin Thwaits, a respected Ruby developer, highlighted metaprogramming as a standout feature. This powerful capability allows developers to write code that generates or modifies other code at runtime. It enables elegant solutions and can significantly reduce boilerplate, leading to more maintainable and expressive code.
Moritz Kroger, CTO at Sapiens Germany GmbH
Key Takeaways: Hotwire
Moritz Kröger, CTO at Sapiens Germany GmbH, praised Hotwire as a game-changing feature for Ruby on Rails. Hotwire allows developers to create dynamic, reactive user interfaces without the complexity of heavy JavaScript frameworks. By sending HTML over the wire instead of JSON, it simplifies the development process and keeps the backend and frontend tightly integrated.
Jan Krutisch, @halfbyte
Key Takeaways: Keyword Arguments (kwargs)
Jan Krutisch emphasized the clarity and ease of use that keyword arguments bring to Ruby methods. This feature enhances code readability and makes method interfaces more self-documenting.
Radoslav Stankov, rstankov.com
Key Takeaways: Activerecord
Radoslav Stankov highlighted ActiveRecord as one of Ruby on Rails’ most powerful features. This Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) layer simplifies database interactions, making it easy to work with complex data models and relationships.
Guilherme Carreiro, Shopify. @karreiro
Key Takeaways: Rails: Convention over Configuration
Guilherme Carreiro from Shopify emphasized the importance of Rails’ “Convention over Configuration” philosophy. This approach provides a standardized project structure, making it easier for developers to navigate and understand new codebases quickly.
Stephen Margheim, fractaledmind.github.io
Key Takeaways: Intraspectability, see everything that’s going on
Stephen Margheim pointed out Ruby’s excellent introspection capabilities. This feature allows developers to examine and interact with running code, facilitating easier debugging and enabling powerful metaprogramming techniques.
While JavaScript and Python have gained significant ground, Ruby on Rails continues to evolve and find its niche. With features like Hotwire modernizing frontend development and the framework’s ongoing commitment to developer productivity, Ruby on Rails remains a compelling choice for many projects.
Have you tried Ruby on Rails lately?
What’s your favorite feature?
