Ruby on Rails is not a programming language itself but rather a web application framework written in the Ruby programming language. Ruby is a dynamic, object-oriented programming language known for its simplicity and productivity. It was designed to have a clear and expressive syntax that emphasizes readability.
Ruby on Rails, often referred to as Rails, provides a set of tools and conventions built on top of Ruby to facilitate the development of web applications. Rails follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern, which separates the application's logic into three main components:
Model: The model represents the data and business logic of the application. It interacts with the database, performs validations, and encapsulates the behavior and rules related to the data.
View: The view is responsible for presenting the user interface. It generates the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript required to render the application's pages and respond to user interactions.
Controller: The controller handles the interaction between the model and the view. It receives requests from the user, processes them, interacts with the model to fetch or update data, and selects the appropriate view to render the response.
Rails provides a convention over configuration approach, which means it makes assumptions about how things should be organized and named. By following these conventions, developers can build applications more quickly and easily, as they don't need to specify every detail explicitly.
Rails also includes a vast ecosystem of libraries and plugins, called gems, which provide additional functionality. Gems can be easily added to a Rails application to handle tasks such as authentication, database integration, testing, and more.
Overall, Ruby on Rails combines the power and flexibility of the Ruby programming language with a framework that promotes productivity, readability, and maintainability. It has gained popularity for its ability to simplify and speed up web application development while maintaining high-quality standards.