Ruby on Rails vs AngularJS: Which is Right for Your Next Web Development Project

We are now living in a digital era where having a highly efficient and functional web application is no longer just a luxury but a must. This is why more and more companies, businesses, and organizations across all industries that are considering a transition to online platforms are now investing to build their own web app. Nowadays, simply having a typical website or being present on various social media networks and other online platforms like online marketplace and blogs are not enough to build a good online presence and grow your e-business. If you want to stand out and set new trends in your industry, you need to also consider creating your own interactive web application. However, if you don’t know which web-based development application framework is perfect for your next web app project, below are two of the most popular and most loved web application frameworks available today. Read on to know more about these amazing web application frameworks. 

The Best Web Application Frameworks for Web-based Applications

When it comes to developing a web application, one of the many considerations that you need to think of and plan ahead is choosing the right web application framework. The best option available for web app development companies and other developers is to use web application frameworks. Unlike coding from scratch, you will no longer have to begin everything from ground zero. The web application frameworks will allow you to keep your time and resources focused on developing new unique features for your web app. 

Instead of killing time doing repetitive, mundane tasks of coding while your competitors are still busy reinventing the wheel, you are already starting to tighten up your app’s codebase and implementing its new features. This gives you a better edge as compared to your competitors. Whether you are building an online banking app, shopping cart web application, online forum, online training app, content management systems, social networking site, booking and reservation web app, an interactive web game, or any other web-based application, choosing the right framework will make your work less daunting and time-consuming. The market is now swarming with different web application frameworks- each of which offers unique features and technologies that promise to make your new web app an outstanding one. 

You need to understand that each project is unique. This means that your next web app project would probably have different requirements from the other apps on the market or even from your current apps. This is why you need to study each available framework first before making a decision to know which one would best fit your next web application’s needs and requirements. We wrote this blog to help you make a well-informed decision and to know which between Ruby on Rails and AngularJS works best for your ideal web application. Head on and read the specifics of each of these two frameworks and see which fits well your needs and requirements. 

Ruby On Rails vs AngularJS Quick Overview

Two of the most widely known and popularly used web development apps today are Ruby On Rails and AngularJS. Though both offer unique features to the right projects, they differ from each other in many ways. Here is a quick comparison of the fundamental differences between Ruby on Rails and AngularJS architecture.

Overview: Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails, simply known as Rails, is free, open-source software built by David Heinemeier Hansson that is used to build web applications that run on a web server. It is a server-side web application development platform or framework that uses the general-purpose programming language Ruby. It is also an MVC or model-view-controller framework with MIT License.  Ruby on Rails combines Ruby with computer programming languages such as CSS, HTML, and JavaScript to build a web-based application and for user interfacing. It also facilitates the use of JSON or XML web standards for data transfer. Apart from MVC, Ruby on Rails also accentuates the utilization of don’t repeat yourself (DRY), convention over configuration (CoC), active record pattern, and other popular software engineering patterns and paradigms. 

Ruby on Rails timeline

Ruby on Rails was first launched in July 2004 as an open-source but only emerged in 2005. During its emergence, Ruby on Rails greatly impacted the web app development arena. Thanks to the framework’s innovative features like seamless migrations, the scaffolding of views, and database table creations. All these features and more make it possible for web app developers to build web applications faster.  In August 2006, Apple declared that the company will ship its Mac OS X v10,5 “Leopard” with Ruby on Rails, marking a notable milestone on the framework’s timeline. 

Below is the summary of the Ruby on Rails timeline.

When to use Ruby on Rails?

Professionals who offer web app development services use Ruby on Rails for many reasons and various web-based app development projects. While you can use Ruby on Rails in building a variety of web applications development projects like APIs, command-line tools, Java apps, hotel and booking applications, help desks, project funding services, data analytics platforms, trading and news web app, photo editing web app, business organizer and management tool, embedded apps, client-side apps, desktop games, and test suites for non-Ruby apps, it is more suitable for creating the following applications.

• Online stores

If you plan to build a decent online store that offers sophisticated purchasing and browsing options, Ruby on Rails is the best framework you can use. Do you want to create the next Shopify-like E-Commerce site? Ruby On Rails Developers will help you realize your revolutionary concept and make your idea a reality. 

• Saas solutions

Ruby on Rails is an optimum choice for developing Saas solutions. Thanks to its easy building features like libraries, scaffolding, localization, convention over configuration, and automated testing.

• Social networking sites

Ruby on Rails is also an ultimate option for developing a web application and platform that allows you to meet and network with different people across the globe via social networking sites. One of the most popular social networking platforms today is Couchsurfing, a traveler-dedicated social networking service with more than 12 million users. 

• Gaming livestream platforms

Game live streaming is getting in trend nowadays. This makes gaming Livestream web apps a viable project. Should you want to create a gaming live stream platform like Twitch. tv, consider using Ruby on Rails. 

Overview: AngularJS

AngularJS is a structural, open-source web framework that is written in JavaScript. Maintained primarily by Google and a community of corporations and individuals, this framework is perfect for building single-page applications and dynamic web apps. AngularJS, also referred to as Angular 1, was launched in 2010 and created by Misko Hevery. This front-end structural framework under MIT License allows Angular web development professionals to use HTML as a template language. It also allows the Angular developers to succinctly and clearly express the primary components of their web applications by extending its HTML syntax. This makes the resulting environment quick to develop, highly readable, and remarkably expressive. 

AngularJS simplifies the development and testing of applications. Its two-way data binding and dependency injection remove much of the code that the AngularJS development company needs to write. Moreover, AngularJS also provides a framework for MVVM or Model-View-ViewModel and MVC or Model-View-Controller architectures. Along with these architectures are the common components used in developing progressive web apps and web-based applications.

When to Use AngularJS?

AngularJS can be used to build web-based apps for different kinds of environments. This web development framework is suitable for applications like:

• Progressive web apps or single-page apps (PWA/SPA)

AngularJS is perfect for designing minimalist yet highly dynamic web apps. Among the examples of PWA/SPA are Twitter, Pinterest, Forbes (built with Angular), Starbucks, Trivago, and The Washington Post. 

• Business-level web applications

AngularJS comes with a wide array of libraries where the Angular JS development company can save their work during the development project. It also features Typescript which allows the top web app developer to reuse components and different modules in designing web applications. 

• Dynamic web applications

Dynamic web applications are those types of apps that generate and display data or pages in real-time according to the client who consumes the content and some components and the user who is accessing them. For instance, when you click the like button on a social media post, the respective response will be triggered and the respective action will be taken. If you want to build a dynamic web app like E-Commerce sites, to-do sites, and calendar web apps, AngularJS is a perfect choice. AngularJS is used by industry tycoons Gmail, Upwork, The Guardian, Wix WebApps, and PayPal, to name a few. Whilst, well-known sites and web apps like 

AngularJS vs Ruby on Rails Comparison

1. Architecture

Ruby on Rails is a server-side, back-end web development framework that follows the “request-response” Model-View-Controller (MVC) and convention-over-configuration software design paradigm. Whilst, AngularJS is a single-page, front-end web development framework that also follows the MVC architecture pattern.

2. Language

Ruby on Rails is written in Ruby while AngularJS is written in JavaScript. Ruby is a general-purpose, high-level, interpreted programming language that is known for its easy-to-understand syntax and flexibility. Meanwhile, JavaScript is an interpreted, lightweight, object-oriented programming language popularly known for being the most preferred scripting language for web pages. 

3. Main Features

Ruby on Rails key features and characteristics include (but are not limited to):

1. Convention over Configuration
2. Active record
3. MVC architecture
4. Simple testing tool
5. Simple programming language
6. Automated deployment
7. Customized URL
8. AJAX Library
9. Libraries for common tasks
10. Database Access Library

AngularJS key features and characteristics include (but are not limited to):

Data-binding 

1. Scope
2. Controller
3. Filters
4. Routing 
5. Templates 
6. Model View Whatever
7. Dependency Injection
8. Deep Linking
9. Directives 
10. Built-in services like $http
11. Unit testing ready

4.  Primary Limitations

Ruby on Rails

1. Multi-threading
2. Obscurity due to the convention
3. Boot speed

AngularJS

1. Not degradable
2. Not Secure

 5. Key Benefits

The key benefits of Ruby on Rails include (but are not limited to):

1. It requires less time for development.
2. It is highly customizable. Thanks to its modular design.
3. It offers better ROI and is very cost-effective.
4. It allows easy modification management- easy to add new features and modify the existing code
5. It is secured, consistent, and flexible.
6. It has a large repository of free plugins.

The key benefits of AngularJS include (but are not limited to):

1. It has faster performance and speed. Thanks to its drag and drop feature.
2. It comes with two-way data binding.
3. It can be used to build hybrid apps across all major platforms.
4. It is easy to learn.
5. It is supported by Google.
6. It supports SPA features.
7. It has a declarative user interface.
8. It supports real-time testing.
9. It allows angular development agencies optimal web application management

6. Statistics

The latest 2021 survey conducted by Stack Overflow revealed that both Ruby on Rails and AngularJS are included in the list of the most loved web frameworks this year, with Ruby on Rails having over 57% rating and AngularJS having 23% rating, respectively.

Image source

The results of the survey also revealed that 5.8% of developers who have not used AngularJS yet in developing web applications want to use the framework for their next web app development projects. Whilst, 3.2% of the developers who responded to the survey expressed their interest in using Ruby on Rails in developing web applications. 

Image source:

Meanwhile, both Ruby on Rails and AngularJS ranked as among the most commonly used web development frameworks of the current year. Ruby on Rails won 13th place with a 7.89% rating. AngularJS, on the other hand, got 11th place for the most commonly used web framework in 2021 with its 12.71% rating. 

Image source

This study was conducted last May 25, 2021, to June 15, 2021, through an online survey and was participated by the top software developers in the world. The results were released in August 2021. 

7. Framework Maturity

AngularJS is a significantly less mature web framework than Ruby on Rails. With Ruby on Rails, creating a basic CRUD operation-based application can possibly be done in minutes. Ruby on Rails is a preferred option if you want to build a proper web application. Ruby was first launched in 2005 while Angular JS was in 2010.

8. Popularity

According to the insights shared by SaaSHub (an independent software marketplace that helps end-users find and choose the best software and web products on the market), Ruby on Rails defeated AngularJS in terms of web framework and PHP MVC framework popularity. On the other side, AngularJS is more popular and won against Ruby on Rails in terms of JavaScript UI libraries and JS framework.

Image source

Final Words

Developing a web application is a complex and time-consuming task. The process gets more complicated and lengthy if the web app development company has to build everything from scratch.  With the fast-pacing environment we currently have, almost everyone and everything is running after time. Our goal as a business is to beat our timelines. We want to keep everything completed in the shortest possible time. But remember, you are not the only one having such a goal and mindset. Your competitors, too, are trying their best to run faster than anyone else, as you do.

In the highly competitive market, you are currently in, time is your key to success. If you want to keep up with the competition and cement your spot in the marketplace, you need to push out a completed, polished, and functional web app before your competitors do. And achieving this goal will be quite challenging if the web app development agency has to code everything from scratch. Ruby on Rails and AngularJS are both fantastic web frameworks that are well-loved by and popular among web app developers around the world.

We hope that this comprehensive comparison blog has helped you determine which of the two frameworks perfectly fits your needs and requirements. Regardless of which one you will choose, however, we are confident that you can build a worthwhile and lucrative web-based application. We are excited to witness it!

Related Links

1. Ruby on Rails vs Django: Which one is best for your website development
2. Beginners guide on creating custom AngularJS directives
3. Complete Guide to Angular Life Cycle: Hooks & Components
4. The Amplified effect of Laravel and AngularJS together
5. 6 Reason why you Need to Move from Angular to React?
6. Node.js vs Angular: Choose The Best JavaScript Framework
7. Must know ReactJS and Angularjs differences