Updated June 15, 2023
Difference between JavaScript vs Ruby
JavaScript is an object-oriented scripting language that allows you to create dynamic HTML pages with interactive effects within a webpage. JavaScript allows you to process and maintain data within the browser. It runs on a web browser and is an interpreted programming language. Ruby is an open-source programming language, an object-oriented language with a focus on simplicity, portability, extensibility, and productivity. As it is open-source, we can modify and edit it according to our needs and use.
What is JavaScript?
Google Chrome released its JavaScript engine as “Node.js,” making JavaScript available outside of the browser. Node.js allows us to use JavaScript for full-stack development, enabling front-end developers to handle back-end logic and application programming interfaces (APIs) without the need to learn a new programming language. Brendan Eich created JavaScript at Netscape, which came into existence in 1995.
What is Ruby?
It was primarily developed on Linux and worked across all platforms like UNIX, Windows, DOS, Mac OS, etc. Its simple syntax makes it easy to read and write if we are familiar with other programming languages like Python. Ruby was created by Yukihiro Matsumoto and first released in 1995. Ruby is similar to Smalltalk and Perl as it is object-oriented like Smalltalk and convenient as Perl, making it easier to maintain.
Head to Head Comparisons Between JavaScript and Ruby (Infographics)
Below are the top 7 comparisons between JavaScript and Ruby:
Key Differences between JavaScript and Ruby
- JavaScript can be used as a back-end and back-end language using the same language, whereas Ruby is a back-end programming language.
- JavaScript is more scalable than Ruby as it is sometimes 20 times faster than Ruby.
- Ruby is better for high CPU-intensive application development involving graphics, image processing, etc., whereas Node.JS is unsuitable for high CPU application development.
- Many companies use JavaScript, including Instagram, eBay, Codecademy, Firebase, Groove Shark, Square, sentry, etc. Whereas many companies use Ruby, some are Intuit, Rap Genius, Instacart, Task Rabbit, Fab, Scribd, etc.
- JavaScript cannot monitor memory utilization, whereas Ruby has the ability.
- Ruby has support through the online community, which is most active among open-source frameworks, whereas JavaScript also has documentation but lacks documentation for a few modules in npm.
- Ruby applications are difficult to debug as they have multiple layers of abstraction, so it will take more time to fix errors. In contrast, JavaScript applications are easy to debug compared to Ruby.
- JavaScript has disadvantages such as not being efficient for CPU-intensive tasks, inconsistency, can’t able to monitor memory utilization. In contrast, Ruby has disadvantages such as Performance, Memory hog, and code readability.
JavaScript vs Ruby Comparison Table
Following is the comparison table between JavaScript and Ruby
| Basis of comparison | JavaScript | Ruby |
| OOPS | Developers interpret JavaScript, an object-oriented scripting language, at runtime as a dynamic language rather than compiling it beforehand. We can create elements called objects and manipulate object data by programmers. | Developers interpret Ruby, a dynamic and object-oriented scripting language, at runtime rather than compiling it beforehand. This enables the creation and manipulation of objects in Ruby. The user can modify multiple data at a time using objects by programmers. |
| Syntactic Difference | In JavaScript, variable declaration and assignment are a little bit longer compared to Ruby, as follows var var_name= value and Hashes are defined as objects and access their value as hash_name.key->value |
In Ruby, variable declaration and assignment are easy compared to JavaScript as follows: var_name=value and Hashes are defined as hash_name={key:value,key1:value1} and access key’s value as hash_name[:key]->value |
| Programming Language | Developers mainly use JavaScript as a front-end programming language for building client-side applications, handling server-side tasks, and facilitating browser-level interactions and modifications. | Ruby is a back-end programming language by which we can generate JavaScript and HTML pages that run on the server side and can interact with the database. |
| Learning Curve | JavaScript has extensive documentation, online sources, online forums, and communities by which one can learn easily, as we can see its execution in the browser immediately. If we want to make websites or web applications, we can learn JavaScript. | Ruby also has various resources for learning from online sources, online forums, and communities by which we can learn by ourselves. Mostly used by top websites and applications. |
| Performance | JavaScript is more than 20 times faster than Ruby in certain cases due to its highly optimized engine. | Ruby is very slow in performance which is a bottleneck for it. Sometimes debugging Ruby applications is a time-consuming and difficult process due to its abstract nature. |
| Scalability | JavaScript is more scalable than Ruby due to Node.JS as it provides better performance with less number of servers. | Many companies, such as the New York Times, LinkedIn, Uber, and PayPal, have migrated from Ruby to JavaScript because they found JavaScript to be more scalable compared to Ruby. |
| When to Use | JavaScript can be used if your application needs to develop in less time, performance, and scalability. | Ruby can be used if we develop applications that are CPU heavy applications, Rapid application development with few lines of code. |
Conclusion
Finally, it’s an overview of the comparison between JavaScript vs Ruby. I hope you will have a good understanding of both JavaScript and Ruby languages. It is good to learn JavaScript and Ruby, as both have advantages and disadvantages. We can choose JavaScript and Ruby based on project requirements. In my view, JavaScript has more useful than Ruby by considering its features such as scalability, performance, front-end, back-end, and flexible file structure, even though Ruby also has advantages like database migration, quick to develop, a great community which is most active, simplicity, meta-programming. We can write powerful one-liners, so If we want to develop applications that need to scalable, high performance, then consider JavaScript. In contrast, we can use Ruby for CPU-intensive applications and rapid application development.
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