What is Ruby on Rails?

Application frameworks have become very important in web development. The original JBoss and Tomcat environments were one of the primary reasons Java became an indispensible tool for server-side development on the web. Ruby on Rails provides the same convenient and high-productivity environment for developers using Ruby and Ajax to develop Web 2.0 applications.

Ruby is an object-oriented scripting language which combines features of Perl and Smalltalk. The Rails framework provides a number of conventions that reduce complexity and the possibility of errors in the construction of basic client-server web applications. It uses standard libraries for client-side UI features and also for standard database structure.

What Ruby on Rails offers programmers is essentially the opportunity to start a ten mile hike at mile marker five. A lot of the thinking is already done for any Ruby on Rails project, and that provides programmers the opportunity to build only the unique portions of their application instead of spending time on every programmer's favorite pastime: reinventing the wheel.

One of the major Rails conventions is to not repeat data. This is actually quite brilliant, because it is the inaccurate copying of data structures and pointers from one place in an application to the next that causes a wide variety of common errors. Good application development and structure usually minimizes the opportunity for errors by limiting this outside of the programming environment. Rails builds it in, which is something other frameworks should consider as well.

Rails is available on most major web development platforms, and is made available under a free license.