Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails is a free web application framework that aims to increase the speed and ease with which database-driven web sites can be created and offers skeleton code frameworks (scaffolding) from the outset. Often shortened to Rails, or RoR, Ruby on Rails is an open source project written in the Ruby programming language and applications using the Rails framework are developed using the Model-View-Controller design pattern.

Technical overview

Like many contemporary web frameworks, Rails uses the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture for organizing applications.

Rails provides out-of-the-box scaffolding, which can quickly construct most of the logic and views needed for a basic website, the WEBrick web server and other helpful development tools.
Rails is also noteworthy for its extensive use of the JavaScript libraries Prototype and Script.aculo.us, for Ajax and visual effects.

For web services, Rails supported lightweight SOAP initially and later it was replaced by RESTful web services. The recommended REST-based programming structure changes drastically in version 1.2.

Framework structure

Ruby on Rails divides itself into various packages, namely Active Record, Action Pack, Active Support, Action Mailer and Action Web Service. Apart from standard packages, developers can make plugins to extend existing packages.