Ruby on Rails

Are you interested in building a web applications? Did you ever wonder who web applications are built and deployed onto the loud? Are you piqued by the growing popularity of web services, and want to dabble in them too?

If your answer to any of the above questions, you have already done your own research into the subject. You may have dabbled a little in C# or Java, and realized that there is a lot to learn and understand in order to become proficient in any of them. You may have realized that the all-popular web services that you’re interested in are too complicated to be integrated in a web application. As for deploying web applications, you may have found out that there is a lot to set up for it to get going.

This course is the perfect stepping stone into the world of web application building, focused on one of the best web application frameworks to start out with: Ruby on Rails. The framework is designed for rapid prototyping, and this takes you through the basics and concepts, and gives you the necessary knowledge and skills to pull off your own web application.

What is Ruby?

Ruby is one of the older programming languages, created two decades ago. It is among the top ten most popular programming languages by most measures, though it is usually ranked towards the end of the list. Most of its popularity these days also stems from the popularity of the Rails framework. Ruby, like C language or Java, is an all-purpose programming language, but is most popularly used for web programming.

What is Rails?

Rails is basically a software library that extends Ruby, created by David Heinemeier Hansson. It is called ‘Ruby on Rails’, ‘RoR’, or just ‘Rails’ in many cases. It is a software code addition to the Ruby programming language. In technical terms, it is a package library or ‘RubyGem’ installed with the command-line interface of the operating system.

Rails is used as a website development framework, and it is sets conventions for easier maintenance and collaboration, codified as the Rails application programming interface (API). The Rails API essentially provides directives to control the code. It is documented on the internet and described in a lot of places. Learning Ruby on Rails from scratch involves learning how to use the API and the Rails conventions.

Rails combines Ruby with JavaScript, CSS and HTML to form a web application running on a web server. Since it is runs on the server, it is considered a back-end or server-side application development platform. Web browsers are considered front-end platforms.

In a larger senses, Rails less of an API and more of a software library. It is a central project involving a huge community producing software libraries and codes that simplifies site-building. Members of this Rails community share many of the core values, support each other and often use the same set of tools.

Why opt for Ruby?

Ruby is popular in the programming world for its uncluttered, to-the-point syntax that does not require a lot of repetition or punctuation, like Java or PHP. It is more streamlined than Java, requiring less code for the basic structures, like data fields. It is a modern language where it is easier to use meta-programming and other high-level abstractions. Meta-programming in particular eases the development of a domain specific language, customizing Ruby for certain uses. Rails and several other RubyGems use this DSL capability.

RubyGems is the key advantage of Ruby. It is the package manager that eases the development and sharing of software libraries or gems that can extend the capabilities of Ruby. It is a simple system for gem installation. Anyone can create and upload their gems on the RubyGems website. The gem is then available to be downloaded and installed by any user. You will also find the latest version of Rails from the RubyGems website, along with all necessary gems to develop complex websites.

Ruby on Rails Course Curriculum

Section 1: Introduction

This article provides an introduction to Ruby on Rails, looking into its development philosophy and guidelines, its ‘convention over configuration’ concept and opinionated structure. The section also provides guidelines on how to set up Ruby on Rails in your computer and get it up and running. Finally, it ends with the directory structure of the Rails application, giving you all that you need to explore Ruby on Rails further.

Section 2: Directories

This section specifically focuses on Rails directories. The directory contains configuration code required by your application. These include database.yml for your database configuration, routes.rb for routing incoming web requests and environment.rb for your Rails environment structure.

Section 3: Environment Modes on Ruby on Rails

The section focuses on environment modes and settings. Ruby on Rails has three environments: development, production and test. Each of these environments are used to configure the Rails framework.

Section 4: Files Creations

The section gets you more familiar with the Rails command line and generator, showing you how to create and manage files. When you create an application with the Rails command, you are using a generator. You can find a lot more generators available on Rails.

Section 5: Ruby on Rails Servers

With the files created, it is time to start the Rails server. This is the next section of the course. You can quickly create a web server called WEBrick, but this is not the only option with Rails. This section explores that in more detail.

Section 6: Hello Rails

This final section brings a close to the entire process, showing you how to create your first every Rails application. Apply the steps and knowledge you learned in the above section and go through both videos to create a nice little application, and take your first step into Rails development.

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