PHP vs. Ruby vs. Ruby on Rails for Modern Web Apps

PHP and Ruby on Rails are two very powerful backend technologies that are often compared to one another. However, they are not applicable for the same use cases, and each will deliver varying results depending on your application.

In this blog, I will explore PHP vs. Ruby on Rails - and more broadly, PHP vs. Ruby and framework vs. language in programming - and bring out the advantages and potential disadvantages of each.

What to Know Before Comparing PHP vs. Ruby on Rails

A Note on Ruby

First, let’s understand that Ruby is a scripting language, and Rails is a framework written in Ruby. For that reason, we need to pivot. If we are to compare something to PHP, it must be Ruby and not just Ruby on Rails. We will speak liberally about Rails in this piece, but best to clear the air on this early on. 

What Is a Framework?

A framework is a code library usually based upon a design pattern or methodology. In PHP, we have popular frameworks like Laravel, Symfony, and Laminas (formerly Zend Framework).

Amazon states that a framework is "a collection of reusable software components that make it more efficient to develop new applications." While I agree that components are key ingredients, I think there is so much more to a good framework, such as an overall implementation methodology, community, and culture. If we just accept the default definition about components, one could argue that any collection of modules comprises a framework. I would challenge that idea, as I believe it is much more.

Frameworks also represent a tremendous body of knowledge and experience based upon the people that architect and maintain them. Being able to leverage the collective experience of dozens, if not hundreds, of people's years of experience can truly bring about a significant productivity boost. However, that lift comes with a steep learning curve, one that is often unique to that framework. I find, though, that once you get a couple of frameworks under your belt, you should begin to see similarities that make transitioning to other frameworks easier.

What Is a Programming Language?

A programming language is a system of notation for writing computer programs. Frameworks are written in programming languages.

I've written programs in many languages over the years. When comparing PHP vs. Ruby, the primary similarity is that they are both scripting languages, compiled at run time. This makes the comparison fairly even.

Should I Learn a Framework or Language?

To stay competitive in the modern landscape, developers should learn both frameworks and languages.

I am often asked whether programmers should learn a framework, and if so, which one. I would argue that it is almost impossible to work in any medium to enterprise shop and not run into a framework. I echo what I've learned over the years, which is to learn one language as well as possible, and then one framework as well as possible. Stick to something a little more popular so you are competitive in the job market. Once through that initial learning curve, transitioning becomes a lot easier.

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PHP vs. Ruby vs. Ruby on Rails: Overview

While many try to compare PHP vs. Ruby on Rails, I'm taking a slightly different approach. I will focus initially on comparing PHP vs. Ruby, then wrap up with a summary about how Rails has helped, and also hurt, the Ruby community.

What Is PHP?

PHP, which originally stood for Personal Home Page but now stands for PHP: Hypertext Processor, is a very popular and established scripting language. Well known for its easy learning curve and flexibility, PHP delivers server-side programming and has a robust and active community.

First founded in 1994, PHP is used across a vast range of content management systems, web servers, and other environments. It can run on almost every platform, such as Linux, Microsoft Windows, and proprietary platforms like IBM i. Versatile and quickly adopted, PHP can be used by developers to write in procedural or object-oriented styles. An estimated 75% of the known web uses PHP to power mission-critical applications.

What Is Ruby?

Ruby is a scripting language created in 1995 by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto, who said he wanted to focus on simplicity, or be "natural in a way that mirrors life." The Ruby language is extended via a packing solution called Ruby Gems. While Ruby Gems are still being built, it is at a significantly slower pace than in the past.

I have heard from many Ruby developers that Ruby is a "nice" language to work in because of it's simple intentions. I believe this gives Ruby an extremely loyal following.

Like Python, Ruby variables are implemented as objects, as both Python and Ruby tend to follow the original Smalltalk approach that makes this the default standard, regardless of development in an object-oriented or procedural model. Ruby is enhanced via the "Ruby Association," and new features to the language are funded via a grant process.

What Is Ruby on Rails?

Rails is a framework written in Ruby. While it is certainly the most popular Ruby framework, there are others like Sinatra - which is good for web development - and Camping - which is great as a lightweight framework. 

Rails had a hand in a lot of startups back in the day, including Twitter. It is built in the very popular MVC design architecture and espoused by how easy it is to find components. Just about every framework today leverages a flavor of MVC. As indicated above, the Rails inventor intended the use of Rails to be brutally natural for developers, and many Rails developers respond positively to the look and feel of the framework as well as the language.

PHP vs. Ruby: At-A-Glance

PHP vs. Ruby: Key Similarities

When comparing PHP vs. Ruby, let's start with the key similarities between the options.

Dynamic Typing

Both are scripting languages and dynamically typed. As of the time this blog was written, strict typing is optionally available in both, and it is hard to say which may "force" the issue first. Many developers claim debugging code is easier with strictly typed languages, but on the other hand, many developers find dynamically typed languages faster to prototype with. While strict typing is not the default just yet, it is available.

Array Support

Another similarity when comparing PHP vs. Ruby is that both have similar array support without having to delve into the "collections" classes of some languages like Java. This is, again, another advantage for quick development and powerful prototyping. Both support dynamic typing and disparate types inside a single array.

Maturity

Along the lines of maturity, PHP and Ruby have introduced a JIT compiler, which once again proves that each technology solution tends to be a horse race as all options try to catch up with each other.

Time to Prototype

While I mentioned this at the beginning of this blog, many like to attribute Ruby as being faster to prototype than PHP. However, I believe this is a dead heat until you introduce a framework, like Rails for Ruby or Laravel for PHP. Development speed for each is about even, as they both rely heavily on frameworks to amp up developer productivity.

That being said, I still find PHP easier to introduce to entry-level resources, while Ruby tends to rely on Rails as a nice way to build an app with little to no development knowledge. Each has pros and cons and, for what it's worth, Laravel includes components that were inspired by Ruby.

IDEs are widely available, and JetBrains has the sports car level IDE for both PHP and Ruby. The incredible advancements of VS code are a foot deep and a mile wide, and getting started in either language will provide a similar experience.

PHP vs. Ruby: Key Differences

Despite the many similarities, comparing PHP vs. Ruby does reveal a few key differences.

Ruby, like Python, has a Global Interpreter Lock, which inhibits its ability to run concurrent instructions. While this is always a hotly debated point with interpreted languages, PHP has been addressing the need for thread safety for some time.

Additionally, community is a major note when comparing PHP vs. Ruby. While both languages enjoy a very loyal base, PHP appears to still be much larger, more prolific, and provide more frequent updates and extensions. For example, Modulecounts.com illustrates the PHP community contributing packages at the rate of over 80 per day. Ruby, in contrast, contributes Ruby Gems at a rate of about 10 per day.

When to Use PHP vs. Ruby

The application of each language matters a great deal as both are quite mature technologies. For fast prototyping, Ruby is still attractive, and the community around Ruby loves the aesthetics of the language. But many scoff at Ruby's ability, or lack hereof, to handle significant scale.

For instance, compare the early days of Twitter (Ruby) to Facebook (PHP). Both applications have unbelievable scaling requirements, but when it came to serious load, Twitter often experienced well-documented issues. As a result, the Twitter world moved on to scale via Java. To be fair, Facebook moved onto a a "forked" version of PHP called Hack, but it is still running a great deal of PHP for specific tasks.

Final Thoughts

When considering PHP vs. Ruby or PHP vs. Ruby on Rails, I suggest that each have their applications, but I rarely hear of a developer or team leaving PHP because of scalability. So, for quick and single-purpose websites, Ruby or Ruby on Rails might make a lot of sense. As I tend support the enterprise space where one application is required to interact with a few dozen others, scalability is a top concern, and I think I'll stick to my PHP.

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Additional Resources

• On-Demand Webinar - Developing Robust 12-Factor Web Applications: Best Practices and Strategies
• Blog – PHP vs. JavaScript for Web Applications: Comparing Benefits and Use Cases
• Blog – PHP vs. Python
• Blog – PHP vs. Node.js: What’s Best for Your Web App?
• Blog - How To Use PHP and ReactJS To Build Modern Web Apps
• Additional Ruby Information - Ruby Releases