Django vs Ruby on Rails

We have more than 90 web development frameworks. No wonder it’s hard to choose the one that’ll suit your project best. Still, there are at least two major frameworks that are widely used by the tech giants of nowadays, and for good reason. Ever heard of Django or Ruby on Rails? If both web frameworks are good, how do we compare Django and Ruby on Rails to choose which one to use for web development?

Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Dropbox, etc. are powered by Django, a Python programming language framework. Whereas Airbnb, Bloomberg, Shopify, and other leading companies use Ruby on Rails, a Ruby programming language framework. Both languages were created to serve the web and make web applications possible.

In this blog, we’ll compare these two popular frameworks. Both frameworks are fast and easy to use, Django and Ruby on Rails each have reasons for and against them as the development framework for our future project.  Even if python/ruby/etc. are interpreted languages, and are slower in certain workloads, for tasks which are relevant for a web framework this may not matter. So we decided to take a closer look at their pros and cons, as well as use cases to help you decide which one is the best fit for your needs.

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Django Pros, Cons and Use Cases:

Django is a widely used Python-based web development framework. Django was developed in 2003 by Adrian Holovaty and Simon Willison as they started to use Python to build applications. It has its speed, security, and scalability from Python. Websites like Pinterest Engineering, Mozilla, Udemy, NASA, Washington Post and others all rely on Django. It comes with the most tools and libraries for common use cases – for instance, its authentication, URL routing, template engine, an object-relational mapper (ORM), and database schema migrations. Here are some reasons for and against Django.

Django Pros:

Let’s take a look at the main advantages of Django:

Rapid and low-cost prototype/MVP development:

Django has a flexible, well-structured admin panel that lets you reuse code from one project to another. Besides, there are plenty of out-of-the-box libraries that can help you build a product prototype or an MVP fast.

Explicit, logical syntax:

The Django framework is easy to build on, easy to work with, and easy to support. It’s based on Python, which is considered one of the easiest development languages to learn. Besides, it is easy to debug and read, which means it’s not going to be a problem for new team members to catch up with a project in mid-stream.

An extensive open-source ecosystem:

Being an open-source ecosystem means that numerous tools and libraries, both free and paid, are available for everyone at any time. Django’s official documentation is more than enough to find solutions if you’re stuck. There are many helpful forums like Stack Overflow, Django community of Reddit, where developers can find answers of Django-related questions.

 Django Admin portal:

This built-in admin panel is a great tool for easier management of the backend user interface. It is well structured, and has permissions and authentication modules out of the box. Besides, it’s easy to customize by adding custom CSS or replacing the default templates.

Django’s REST framework:

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Django is monolithic:

Django framework uses monolithic approach. Basically, it is the other side of a ready-to-use, out-of-the-box solution. Django pushes developers into certain patterns within the framework. This is one of the reason why Django is the choice for large, tightly-coupled products. The Django framework is a single package where all components are deployed together, so you can’t pick and choose bits and pieces.

Django Use Cases:

Django is widely used for e-commerce websites, healthcare, financial applications, social media sites, transport & logistics and more. The main areas where Django is applied, are as given below:

• Travel and booking systems with complex, fine-tuned customizations
• Django is used in Platforms with complex API architecture and that rely on data from third parties
• Content, data, and e-commerce management engines with custom rules
• Other web apps with dynamically changing complex algorithms.

Django Summary Table:

Summary	Pros	Cons
Django is a clean and easy-to-use Python-based development framework that shortens the time to get a project to market.	Fast and low-cost development Open-source system Simple syntax Lots of libraries Many features included	* Requires more code up front Is a monolithic framework
Use Cases	Brands	Apps
Travel and booking Healthcare E-commerce Platforms with complex APIs Content, data, and e-commerce management engines Other web apps with dynamically changing complex algorithms	NASA The Washington Post Reddit	Instagram Dropbox Spotify Mozilla Pinterest YouTube

 

 Ruby on Rails Pros, Cons and Use Cases:

Django and Ruby on Rails (RoR) both are open-source frameworks. It allows developers use ready-made solutions and therefore, helps them save time on programming processes. David Heinemeier Hansson, the founder of Ruby on Rails, powered his own web application Basecamp with the Ruby framework. Other famous websites built with Ruby on Rails include Twitter, GitHub, Yellow Pages, and more. So, how can one compare Ruby on Rails with Django?

Based on the Ruby language, Ruby on Rails inherited its parent’s logic and simplicity. Actually, Rails is a layer on top of Ruby that helps developers build web applications. It’s a very popular choice for backend solutions, and there’s a comprehensive guide – “The Rails Way” – to building production-quality software with Rails.

As a fully-fledged framework, it offers an ORM (Object Relational Mapping) system for business data and logic, application management, and routing out of the box. Ruby on Rails is a popular choice within Silicon Valley (big Valley startups based on RoR are Airbnb, Etsy, Spotify, etc.) – and now we’re going to take a closer look at it to know why.

Ruby on Rails Pros:

Ruby on Rails is indeed one of the most popular web development frameworks. Here are the main benefits of Ruby on Rails:

Component Structure Based on Plugins and Gems

Ruby on Rails’ component structure, based on plugins (application level) and gems (system level), lets experienced RoR developers quickly put together efficient applications with less coding. The plugins are well documented and easy to use. New gems are constantly added to public repositories, such as the popular RubyGems resource, which currently contains more than 150,000 total gems for download.

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Easy to Migrate and Modify:

In fact, any fundamental changes to the codebase don’t require many changes in the application code. RoR code is of high quality and can be easily read. Ruby on Rails developers doesn’t have to micromanage it. 

Diversity of Presets and Tools:

There are lots of must-have features that are already preconfigured. Ruby on Rails provides developers with multiple standard web features and patterns, which significantly speeds up the development process.

Testing Environment:

When complex testing logic is the core of the product, RoR’s superior testing environment is a great help. Developers can make sure their apps work as desired using testing and debugging tools, as RoR makes it easy to build automated tests and get all aspects of the product checked.

Ruby on Rails Cons:

Along with advantages, come the downsides. Here are some of them:

Faster Complexity and Tech Debt Buildup

Ruby on Rails’ flexibility has a downside. Basically, with so many ways to code the same outcome, code can get difficult to read and may require a steeper learning curve as well as more rework later on.

More Difficult-to-Create API

Building an API with Ruby on Rails can be incredibly complex, as RoR has no equivalent to Django’s REST framework.

Documentation Quality and Standards Vary:

It may be hard to find good documentation on Ruby on Rails. Most of the time, there are “test suites” that serve as the main source of information for developers. They have to study the code instead of simply reading the official documentation (which is not there). 

Ruby on Rails Use Cases:

RoR is widely used for creating prototypes and MVPs. On top of that, it’s very popular in the startup community. According to SimilarTech, more than 402,000 websites are powered with RoR. Here’s an overview of the main areas where Ruby on Rails is used:

• Relatively self-sufficient systems without much third-party data exchange;
• Platforms with dynamically changing rules that need to be re-tested frequently;
• Content, data, and e-commerce management engines with relatively standard feature-set requirements;
• Other CPU-intensive web apps.

Ruby on Rails Summary Table:

Summary	Pros	Cons
Ruby on Rails is a web application framework with a wide range of presets and tools that enable faster development. At the same time, its documentation is not always clear and standardized.	The structure is based on plugins Easy to migrate and modify A diversity of ready-made tool.	Testing environment Difficult to create API Hard to find quality documentation on gems Faster complexity and tech debt buildup
Use Cases	Brands	Apps
Self-sufficient systems Platforms that require frequent testing Content, data, and e-commerce engines Other CPU-intensive web apps	Airbnb Basecamp GitHub YellowPages Kickstarter	Twitter ASKfm Goodreads Fiverr

 

Django Framework vs Ruby on Rails Framework Comparison:

Django and Ruby on Rails both are great web development frameworks. They can deliver modularized, clean code and significantly reduce the time spent on common web development activities. Both of them follow the MVC principle, which means modeling of the domain, presenting the application data, and user interaction, all separated from each other. The question then is: how do you pick which framework to use? The decision may come down to which language you prefer or which software development principle you want to follow: to rely on sensible defaults, such as Ruby’s convention-over-configuration principle, or to follow Python’s “explicit is better than implicit” principle. The answer is simple — you can’t really go wrong by picking either one. Here’s a comparison table of the two frameworks as a reminder of the main attributes of each:

 

	Ruby on Rails	Django
Principle	Convention over configuration	Explicit is better than implicit
Architecture	Model-view-controller pattern	Model-view-template pattern
Pros	The structure is based on plugins Easy to migrate and modify Diversity of ready-made tools. Testing environment	Fast and low-cost development Open-source system Simple syntax Lots of libraries Many features included
Cons	Difficult to create API Hard to find quality documentation on gems Faster complexity and tech debt buildup	Requires more coding upfront Is a monolithic framework
Areas of application	Standard features, test-heavy	Customizations, API
Popularity and availability	57% of web developers like RoR 4% who are not developing with RoR expressed interest in it	62% of web developers enjoy Django 6% who are not using Django expressed interest in it
Community and ecosystem	The RoR community has more than 5,000 people who have already contributed their code to Rails and hundreds of gems with reusable code.	The Django community consists of more than 11,000 people with around 4,000 ready-made packages to use
Principle	Convention over configuration	Explicit is better than implicit
Architecture	Model-view-controller pattern	Model-view-template pattern
	Ruby on Rails	Django
Pros	The structure is based on plugins Easy to migrate and modify Diversity of ready-made tools. Testing environment	Fast and low-cost development Open-source system Simple syntax Lots of libraries Many features included
Cons	Difficult to create API Hard to find quality documentation on gems Faster complexity and tech debt buildup	Requires more coding upfront Is a monolithic framework
Areas of application	Standard features, test-heavy	Customizations, API
Popularity and availability	57% of web developers like RoR 4% who are not developing with RoR expressed interest in it	62% of web developers enjoy Django 6% who are not using Django expressed interest in it
Community and ecosystem	The RoR community has more than 5,000 people who have already contributed their code to Rails and hundreds of gems with reusable code.	The Django community consists of more than 11,000 people with around 4,000 ready-made packages to use

 

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When thinking about long-term prospects of a technology stack it’s common to evaluate the strengths of each tech community and compare Django vs Ruby on Rails popularity among the software developers. There is no perfect front-end framework out there. Your choice should always rely on your business goals and objectives. Having said that, Django, for instance, was included in the list of the most preferred frameworks among DevOps in a StackOverflow survey in 2018. It was and remains popular as well, according to the Python Developers Survey of 2018.

Based on Python, one of the top programming languages currently in demand, Django is used by thousands of programmers every year to build various web applications. It’s compatible with major operating systems, scalable, and easy to understand.

The framework of your choice should serve your business needs and fit into the industry ecosystem — and not because of hype, your friend’s advice, or ease of hiring, but because it suits your project’s objectives. Study the purpose of a framework beforehand, as some frameworks are a good fit for gaming applications; others, for example, lean towards e-commerce websites.

On top of that, deciding what framework to use is a strategic investment for the company. It should not be solely a CTO’s or an IT department’s decision, but rather one that considers the elements of the desired framework at all levels.

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