Programmers love to try out new languages and distinguish among them over different parameters. It helps them in finding what language works better for them, or for the application they are working on. Ruby vs Scala is also one of those debates.
Ever since Twitter changed their backend completely from Ruby to Scala, the debate got even more heated up. Developer Communities started wondering if Ruby is outdated? If Scala going to take over Ruby and any other major language or framework? And related questions.
So let’s check out the differences between Ruby vs Scala and go through their relative advantages and disadvantages over each other.
What is Ruby
Ruby is a dynamic, object-oriented programming language. It offers simple syntax, concise code, code reusability and an easy learning curve. It also has a huge collection of libraries and tools, called as Gems.
Matsumoto Yukihiro “Matz” created Ruby when he wanted to build a language that is more powerful than Perl and Python with a concise syntax and more flexibility.
He combined various sections of different programming languages, including Perl, Eiffel, Ada, Smalltalk, and Lisp, to create Ruby. Ruby perfectly balances grammatical programming with functional programming. As Matsumoto said, Ruby’s language is simple to use but it is complex on the inside, mimicking the human body.
Ruby was designed to be flexible, rapid, simple and productive. Programmers can easily adapt to it and call it fun to use. Many fans even call it an artistic language.
Companies using Ruby:
- Shopify
- GitHub
- Fiverr
- Hulu
- Netflix
- Airbnb
What is Scala?
Scala was developed in 2003 by Martin Odersky. It is a concise high level language that supports both object oriented programming and the functional programming. It is statically typed hence, helps in avoiding bugs in complex applications.
The JavaScript runtime and JVM helps in building high-performance applications. Scala also gives you access to a huge ecosystem of libraries. The word ‘Scala’ literally comes from Scalability and you can count on it. It is concise and demands less codes to run.
It is a general purpose language which can build any complex or large-scale application. Scala is used in distributed computing, web development and data processing. It can be used in data engineering and by enterprises throughout the world.
Companies using Scala:
- Netflix
- Tumblr
- The Guardian
- Sony
Ruby vs Scala: What are the differences?
Ruby vs Scala, both languages have certain things similar. Both are high-level, open-source, multi-paradigm (object-oriented and functional), and strongly typed languages. Both have a clear and concise syntax and are very expressive and dynamic(IMHO).
Still there are a few differences between Ruby and Scala to consider:
Both have different types for characters and strings. Ruby declares strings with single quotes while Scala does it with double quotes.
Scala is statically-typed language. That means you get secure codes and better speed while coding. But you will have to specify variable types each time. Ruby, on the other hand, is dynamically typed. That means all the 'types' are checked when code runs. However it will show error once the code is executed.
Scala is more functionally-oriented and immutable. That being said, it has pattern matching, lazy evaluation and currying. Ruby also has these features but they feel more natural and comfortable in Scala.
Scala has interoperability with Java as it runs on Java Virtual Machine. You can combine Scala with Java libraries naturally and can integrate it with Java based systems. Ruby, being a completely different language, does not integrate with any other language easily. However with Scala tools, you may have to depend upon java libraries.
According to a report by StackShare community, Ruby has a wider appeal than Scala. Ruby is mentioned in 1140 developers stacks and 2530 company stacks. While, Scala, is only mentioned in 324 developer stacks and 437 company stacks.
Conclusion
Ruby vs Scala both languages have their own merits and demerits. It is precisely upto you and your demands which language is good for you. If you prefer a statically typed language that help you in scaling up your project, choose Scala. If you want a dynamically typed language for rapid project development, choose Ruby.
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Top comments (1)
| Ruby declares strings with single quotes
Ruby allows using both ways, single or double quotes, for strings.