A Comprehensive Difference Between Golang and Ruby
Programming languages play a significant role in the development of applications. There are several languages to choose from. Each language has its own features, strength, and weakness. Golang and Ruby are two widely-used languages. They have similarities as well as differences. Here is a comprehensive analysis of both languages based on their performance, use cases, and other factors.
Table of Contents
Golang
It is a statically-typed language developed by Google. Golang was made available to the public in 2009. Go was designed to overcome the shortcomings of the existing languages. It is simple and easy to use. This open-source language similar to C has many unique features. Its concurrency mechanism allows Go developer to develop applications on multiple platforms. That is why developers prefer to use Go for high-performance applications. Its built-in tools for testing, formatting, and profiling provide a smooth experience for the developers.
Ruby
Ruby is a dynamically-typed language with an expressive syntax. It was created in 1990 by Yukhiro Matx in Japan. It is a combination of a few favorite languages of the creator. Ruby is a scripting language used for backend and frontend development. Its standout features include a ‘gems’ ecosystem that includes a massive collection of libraries and packages. Its strong community support, simple syntax, and other components help programmers to create applications quickly and efficiently.
Golang vs Ruby
- Syntax
Go is known for its minimalistic syntax. It was developed to reduce the complexities of other programming languages. Its syntax is similar to C with statically-typed variables and emphasis on type safety. Although, the language uses pointers, their use is restricted when compared to C or C++. Go emphasizes simplicity and readability. It has fewer keywords and focuses on explicitness.
Ruby is popular for its elegance and flexibility. It is also user-friendly, readable, and natural. Ruby uses dynamic typing. This allows variables to change types during runtime. This can be convenient but may lead to unexpected behavior if not managed properly.
- Performance
Go is designed for high-performance applications that are helpful for Golang Developer. Moreover, its concurrency, memory management, and complied binaries contribute to its exceptional performance. It’s Goroutines and lightweight threads allow parallelism and concurrency. This makes it ideal for applications with high processing demands.
Ruby’s dynamic nature and interpreted execution slow down its performance. It is not as good as languages like Go. Its recent advancements in Ruby interpreter and JIT compilers have improved its performance but still, its performance is criticized.
- Memory management
Go’s memory management is automatic and is done through its features of automatic garbage collection and automatic memory allocation. Ruby’s memory allocation is done by releasing small sets of slots from time to time.
- Concurrency
Go is designed with built-in support for concurrency through goroutines and channels. So, it is easier to write concurrent programs efficiently. It is well-suited for applications that need to handle multiple tasks at the same time.
Ruby too supports concurrency but it is not as effective as Golang. It uses multiple threads for concurrent and parallel execution.
- Learning curve
Go’s learning curve is small because it is simple, easy to understand, and has an intuitive design.
Ruby, on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve because it is an interpreted language.
- Language
Golang is not an object-oriented language whereas Ruby is purely object-oriented.
- Scalability
Go’s inherent support for concurrency, networking capabilities, compiled nature, resource utilization, and a well-designed standard library makes it a strong choice for building scalable applications. It enables developers to build applications that can handle large workloads and concurrent tasks.
Ruby is not as scalable as Golang. It has strengths as well as challenges that developers should consider. Its scalability can be improved by adopting various strategies and tools to overcome its limitations.
- Ecosystem and community
Go’s ecosystem has a high-quality standard library that includes a wide range of functionalities. GoDoc or the Go Packaging Index provides access to numerous libraries contributed by the community. Go is relatively a newer language. Its community is not as large as Ruby but it is growing significantly since its inception.
Ruby has an extensive library collection called the Gems. Gems include a wide spectrum of domains. Ruby-on-Rails, a web framework, contributes to web development. As Ruby is older than Go, its community is large and is known for its supportive atmosphere.
- Use cases
Golang is ideal for APIs or backend systems. It is an excellent option for systems programming, concurrent applications, and networking. It can handle both simple and complex multi-threaded tasks. Popular companies like Uber, eBay, Dropbox, Google, etc. use Golang.
Ruby is ideal for technology DevOps solutions and services like Puppet. It excels in web development with the Ruby on Rails framework. It is an excellent choice for creating technology web applications with elegant code. Airbnb, Shopify, etc. use Ruby.
Table comparing Golang and Ruby
| Golang | Ruby | |
| Syntax | Simple, readable, fewer keywords | Flexible, elegant, and uses keywords to delimit blocks |
| Type system | Statistic where variables are determined at compile time | Dynamic where variable types are determined at runtime |
| Memory management | Automatic | Release of small slots from time to time |
| Language | Not object-oriented | Object-oriented |
| Concurrency | Very effective. Done through channels and goroutines | Not very effective. Done through multiple threads |
| Learning curve | Small | Steeper |
| Ecosystem | Go Package Index | Gems |
| Use cases | APIs | web development |
| Scalability | Highly scalable | Not very scalable |
Go and Ruby cater to distinct needs and developer preferences. Go, with its built-in features like concurrency, is a top choice for systems programming and applications that need high performance and scalability. Ruby’s readability and flexibility make it an excellent option for web development. Go shines in projects that need high performance and parallelism. If your project demands high performance, concurrency, and scalability, go for Golang. Get the services of a Golang development company to build an efficient and effective application.