19 Ruby Automation Frameworks for Web Development

Ruby is a dynamic open-source programming language that focuses on productivity and simplicity. There are a lot of Ruby frameworks that offer a range of functionalities. There are some which can be used as excellent APIs and others that improve the traffic handling capabilities. It is essential to know which Ruby framework to pick for your project. 

Here, we have listed the top 19 Ruby Web Frameworks for Web Development that you can choose as per your requirements:

1. Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails framework is used for back-end web development and was developed in 2004. It is considered one of the top server-side programming languages. It consists of multiple libraries, called gems, that help in the functioning of certain features of web applications. 

This framework is mainly used to develop web applications that require lower bandwidth, processing power, and database performance. Airbnb, Twitter, and Bloomberg are well-known users of this framework.

Ruby on Rails is the most widely used among startups because:

• Cost effective
• Secure
• Can be used to build application frameworks
• Can create and render any template

2. Sinatra

Sinatra is the second most used Ruby Framework (after Ruby on Rails) and was developed in 2007. It is a light micro-framework used by developers to build modern web applications. The users of Sinatra can finish writing the complete code in a single source code file and release the web application to the public. Some of the well-known users of this framework are Applied, GitHub, and LinkedIn, among many others.

Advantages of Sinatra are:

• Open source
• Can be used to build anything from micro web apps to complex web apps
• Lightweight

3. Camping

Camping is one of the most lightweight Ruby frameworks, with the source code being just 4 KB in size. It is now an open-source Ruby framework that stores a new web application as many small Common Gateway Interfaces (CGIs) in a single file. The developer can choose to move the application to Ruby on Rails once it is released. 

Advantages of Camping are:

• Open source
• Can convert a web app into a file as MVC structure

4. Ramaze

Ramaze is another lightweight Ruby framework used to develop advanced web applications. Ramaze is a ‘bug-free’ framework that works excellently with projects using JQuery, ORM, AJAX, JavaScript, etc. Ramaze is a versatile and scalable framework that can help develop projects of varied shapes and sizes.

Advantages of Ramaze are:

• Lightweight
• Faster
• Best of projects with JQuery, ORM , AJAX, Javascript

5. Goliath

Goliath is a lightweight Ruby automation framework that was released in 2016. You can implement and manage Rack API, asynchronous computing, and middleware in Ruby using Goliath. It is supported by an Event Machine reactor, an HTTP parser and Ruby 1.9. This framework transforms callback-based code into linear execution, which is more maintainable and readable.

Advantages of Goliath are:

• Lightweight
• Powers PostRank
• Empahsises on Server-specific mechanisms

6. Hanami (previously Lotus)

Hanami was previously known as Lotus and was developed in 2014. It is a modern Ruby automation framework optimized for fast repose time. It is a lightweight framework but includes more than 100 features that can be used to create powerful web applications without compromising memory.

Developers can use Hanami to release web applications that depend on browser technologies like Content Security Policy, automatic escaping, etc., to safeguard the public against digital security threats. It provides additional features to its users like HTML escaping to avoid XSS, CSRF, and regulating the content security policy of the browser.

Advantages of Hanami are:

• Fast response time
• Consumption of fewer resources
• Uses less memory
• Offers features like HTML, CSRF, etc.

7. Padrino

Padrino is a full-featured framework that was released in 2010. It is developed on the Sinatra framework and provides more functionality than Sinatra. Padrino is generally used for the development of complicated and data-driven web applications. 

Advantages of Padrino are:

• Open source
• Faster
• Can develop complex web apps
• Can mount sub-applications

8. NYNY

NYNY framework or the New York, New York framework is generally used to test web applications for cross-browser operability. The developers using the NYNY framework do not have to use an extension interface to utilize the various features of NYNY. It is a self-sufficient micro-framework with an immense power structure. 

Advantages of NYNY are:

• Small and Lightweight
• Powerful
• Editable framework

9. Cuba

Cuba is a Ruby micro-framework that was developed in 2010. It is generally used for the development of web applications in Ruby. The developer can choose to integrate various libraries and templates for the development of website applications with Cuba. Developers widely prefer it mainly because of its ease of learning and flexibility.

A lot of other technologies aid Cuba’s framework in extending its functionality. The templates in Cuba are integrated via Tilt, while the testing is integrated via Capybara and Cutest. 

Advantages of Cuba are:

• Micro framework
• Powerful
• Faster
• Easy and faster learning

10. Ruby Grape

Ruby Grape is used to create REST APIs. This micro-framework was released in 2010 and can be used to complement other Ruby frameworks. It provides a domain-specific programming language that can be used for coercing and validating the parameters.

Advantages of Grape are:

• Microframework 
• Can develop REST APIs

11. Scorched

Scorched is another framework that is developed on the Sinatra framework. It requires at least Ruby 2.0 to work and encourages developers to test and implement new tools to utilize this lightweight framework efficiently. Inexperienced developers and programmers might find it difficult to use Scorched because of its level of complexity. It can be used for the creation of scalable web applications on Ruby.

Advantages of Scorched are:

• Lightweight
• Powerful
• No overlapping functionality

12. Roda

Roda is considered a routing tree toolkit developed for creating rapid and maintainable website applications on the Ruby framework. Since this framework is made entirely of plugins, the developer can change any part of the Roda code and call super to go back to default. It is faster than many other Ruby frameworks because of the routing tree and intelligent caching of internal data.

Advantages of Roda are:

• Uses less memory
• Easy to install
• Flexbile architecture 
• Large options of APIs

13. Volt

Volt is a popular Ruby framework in which the code is executed on both the client and the server through Opal. The Document Object Model (DOM) is created to update automatically when the user interacts with the page. The HTML is provided to the server as soon as the user clicks on the URL for faster loading. This framework relies on the network channel for client and server communication.

Advantages of Volt are:

• Faster loading
• Reactive programming
• Efficient communication between client and server

14. RSpec

RSpec is a behaviour-driven Ruby unit test framework that varies from other XUnit frameworks. This Ruby testing framework does not focus on how the application works, and instead, it focuses on its Behaviour or what is the function of the application. RSpec is a simple and easy-to-understand tool, considering its powerful Domain-Specific Language (DSL).

Advantages of RSpec are:

• Behaviour driven
• Rich and powerful DSL

15. Hobbit

Hobbit is a lightweight micro-framework used for creating web applications. It is developed on the Rack. This framework can be stretched with multiple Rack modules and classes without extra logic. It promotes the reduction of redundancies. 

Advantages of Hobbit are:

• Faster execution
• Extendable with other Rack modules

16. Cramp

Cramp is a real-time Ruby framework that is developed on EventMachine. It is asynchronous and is curated for working with many open connections and offering a full-duplex-bi-directional form of communication. It builds server events, WebSockets, and Application Program Interfaces (APIs).

Advantages of Cramp are:

• Faster and efficient communication
• Simple installation
• Can develop Web sockets, APIs and Server-sent events.

17. Cucumber

The Cucumber automation framework is a set of tools and techniques that employs Behaviour driven development (BDD). It is primarily used in the ‘gherkin language’ to run automated acceptance tests. This is also compatible with the most widely used software platforms like Appium, Selenium, etc.

Advantages of Cucumber are:

• Reusable code
• Faster plugins
• Compatible with Selenium & Appium
• Supports multiple programming language

18. Resque

Resque is a Ruby framework developed by Chris Wanstrath, co-founder and CEO of GitHub. It is a Ruby library for creating background tasks, placing the charges on multiple queues, and finally computing the task later. It is primarily motivated by DelayedJobs and consists of 3 main parts: Ruby library, Rake task, and a Sinatra app.

Advantages of Resque are:

• Redis-backed
• Supports multiple queues

19. Sneakers

Sneakers is a Ruby framework that is inspired by the RabbitMQ framework. It is a brief background processing framework capable of completing many background tasks in a shorter amount of time. It also focuses on lowering costs, a significant issue in voluminous projects.

Advantages of Sneakers are:

• Faster processing
• Backed by RabbitMQ
• Cost reduction

Irrespective of the framework that you select, it is highly recommended to conduct a combination of manual and automated tests on Ruby frameworks to ensure the proper functioning of the web application. 

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