Python vs Ruby – Difference Between Them

Key Difference between Python vs Ruby

• Python supports multiple inheritance, while Ruby supports single inheritance.
• Python is mainly used for academic, AI, machine learning, and scientific programming, while Ruby is used for web development and functional programming.
• Python is not a fully object-oriented programming language. Whereas Ruby is a fully object-oriented programming language.
• In Python, once a variable is set, you can’t unset it back, while in Ruby, it will be present in the symbol table as long as the variable is in scope.
• Python lambda functions are larger, while Ruby supports only a single-line lambda function.
• Python is very explicit and elegant to read, while Ruby can be very hard to debug at times.
• Python has methods, while Ruby has functions.

Here, I have analyzed the difference between Python and Ruby and will comprehensively evaluate their pros and cons.

What is Python?

Python is a high-level object-oriented programming (OOP) language. Python’s built-in data structures, combined with dynamic binding and typing, make it ideal for rapid application development. Python also offers support for modules and packages, which allows system modularity and code reuse.

It is one of the fastest programming language as it requires very few lines of code. Its emphasis is on readability and simplicity, which makes it a great choice for beginners.

Features of Python

Here are the important features of Python that I have come to know through my extensive use:

• Easy to learn, read, and maintain
• It can run on various hardware platforms & using the same interface.
• You can include low-level modules to the Python interpreter.
• Python offers an ideal structure and support for large programs.
• Python offers support for automatic garbage collection.
• Python supports an interactive mode of testing and debugging.
• Python offers high-level dynamic data types and supports dynamic type checking.
• Python language can be integrated with Java, C, and C++ programming code
• High-performance
• Simple, minimal syntax
• Fast compilation times
• Statically linked binaries which are simple to deploy

Advantages of Python

Here are the pros/benefits I’ve observed from using Python:

• Python is a powerful object-oriented programming language.
• Python programming uses an elegant syntax, making the program you write easier to read.
• Python comes with a large standard library, so it supports many common programming tasks.
• Runs on various types of computers and operating systems: Windows, macOS, Unix, OS/2,etc.
• Very simple syntax compared to Java, C, and C++ languages.
• Extensive library and handy tools for developers
• Python has its auto-installed shell
• Compared with the code of other languages, python code is easy to write and debug. Therefore, its source code is relatively easy to maintain.
• Python is a portable language so that it can run on a wide variety of operating systems and platforms.
• Python comes with many prebuilt libraries, which makes your development task easy.
• Python helps you to make complex programming simpler. As it internally deals with memory addresses and garbage collection.
• Python programming language provides an interactive shell that helps you to test things before their actual implementation.
• Python offers database interfaces to all major commercial DBMS systems.

Disadvantages of Python

Here are the cons/drawbacks we’ve observed while using the Python programming language:

• Used in fewer platforms.
• Weak in mobile computing, hence not used in app development
• As Python is dynamic, it shows more errors at run-time
• Under-developed and primitive database access layer
• Absence of commercial support
• Since Python is dynamic; more errors show up at run-time

What is Ruby?

Ruby is a pure object-oriented programming language. It is a dynamic open-source language that has a great community behind it. Ruby encourages developers to write software code for humans first and computers second.

It is considered similar to Perl and Smalltalk programming languages. Ruby runs on all kinds of platforms like Mac OS, Windows, and all versions of UNIX.

Features of Ruby

In my extensive experience with Ruby, here are the important features:

• It is a general-purpose, interpreted programming language.
• Ruby is a server-side scripting language, so it is very much similar to Python and PERL
• Ruby language can be used to write Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts.
• It has a similar syntax to that of many programming languages like Perl and C++.
• Ruby is very much scalable, and big programs written in Ruby can be maintained easily.
• It can be used for the development of Internet and intranet applications.
• Ruby has a rich set of built-in functions, which can be used directly in Ruby scripts.

Advantages of Ruby

Here are the pros/benefits of using Ruby from my experience:

• Offers freedom to developers to apply creative solutions
• Ruby has a clean and easy syntax, which allows a new developer to learn very quickly and easily.
• Just like Python, it’s open source.
• Ruby language was developed to make the developer’s work faster, and it gives freedom to developers to develop any size of the web app in a shorter time duration.

Disadvantages of Ruby

Here are the cons/drawbacks of using Ruby that I’ve encountered:

• It is not easy to debug tasks in Ruby
• It offers fewer use cases other than web development
• The documentation, as well as community and support on Ruby, are limited.
• Great gems and libraries are difficult to find.
• There is a constant decline in the popularity of the Ruby language.

Differences Between Python and Ruby

Here is the important difference between Python and Ruby, from my perspective:

#!/usr/bin/python
# Python count to 10
i = 0
num = 11
while i < num:
    print("Inside the loop i = " + str(i))
    i = i + 1

#!/usr/bin/ruby
# Ruby count to 10

$i = 0
$num = 11

while $i < $num  do
   puts("Inside the loop i = #$i" )
   $i +=1
End

Which Language to Choose Python or Ruby?

We have seen that Python is ideally suited for tasks requiring analytical depth and computational power, while Ruby’s pragmatic design is perfect for quick web application developments.