Python vs Ruby – Difference Between Them

Key Difference between Python vs Ruby

  • Python support multiple inheritance, while Ruby support 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.
Difference between Python and Ruby
Difference between Python and Ruby

What is Python?

Python is a high-level object-oriented programming language. It has built-in data structures, combined with dynamic binding and typing, makes it an ideal choice 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.

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.

Differences Between Python and Ruby

Here is the important difference between Python vs Ruby:

Python Ruby
Created in 1991 by Guido Van Rossum Created in 1995 by Yukihiro Matsumoto
Python framework Django-Started in 2005 by Adrian Holovaty and Simon Willison. Ruby on Rail framework started in 2005 by David Heinemeier Hansson.
It is very explicit and elegant to read It can be very hard to debug at times
Python is a high-level programming language. Ruby is a general purpose programming language.
Not fully object-oriented programming language. Fully object-oriented programming language.
It has a larger range of libraries. It has a smaller library than Python.
When a variable is set, you can’t unset it back. It will be present in the symbol table as long as variable in scope.
Support multiple inheritance Support single inheritance.
Its lambda functions are larger. It supports only a single line lambda function.
It has methods. It has functions.
Python mainly used for academic and scientific programming. Ruby is used for web development and functional programming.
Python community is very innovative and very web focused. Ruby community is very stable and but innovates slower.
Python has simple learning curve. Ruby has stiff learning curve.
Most important characteristics of Python are: Conservative, code readability, speedy, and efficient. Most important characteristics of Ruby are: Expressive, efficient, elegant, and powerful.
#!/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
Companies using Python are YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, Reddit, Dropbox. Companies using Ruby are Hulu, Basecamp, GitHub, and Airbnb, etc.
TIBOE rating of Python is 3 TIBOE rating of a ruby language is 11
The average salary for a Python developer is $120,255 per year in the United States. The average salary for a Ruby Developer is $134,029 per year in the United States

Features of Python

Here are the important features of Python:

  • 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.
  • It supports an interactive mode of testing and debugging.
  • It offers high-level dynamic data types and also 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

Features of Ruby

Here are the important features of Ruby:

  • It is a general-purpose, interpreted programming language.
  • It is a true object-oriented 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 into Ruby scripts.

Stark Overflow Questions: Ruby vs Python

Stark Overflow: Ruby vs Python
Stark Overflow Questions: Ruby vs Python

Google Trends: Python vs Ruby

Google Trends: Python vs Ruby
Google Trends: Python vs Ruby

Advantages of Python

Here are the pros/benefits of using Python:

  • Python is a powerful object-oriented programming language.
  • 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, garbage collection.
  • Python provides an interactive shell that helps you to test the things before its actual implementation.
  • Python offers database interfaces to all major commercial DBMS systems.

Advantages of Ruby

Here are the pros/benefits of using Ruby:

  • 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 shorter time duration.

Disadvantages of Python

Here are the cons/drawbacks of using Python programming language:

  • Used in fewer platforms.
  • Weak in mobile computing, hence not used in app development
  • As Python is dynamic, so 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

Disadvantages of Ruby

Here are the cons/drawbacks of using Ruby:

  • 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 Ruby language.