Ruby on Rails vs PHP: How to choose the proper language for your project

Though, compared to PHP, Ruby on Rails is significantly less popular among global developers, it's still very handy when it comes to startups and developing MVPs, supporting complex databases, and leading extensive traffic to web applications. At the same time, in the contest ‘Ruby vs. PHP,’ Ruby can hardly give you such a wide pool of engineering talent, a variety of in-built tools, and performance improvements as PHP does. 

However, to get the big difference between Ruby on Rails and PHP, we should discuss it in more detail for you to be sure which of them suits your project better. Let’s go to the gist at once!

Choosing Ruby on Rails: When and Why?

Using Ruby for web development is usually associated with efficiency, rapid development with reusable components, consistency in programming conventions, clearcut syntax, and flexibility. That’s why a lot of companies have resorted to it to develop their products: Airbnb, Github, Shopify, Couchsurfing, Bloomberg, Fiverr, Twitter, etc. 

Meantime, you should be aware of the most suitable cases when to use Ruby on Rails:

1. To build a fintech startup. Ruby on Rails programming language is often welcomed in the startup community as an efficient technology to create a website sustaining a huge amount of traffic.
2. To create a platform for a big user base. That’s another popular scenario of how is Ruby used in web development as it’s perfect for managing numerous daily transactions and users’ requests. 
3. To start safely with an MVP. Thanks to its capability to bring quick updates into the product, in a contradiction ‘Ruby on Rails vs PHP,’ the former allows building cost-effective functionality that can be changed and upgraded further on.
4. To build a news or analytics hub. As Ruby on Rails perfectly goes along with various complex databases, it’s the best solution for such a development purpose.
5. If you wish to create secure software from the very start. With Ruby technology, your product will pertain to the right path towards security through inner features under the hood. Moreover, the extensive documentation will help you stay in the loop and enhance your product security after the release.
6. In case you need to cope with updates quickly and efficiently. Speedy development is the dream of all business owners, and the disruptive users’ needs and market fluctuations will demand making changes in your product won’t take long. Ruby on Rails makes this dream possible. 

Already interested in selecting Ruby on Rails as your project’s language? Don’t jump to a hasty conclusion! Let’s discuss PHP vs Ruby on Rails now.

Choosing PHP: When and Why?

While comparing Ruby on Rails vs PHP performance, it becomes clear that PHP wins the competition—numerous web pages and easy scalability pose no challenge here. Besides, PHP suits different operating systems and devices, being focused on graphic design, interactive user interface, effective content management systems, and open-source libraries. As a result, it’s widely used for building web pages and web-based apps.

But let’s specify the use cases that will suggest you choose PHP language for your project.

1. To create a visually attractive customized site/web app. The three-tiered architecture combines server, browser, and database systems in one entity, allowing developers to build dynamic functionality like Spotify or Facebook.
2. If interactivity is your major concern. Advanced design decisions and user-friendliness are the frequent reasons for using PHP to build various web solutions.
3. To support a high volume of content. If that’s critical, think of PHP as a great mediator between different services through various protocols. The bright examples here are Wikipedia and Moodle. 
4. To deal with login forms and other user data. That’s the valid reason for choosing PHP for creating e-commerce websites of Magento type: its frameworks with templates and libraries execute the ideal means for this purpose.
5. If you care about quality more than the time of execution. In some cases, it may take longer to bring critical changes into the product, so you should be prepared for this sacrifice.
6. If you’re seeking compatibility with other languages. Sometimes your solution can be very complex, and PHP can be integrated with Javascript. HTML, XML, and others.

Did you find your business request in the list below? If you’re not sure how to choose a programming language yet, take a look at the sum-up table below.

Comparing Ruby and PHP: Similarities and Differences

Checklist to determine which language suits your project

To release the last shadows of doubt, ask yourself the following questions:

• What budget do you have? Compare the salaries of PHP and Ruby developers to get an idea of what it’ll cost for you.
• Which industry is your target market? If you’re going to develop a fintech website, a social networking app, or a scalable static platform, opt for Ruby. If you’re creating an e-commerce website, multi-page content hub, or a dynamic web app with a complicated design, think of PHP.
• Desktop or web? Usually, Ruby for the former and PHP for the latter.
• Are you in haste? You can come up with Ruby on Rails if you wish to get your product developed faster or create an MVP to be extended gradually, or choose PHP for a complicated and long-term project.
• Do UX and UI matter a lot? If yes, choose PHP for greater customization and interactivity. 
• Are you obsessed with clean code? Here, Ruby is definitely stronger.
• Is safety your primary concern? Again, Ruby is considered more secure and less vulnerable to errors.

Get our expert advice on which technology will work best for you

Choosing a programming language for product development is a game-changing decision, that’s why it should be weighted well. Today we’ve looked at PHP vs Ruby comparison, and you may already know which one seems right for you. However, it’s always better to delegate this choice to an experienced architect, and that’s what Patternica will readily do for you.