CSC/ECE 517 Fall 2007/wiki2 1 p23

Ruby on Rails and Apache Struts: A comparison based study

There exist several web application development frameworks in the market. A software developer faces a dilemma regarding which of these to employ to implement his application, based on criteria such as enhanced productivity, complexity, scalability, requirement satisfaction, maintenance, etc. This article aims to compare two such frameworks, Ruby on Rails and Apache Struts, from the perspective of the developer and that of the finished application.

Introduction

Web application frameworks are employed to develop dynamic web pages as well as web applications and services. Generally, web application frameworks comprise libraries compiled into a cohesive software stack. Ruby on Rails as well as Apache Struts are based on what is known as the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architectural pattern. The concept underlying MVC is to separate the presentation layer (view) from the logic and the data model. This ensures that any changes to the user interface will not affect the business logic, and reorganization of the data model will not affect the user's view. Ruby on Rails and the Apache Struts framework are both based on the MVC Architecture.

Problem Statement

"Compare Ruby on Rails with Apache Struts. The Apache Struts framework in the Java world occupies a position similar to Ruby on Rails, except that it is not as universally used. Compare the two. Which are the advantages of each for the developer? For the finished application?"

Comparison and Evaluation

These application frameworks can be compared against each other based on several criteria.

Comparison criteria

• Complexity
• Speed
• Hmm?