Similarities and Differences between PHP, Ruby on Rails, and Python

Like the languages we speak are uniquely different, programming language also have variations ranging from popularity, usability and reliability. Every language has a purpose at various aspects. The main similarity between PHP, Ruby on Rails and Python is that they are all dynamic object oriented languages.

The surface-level differences are that Python and Ruby are programming languages while Ruby on Rails is a framework for creating web based applications in the Ruby language. In this article, I am going to describe the similarities and differences between PHP, Ruby on Rails and Python at various perspectives.

PHP

PHP (Hypertext Pre-processor) created by Rasmus Lerdorf is a server-side scripting language for developing dynamic and interactive websites. PHP interacts with database, send and receive cookies, evaluate form data send from the browser, and build interactive WebPages.

PHP runs on the same computer, access all the information and files on that machine, and construct custom HTML pages to send to the browser. You can make PHP script to run on without server or browser. The PHP code can be included in the HTML by using the delimiters .

PHP is not only for developing web-based applications but also for Creating Desktop Applications with a graphical user interface (GUI) by using advanced features in client-side applications such as PHP-GTK that is extension to PHP.

Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails is a full stack Model View Controller (MVC) framework written in Ruby language. Rails created by David Heinemeier Hansson with its own elegant design create domain-specific language for writing web based applications. Technically Rails is a package library named RubyGem which is installed using the OS command-line interface.

In order to build complex websites, web development framework like Rails is required. Rails have the pool of open source libraries which makes the complex sites development easier and quicker.

Rails is a domain specific framework which has its own set of directives distinct from the ruby core. Rails providing agile software development focus on conventions over configuration. Rails support multi-programming features in which code is not only reused but also eliminated where possible thereby avoiding code duplication.

Python

Python is high-level, powerful, and object-oriented programming language. Python’s elegant and east-to-use syntax make it a unique scripting language for rapid application development in various platforms.

The python source code is clearly defined and can be easily maintained. The interpreted Python’s library has cross-platform compatibility on UNIX, Windows and Machintosh.

Python is portable that can run on a wide variety of platforms and has the same interface on all platforms. Functional and Structured programming methods are also supported by python in addition to OOP method. Python has support for an interactive mode which allows interactive testing and debugging of code.