Quick Comparisons of Back-End Frameworks

To get a quick glimpse of the similarities and differences between some of the most popular back-end frameworks, we decided to do a side by side comparison. We compare Ruby on Rails, a well-known server-side web application framework with other back-end frameworks including Django, Laravel and Express JS. This will assist readers in establishing key differences amongst frameworks with minimal reading.

Ruby on Rails VS Django

Ruby on Rails	Django
Model-View-Controller Framework	Model-View-Template Framework
Object-Oriented General Purpose Programming Language	Object-Oriented General Purpose Programming Language
Usage: Meta-programming and database backed modern web programming	Usage: Scientific programming, system administration and data manipulation
Design Philosophy: Convention over Configuration	Design Philosophy: Explicit is Better Than Implicit
Offers more flexibility as one feature can be achieved in different ways	Tighter Syntax “One obvious way to do it”
Lots of ‘magic’	No magic
Steep learning curve	Small learning curve
Easier to develop and manage small projects	Overkill for small projects

Ruby on Rails VS Laravel

Ruby on Rails	Laravel
Model-View-Controller Framework	Model-View-Template Framework
Usage: Meta-programming and database backed modern web programming	Usage: Enterprise level application to small sites
Default engine is Embedded Ruby (ERB)	Templating engine is Blade
Ideal for developing e-commerce solution or regular web application	Ideal for developing an application with millions of calls per minute
Steep learning curve	Small learning curve

Ruby on Rails VS Express JS

Ruby on Rails	Express JS
Model-View-Controller Framework	Un-opinionated Framework
Lots of packages included out of the box	Minimal packages out of the box
Default engine is Embedded Ruby (ERB)	Templating engine is Jade.
Code readability is much easier	Harder to figure out Express code for beginners