Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Flask VS Ruby on Rails

Compare Flask VS Ruby on Rails and see what are their differences

Flask logo Flask

a microframework for Python based on Werkzeug, Jinja 2 and good intentions.

Ruby on Rails logo Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails is an open source full-stack web application framework for the Ruby programming...
  • Flask Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-24
  • Ruby on Rails Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23

We recommend LibHunt Ruby for discovery and comparisons of trending Ruby projects. Also, to find more open-source ruby alternatives, you can check out libhunt.com/r/rails

Flask features and specs

  • Simplicity
    Flask is a micro-framework, meaning it is lightweight, easy to understand, and simple to use. It requires minimal setup to get a web application up and running.
  • Flexibility
    Flask provides flexibility and control over the application's architecture, allowing developers to choose the components they need and avoid unnecessary bloat.
  • Extensibility
    Flask supports various extensions to add capabilities like database integration, form validation, and authentication without compromising its core simplicity.
  • Documentation
    Flask has comprehensive and well-organized documentation, making it easier for developers to learn and implement features effectively.
  • Community
    Flask has a large and active community, providing ample resources like tutorials, code snippets, and third-party libraries that can help speed up development.
  • Testing
    Flask is designed to be unit tested easily, allowing developers to test their applications and ensure reliability.

Possible disadvantages of Flask

  • Scalability
    Flask may not be as scalable as some other frameworks for very large applications due to its minimalist design and lack of built-in features.
  • Boilerplate Code
    Since Flask requires you to integrate and configure many components manually, codebases in Flask can sometimes contain a lot of boilerplate code.
  • Opinionated Architecture
    While Flask provides flexibility, it also means there are fewer conventions. Developers must make more architectural decisions, which can be challenging for large team collaboration.
  • Limited Tools
    Compared to more comprehensive frameworks, Flask offers fewer built-in tools and features, which may necessitate additional plugins or custom implementations.
  • Learning Curve for Complex Applications
    While Flask is easy to learn for simple applications, it can become complex to manage as the application grows, requiring a good understanding of design patterns and software architecture.

Ruby on Rails features and specs

  • Rapid Development
    Ruby on Rails uses conventions over configurations which allows developers to build applications quickly. It comes with a wealth of built-in tools and libraries that streamline the development process.
  • Community Support
    Rails has a vibrant and active community. This means a lot of third-party libraries (gems) are available, and you can easily find help and resources.
  • Convention over Configuration
    Rails emphasizes convention over configuration, which reduces the number of decisions developers need to make. This can increase productivity and consistency across projects.
  • Built-in Testing
    Rails comes with a strong built-in testing framework, making it easier to test your application and ensure that it works as expected.
  • Scalability Options
    Although it has a reputation for not being the most scalable framework, Rails can be made scalable with good architecture and the right tools.
  • RESTful Design
    Rails promotes RESTful application design, which means that it aligns well with best practices in web development and makes it easier to build APIs.

Possible disadvantages of Ruby on Rails

  • Performance
    Ruby on Rails can be slower than some other frameworks, particularly for applications that require a lot of computation or have high traffic.
  • Learning Curve
    While Rails makes many things easier with its conventions, this can create a steep learning curve for newcomers who need to understand the 'Rails way' of doing things.
  • Scalability Concerns
    Due to its monolithic nature, scaling Rails can be challenging, requiring significant architectural changes and optimizations.
  • Lesser Flexibility
    The conventions that make Rails easy to use can also be limiting. When you need to do something outside the typical Rails flow, it may be harder to implement.
  • Runtime Speed
    Ruby, the language that Rails is built on, is generally slower in terms of execution speed compared to other languages like Java or C++.
  • Memory Consumption
    Rails applications can consume a lot of memory, which can be a concern for large-scale applications or those with limited resources.

Analysis of Flask

Overall verdict

  • Flask is a good choice for developers looking for a lightweight and flexible framework for building web applications, particularly if they value simplicity and control over out-of-the-box features.

Why this product is good

  • Flask is a microframework for Python, offering simplicity and flexibility, making it a good choice for small to medium-sized applications.
  • It has a simple core with easy-to-add extensions, allowing developers to customize their applications as needed.
  • Flask's lightweight nature means it has a small overhead, leading to faster development cycles and easier debugging.
  • It has a strong community and excellent documentation, providing ample resources for learning and troubleshooting.

Recommended for

  • Developers who prefer Python and want a minimalist approach to web development.
  • Those working on small to medium-sized applications or microservices.
  • Developers who appreciate a modular and extensible architecture.
  • Teams that require rapid prototyping or quick deployment cycles.

Analysis of Ruby on Rails

Overall verdict

  • Ruby on Rails is generally considered a good choice for web development, especially for startups and small to medium-sized businesses looking to rapidly develop and iterate on their products.

Why this product is good

  • Ruby on Rails is a popular web application framework known for its simplicity and productivity. It offers a convention over configuration approach that speeds up the development process. Its strong community and rich ecosystem of gems make it easier for developers to implement complex functionalities quickly.

Recommended for

  • Startups looking to prototype quickly
  • Developers who prefer a simple and elegant syntax
  • Teams that prioritize rapid development
  • Applications that rely on CRUD operations

Flask videos

Built To Last A Life Time - Ragproper Modern Glass Flask Review

More videos:

  • Review - The Hip Flask Guide - Gentleman's Gazette
  • Review - 10 Best Flasks 2019

Ruby on Rails videos

Ruby On Rails Biggest Waste Of Time In 2020 | Ruby on Rails Dead

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Ruby on Rails Tutorial | Build a Book Review App - Part 1

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Flask and Ruby on Rails)
Web Frameworks
39 39%
61% 61
Developer Tools
34 34%
66% 66
Python Web Framework
54 54%
46% 46
Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Flask and Ruby on Rails

Flask Reviews

The 20 Best Laravel Alternatives for Web Development
Flask is the micro thatโ€™s got your back without trying to run the show. It comes with the essentials but trusts you to pick your tools โ€” no baggage attached, truly Pythonic at heart.
Top 9 best Frameworks for web development
The best frameworks for web development include React, Angular, Vue.js, Django, Spring, Laravel, Ruby on Rails, Flask and Express.js. Each of these frameworks has its own advantages and distinctive features, so it is important to choose the framework that best suits the needs of your project.
Source: www.kiwop.com
25 Python Frameworks to Master
Youโ€™ll also have access to some extension packages like Flask-RESTful, which adds support for building powerful REST APIs, and Flask-SQLAlchemy, a convenient way to use SQLAlchemy in your flask app.
Source: kinsta.com
3 Web Frameworks to Use With Python
Flask is a micro web framework for building web applications with Python. Here is the official web page of Flask.
Top 10 Phoenix Framework Alternatives
Flask is a micro-framework, i.e., it does not bundle tools and libraries and instead uses third party libraries to deliver functionalities.

Ruby on Rails Reviews

  1. Stan
    ยท Founder at SaaSHub ยท
    The most productive web framework

    Yes, there are other more trending frameworks; however, nothing reaches the productivity of Rails. It's simply unbeatable if you have a small team.

    For example both SaaSHub and LibHunt were built on Rails.

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: Django, Laravel

Top 9 best Frameworks for web development
The best frameworks for web development include React, Angular, Vue.js, Django, Spring, Laravel, Ruby on Rails, Flask and Express.js. Each of these frameworks has its own advantages and distinctive features, so it is important to choose the framework that best suits the needs of your project.
Source: www.kiwop.com
Top 5 Laravel Alternatives
In terms of documentation, guidelines, and libraries, Ruby on Rails is the superior framework for smaller applications. Since it entered the online scene before Laravel, its community is larger and more well-liked among programmers. When compared to other Laravel alternatives, Rubyโ€™s code is much simpler to understand and write.
Top 10 Phoenix Framework Alternatives
While modern frameworks try to minimize the tradeoffs to a limited extent, none of them has come closer to the implementation of the Phoenix Framework, which offers Ruby on Rails levels of productivity while being one of the fastest frameworks available in the market.
10 Ruby on Rails Alternatives For Web Development in 2022
Once a prolific web development technology, in 2021, both Ruby and Ruby on Rails are considered dying technologies. The data speaks for itself. In October 2021, Ruby lost 3 ranks in the Tiobe Index compared to October 2020 and became the 16th most searched programming language. The same decline in Ruby on Rails popularity is demonstrated by Google Trends. The language...
Get Over Ruby on Rails โ€” 3 Alternative Web Frameworks Worth Checking Out
Disclaimer: I started working on this article before the big controversy about Basecamp happened. I donโ€™t want to make any point about this in the article. Regardless of what DHH and others are saying on different topics, Ruby on Rails is still a great piece of software and will continue to be. But there are some great alternatives as well that I would like to highlight.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ruby on Rails should be more popular than Flask. It has been mentiond 146 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Flask mentions (42)

  • PSET 9 Finance - What is "disable response caching" and the function they ask to notice
    "After configuring Flask, notice how this file disables caching of responses (provided youโ€™re in debugging mode, which you are by default in your code50 codespace), lest you make a change to some file but your browser not notice. ". Source: over 2 years ago
  • How to Send an Email in Python
    Flask, which offers a simple interface for email sendingโ€” Flask Mail. (Check here how to send emails with Flask). - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • Plotting Bookmarks with Flask, Matplotlib, and OAuth 2.0
    Lang="en"> Plot Bookmarks!{% block title %}{% endblock %} rel="stylesheet" href="https://stackpath.bootstrapcdn.com/bootstrap/4.2.1/css/bootstrap.min.css" /> class="container"> Plot Bookmarks by Date {% block containercontent %}{% endblock %} /> class="footer"> class="text-muted"> >This is a... - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Determining what version of Flask is installed
    What's the easiest way to determine which version of Flask is installed? Source: over 3 years ago
  • What is the point of uWSGI?
    I'm looking at the WSGI specification and I'm trying to figure out how servers like uWSGI fit into the picture. I understand the point of the WSGI spec is to separate web servers like nginx from web applications like something you'd write using Flask. What I don't understand is what uWSGI is for. Why can't nginx directly call my Flask application? Can't flask speak WSGI directly to it? Why does uWSGI need to get... Source: over 3 years ago
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Ruby on Rails mentions (146)

  • When AI Moved Into My Editor: Fasterโ€ฆ and Weirdly Slower
    From there, I went into a long phase of copy & paste: throw code at an LLM, ask it to analyze or rewrite, and stitch the result back in. It kind of worked. When reasoning models arrived, my confidence went up: wait a minute, wait threeโ€”freshly baked code appears. In Rails, that meant small adjustments and I was done. In Marten, I had to correct more, which made sense โ€” newer framework, less model knowledge. - Source: dev.to / 5 days ago
  • How to Choose the Right Tech Stack for Your SaaS MVP
    Ruby on Rails (developer-friendly, great for startups). - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Upgrade Postgres when using Docker Compose.
    Working in a old RoR application I was asked to updgrade Postgresql from 9.5 up to the latest possible. The RoR application is deployed on premises via Docker Compose. - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • ๐Ÿ”ฅ Why Everyone Is Talking About HTMX: The Game-Changer for Web Development
    ๐ŸŒ Who Should Use HTMX? โœ… Django / Flask / Rails developers โœ… Express / Node.js backend lovers โœ… Fullstack devs who want LESS frontend headache โœ… Teams jo SSR + SEO ko priority dete hain. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Unlocking Opportunities: How to Thrive as a Ruby Engineer in Today's Tech Landscape
    Ruby on Rails open source projects. Contribute and learn at the same time. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Flask and Ruby on Rails, you can also consider the following products

Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

Laravel - A PHP Framework For Web Artisans

ASP.NET - ASP.NET is a free web framework for building great Web sites and Web applications using HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

ExpressJS - Sinatra inspired web development framework for node.js -- insanely fast, flexible, and simple

Node.js - Node.js is a platform built on Chrome's JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, scalable network applications

Meteor - Meteor is a set of new technologies for building top-quality web apps in a fraction of the time.