Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Prototype VS Ruby on Rails

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

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Prototype logo Prototype

Prototype JavaScript framework

Ruby on Rails logo Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails is an open source full-stack web application framework for the Ruby programming...
  • Prototype Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • 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

Prototype features and specs

  • Simplified AJAX Requests
    Prototype provides a simplified API for making AJAX requests, which can make it easier and quicker to add AJAX capabilities to your web application compared to using native XHR.
  • DOM Manipulation
    Prototype offers an easy way to manipulate the DOM, with several utility functions that make selecting and modifying elements straightforward and more readable.
  • Extensive Utility Functions
    Provides many built-in utility functions for tasks like string manipulation, array processing, and object iteration, reducing the need to write these common utilities from scratch.
  • Event Handling
    Simplifies event handling by normalizing events across different browsers and providing an easy-to-use API for attaching and detaching event handlers.
  • Compatibility
    Prototype is known for its good cross-browser compatibility, ensuring scripts work consistently across major browsers.

Possible disadvantages of Prototype

  • Size and Loading Time
    The library is relatively large, which can affect page load times, especially on slower internet connections.
  • Global Namespace Pollution
    Prototype extends many native JavaScript objects and adds methods globally, which can lead to conflicts with other libraries and unexpected behavior.
  • Popularity and Community
    Prototype has seen a decline in popularity compared to other modern frameworks and libraries like React, Angular, and Vue, leading to a smaller community and fewer available resources.
  • Modern Features
    Lacks some of the modern functionality and features that other more recent JavaScript frameworks and libraries offer, which could limit its use in current and future projects.
  • Learning Curve
    For developers accustomed to more modern frameworks or vanilla JavaScript, adapting to Prototype's conventions and methods might require a learning curve.

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.

Prototype videos

PROTOTYPE: 10 Years Later

More videos:

  • Review - Prototype Review by Alex Mercer
  • Review - Prototype Video Review

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 Prototype and Ruby on Rails)
Action
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Adventure
100 100%
0% 0
Web Frameworks
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

Prototype Reviews

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Ruby on Rails Reviews

  1. Stan
    · Founder at SaaSHub ·
    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.

    🏁 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, Ruby’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 — 3 Alternative Web Frameworks Worth Checking Out
Disclaimer: I started working on this article before the big controversy about Basecamp happened. I don’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 seems to be a lot more popular than Prototype. While we know about 141 links to Ruby on Rails, we've tracked only 4 mentions of Prototype. 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.

Prototype mentions (4)

  • [AskJS] Is prototype based programming used in modern Javascript?
    It's very weird to realise that this isn't long enough to remember a time when extending native prototypes was en vogue. Source: over 2 years ago
  • ES1995: Javascript that could have been
    The parent is referring to the Prototype framework (http://prototypejs.org/), not the JS language concept of a prototype. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Make Front End Shit Again
    Let's not forget about http://prototypejs.org/ & http://script.aculo.us/ for modern Web 2.O. - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • I want to build an NPM module to extend, array, string and object prototypes. Is it possible ?
    Overriding prototypes used to be state-of-the-art, and indeed it was one of the things that made me fall in love with JS. Frameworks like PrototypeJS and MooTools were built around this and it was of very limited convenience and unlimited headaches. Source: about 4 years ago

Ruby on Rails mentions (141)

  • Open Source: A Goldmine for Indie Hackers
    Speed of Development: Frameworks such as Django or Rails accelerate the development process. - Source: dev.to / about 1 hour ago
  • Indie Hacking with Open Source Tools: Innovating on a Budget
    This ecosystem is fueled by repositories hosting powerful languages, functions, and versatile tools—from backend frameworks like Django and Ruby on Rails to containerization with Docker and distributed version control via Git. Moreover, indie hackers can also utilize open source design tools (e.g. GIMP, Inkscape) and analytics platforms such as Matomo. - Source: dev.to / 2 days ago
  • Charybdis ORM: Building High-Performance Distributed Rust Backends with ScyllaDB
    Ruby on Rails (RoR) is one of the most renowned web frameworks. When combined with SQL databases, RoR transforms into a powerhouse for developing back-end (or even full-stack) applications. It resolves numerous issues out of the box, sometimes without developers even realizing it. For example, with the right callbacks, complex business logic for a single API action is automatically wrapped within a transaction,... - Source: dev.to / 12 days ago
  • Ask HN: What's the ideal stack for a solo dev in 2025
    As it's just you I'd stick with Ruby on Rails 8[1] as you already know it and I think it could realistically easily achieve what you're proposing. There's lots of libraries to for calling out external AI services. e.g. Something like FastMCP[2] From the sound of it that's all you need. I'd use Hotwire[3] for the frontend and Hotwire Native if you want to rollout an app version quickly. I'd back it with... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Open Source: A Goldmine for Indie Hackers – Unleashing Creativity and Collaboration
    One of the standout benefits of open source software is its cost-effectiveness. Indie hackers can leverage robust tools such as MySQL and Python, which eliminate the financial barrier to high-quality software solutions. Frameworks like Django and Ruby on Rails enable swift development cycles, reducing the time-to-market for innovative ideas. This low-cost, high-efficiency approach allows entrepreneurs to focus on... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

Hitman - Hitman is the marvelous sixth installment in the Hitman series developed by IO Interactive and published by Square Enix.

Laravel - A PHP Framework For Web Artisans

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Django - The Web framework for perfectionists with deadlines

Dishonored 2 - Dishonored 2 is an Action-Adventure, Stealth, First-person, Exploration, Combat and Single-player video game developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda Software.

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