Web Development Frameworks: Elixir and Phoenix vs. Ruby on Rails with Owen Bickford & Dan Ivovich

On today’s episode, Elixir Wizards Owen Bickford and Dan Ivovich compare notes on building web applications with Elixir and the Phoenix Framework versus Ruby on Rails. They discuss the history of both frameworks, key differences in architecture and approach, and deciding which programming language to use when starting a project.
Both Phoenix and Rails are robust frameworks that enable developers to build high-quality web apps—Phoenix leverages functional programming in Elixir and Erlang’s networking for real-time communication. Rails follows object-oriented principles and has a vast ecosystem of plug-ins. For data-heavy CRUD apps, Phoenix's immutable data pipelines provide some advantages.
Developers can build great web apps with either Phoenix or Rails. Phoenix may have a slight edge for new projects based on its functional approach, built-in real-time features like LiveView, and ability to scale efficiently. But, choosing the right tech stack depends heavily on the app's specific requirements and the team's existing skills.
Topics discussed in this episode:
History and evolution of Phoenix Framework and Ruby on Rails
Default project structure and code organization preferences in each framework
Comparing object-oriented vs functional programming paradigms
CRUD app development and interaction with databases
Live reloading capabilities in Phoenix LiveView vs Rails Turbolinks
Leveraging WebSockets for real-time UI updates
Testing frameworks like RSpec, Cucumber, Wallaby, and Capybara
Dependency management and size of standard libraries
Scalability and distribution across nodes
Readability and approachability of object-oriented code
Immutability and data pipelines in functional programming
Types, specs, and static analysis with Dialyzer
Monkey patching in Ruby vs extensible core language in Elixir
Factors to consider when choosing between frameworks
Experience training new developers on Phoenix and Rails
Community influences on coding styles
Real-world project examples and refactoring approaches
Deployment and dev ops differences
Popularity and adoption curves of both frameworks
Ongoing research into improving Phoenix and Rails
Links Mentioned in this Episode:
SmartLogic.io (https://smartlogic.io/)
Dan’s LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/divovich/)
Owen’s LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/owen-bickford-8b6b1523a/)
Ruby https://www.ruby-lang.org/en/
Rails https://rubyonrails.org/
Sams Teach Yourself Ruby in 21 Days (https://www.overdrive.com/media/56304/sams-teach-yourself-ruby-in-21-days)
Learn Ruby in 7 Days (https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/learn-ruby-in-7-days---color-print---ruby-tutorial-for-guaranteed-quick-learning-ruby-guide-with-many-practical-examples-this-ruby-programming-book--to-build-real-life-software-projects/18539364/#edition=19727339&idiq=25678249)
Build Your Own Ruby on Rails Web Applications (https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/build-your-own-ruby-on-rails-web-applications_patrick-lenz/725256/item/2315989/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=low_vol_backlist_standard_shopping_customer_acquisition&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=593118743925&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA1MCrBhAoEiwAC2d64aQyFawuU3znN0VFgGyjR0I-0vrXlseIvht0QPOqx4DjKjdpgjCMZhoC6PcQAvD_BwE#idiq=2315989&edition=3380836)
Django https://github.com/django
Sidekiq https://github.com/sidekiq
Kafka https://kafka.apache.org/
Phoenix Framework https://www.phoenixframework.org/
Phoenix LiveView https://hexdocs.pm/phoenixliveview/Phoenix.LiveView.html#content
Flask https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/3.0.x/
WebSockets API https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSockets_API
WebSocket connection for Phoenix https://github.com/phoenixframework/websock
Morph Dom https://github.com/patrick-steele-idem/morphdom
Turbolinks https://github.com/turbolinks
Ecto https://github.com/elixir-ecto
Capybara Testing Framework https://teamcapybara.github.io/capybara/
Wallaby Testing Framework https://wallabyjs.com/
Cucumber Testing Framework https://cucumber.io/
RSpec https://rspec.info/

On today’s episode, Elixir Wizards Owen Bickford and Dan Ivovich compare notes on building web applications with Elixir and the Phoenix Framework versus Ruby on Rails. They discuss the history of both frameworks, key differences in architecture and approach, and deciding which programming language to use when starting a project.

Both Phoenix and Rails are robust frameworks that enable developers to build high-quality web apps—Phoenix leverages functional programming in Elixir and Erlang’s networking for real-time communication. Rails follows object-oriented principles and has a vast ecosystem of plug-ins. For data-heavy CRUD apps, Phoenix's immutable data pipelines provide some advantages.

Developers can build great web apps with either Phoenix or Rails. Phoenix may have a slight edge for new projects based on its functional approach, built-in real-time features like LiveView, and ability to scale efficiently. But, choosing the right tech stack depends heavily on the app's specific requirements and the team's existing skills.

Topics discussed in this episode:

History and evolution of Phoenix Framework and Ruby on Rails
Default project structure and code organization preferences in each framework
Comparing object-oriented vs functional programming paradigms
CRUD app development and interaction with databases
Live reloading capabilities in Phoenix LiveView vs Rails Turbolinks
Leveraging WebSockets for real-time UI updates
Testing frameworks like RSpec, Cucumber, Wallaby, and Capybara
Dependency management and size of standard libraries
Scalability and distribution across nodes
Readability and approachability of object-oriented code
Immutability and data pipelines in functional programming
Types, specs, and static analysis with Dialyzer
Monkey patching in Ruby vs extensible core language in Elixir
Factors to consider when choosing between frameworks
Experience training new developers on Phoenix and Rails
Community influences on coding styles
Real-world project examples and refactoring approaches
Deployment and dev ops differences
Popularity and adoption curves of both frameworks
Ongoing research into improving Phoenix and Rails

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

SmartLogic.io

Dan’s LinkedIn

Owen’s LinkedIn

Ruby https://www.ruby-lang.org/en/

Rails https://rubyonrails.org/

Sams Teach Yourself Ruby in 21 Days

Learn Ruby in 7 Days

Build Your Own Ruby on Rails Web Applications

Django https://github.com/django

Sidekiq https://github.com/sidekiq

Kafka https://kafka.apache.org/

Phoenix Framework https://www.phoenixframework.org/

Phoenix LiveView https://hexdocs.pm/phoenix_live_view/Phoenix.LiveView.html#content

Flask https://flask.palletsprojects.com/en/3.0.x/

WebSockets API https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSockets_API

WebSocket connection for Phoenix https://github.com/phoenixframework/websock

Morph Dom https://github.com/patrick-steele-idem/morphdom

Turbolinks https://github.com/turbolinks

Ecto https://github.com/elixir-ecto

Capybara Testing Framework https://teamcapybara.github.io/capybara/

Wallaby Testing Framework https://wallabyjs.com/

Cucumber Testing Framework https://cucumber.io/

RSpec https://rspec.info/