Jekyll is a static site generator based on Ruby. It was developed to create blogs and other regularly updated websites without the need for a database or a dynamic server. Here are some of the main features and advantages of Jekyll:
Static Websites: Jekyll generates static HTML files that can be served directly by a web server. This makes the sites very fast and secure since no server-side processing is required.
Markdown Support: Content for Jekyll sites is often written in Markdown, making it easy to create and edit content.
Flexible Templates: Jekyll uses Liquid templates, which offer great flexibility in designing and structuring web pages.
Simple Configuration: Jekyll is configured through a simple YAML file, which is easy to understand and edit.
Integration with GitHub Pages: Jekyll is tightly integrated with GitHub Pages, meaning you can host your website directly from a GitHub repository without additional configuration or setup.
Plugins and Extensions: There are many plugins and extensions for Jekyll that provide additional functionality and customization.
Open Source: Jekyll is open source, meaning it is free to use, and the community constantly contributes to its improvement and expansion.
Jekyll is often preferred by developers and tech-savvy users who want full control over their website and appreciate the benefits of static sites over dynamic websites.
"Convention over Configuration," often abbreviated as "CoC," is a principle in software development that suggests that in a software framework or development environment, default configurations and conventions should be preferred over explicit configurations. In other words, if developers adhere to certain naming conventions and structures, they should be able to develop their software without extensive configuration.
The "Convention over Configuration" principle has several advantages:
Simplified Development: Developers need to worry less about configuring software components. Instead, they simply follow the established conventions, making development faster and smoother.
Consistency: Since all developers on the team use the same conventions, this leads to a more consistent codebase, which facilitates collaboration and maintenance.
Avoiding Redundancy: Conventions can help avoid redundancy in configuration. Instead of having to configure specific settings for each part of the application, developers can rely on default configurations.
Clarity: Adhering to conventions makes the code more understandable for developers, as they know where to find specific parts of the application or configuration.
A well-known example of "Convention over Configuration" can be found in the Ruby on Rails framework, which uses default naming conventions for database tables, models, controllers, and views. By following these conventions, a developer can build a database-backed web application without manually configuring database tables or routes.
Routing is a central concept in web applications that describes the process by which a web application determines how URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) map to specific resources or actions within the application. Routing determines which parts of the code or which controllers are responsible for handling a particular URL request. It's a crucial component of many web frameworks and web applications, including Laravel, Django, Ruby on Rails, and many others.
Here are some key concepts related to routing:
URL Structure: In a web application, each resource or action is typically identified by a unique URL. These URLs often have a hierarchical structure that reflects the relationship between different resources in the application.
Route Definitions: Routing is typically defined in the form of route definitions. These definitions link specific URLs to a function, controller, or action within the application. A route can also include parameters to extract information from the URL.
HTTP Methods: Routes can also be associated with HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. This means that different actions in your application can respond to different types of requests. For example, a GET request to a URL may be used to display data, while a POST request sends data to the server for processing or storage.
Wildcards and Placeholders: In route definitions, you can use wildcards or placeholders to capture variable parts of URLs. This allows you to create dynamic routes where parts of the URL are passed as parameters to your controllers or functions.
Middleware: Routes can also be associated with middleware, which performs certain tasks before or after executing controller actions. For example, authentication middleware can ensure that only authenticated users can access certain pages.
Routing is crucial for the structure and usability of web applications as it facilitates navigation and linking of URLs to the corresponding functions or resources. It also enables the creation of RESTful APIs where URLs are mapped to specific CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations, which is common practice in modern web development.
Ruby on Rails, often simply referred to as Rails, is an open-source web framework written in the Ruby programming language. It was developed by David Heinemeier Hansson and his team at Basecamp (formerly known as 37signals) and was first released in 2004.
Rails is based on the Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern and was designed to accelerate and simplify web application development. It follows the principle of "Convention over Configuration," which relieves developers from the need to manually configure many settings since Rails makes many decisions based on conventions for them.
Some of the key features of Ruby on Rails are:
Scaffolding: Rails provides the ability to quickly generate basic models, views, and controllers with just a few commands, speeding up the development process.
ActiveRecord: Rails includes an implementation of "ActiveRecord," which simplifies working with the database, allowing developers to represent database tables as Ruby classes.
RESTful Routing: Rails uses RESTful routing principles to map URLs to controller actions, creating a clear and consistent structure for the web application.
Templating: Rails uses the Ruby template engine "ERB" (Embedded Ruby) by default to enable the separation of presentation and logic.
Gems: Rails utilizes "Gems," which are Ruby libraries, to extend the functionality of applications and easily integrate third-party packages.
Conventions: Rails is heavily convention-based, providing a clear structure for projects to improve code readability and maintainability.
Ruby on Rails has a passionate developer community and is renowned for its productivity and simplicity. It is commonly used for web application development, content management systems, e-commerce platforms, and social networks. Rails has a vast number of plugins and extensions that can ease development and extend functionality.