Rails API vs Spark Framework

Overview

Rails API

Stacks95

Followers142

Votes16

GitHub Stars5.1K

Forks275

Spark Framework

Stacks39

Followers91

Votes7

GitHub Stars9.7K

Forks1.6K

Rails API vs Spark Framework: What are the differences?

Introduction

When choosing between Rails API and Spark Framework for web development, it's crucial to understand the key differences to make an informed decision.

1. Routing and Controller Structure: In Rails API, routing and controller structures are convention-based, providing a seamless flow for developers to follow. Whereas, in Spark Framework, routing and controller structures are explicitly defined by the developer, offering more flexibility and control over the application's organization.

2. Database Integration: Rails API integrates seamlessly with databases through ActiveRecord, allowing for easy data manipulation and querying. On the other hand, Spark Framework provides support for multiple database options, enabling developers to choose the most suitable database for their project needs.

3. Language Support: Rails API is written in Ruby, a dynamically typed language that emphasizes simplicity and productivity. In contrast, Spark Framework is written in Java, a statically typed language known for its performance and scalability in enterprise-level applications.

4. Community and Ecosystem: Rails API has a robust community and ecosystem, with a plethora of gems and plugins available to extend the framework's functionality. In comparison, Spark Framework has a smaller but dedicated community, focused on providing high-performance solutions for Java-based web applications.

5. RESTful API Development: Rails API is specifically designed for building RESTful APIs, offering built-in support for API features such as serialization and authentication. Conversely, Spark Framework is a general-purpose web framework that can be used for building APIs but may require additional configuration for full RESTful API functionality.

6. Learning Curve: Rails API follows the principles of convention over configuration, making it easier for beginners to grasp the framework's structure and best practices. In contrast, Spark Framework's flexibility and explicit configuration may have a steeper learning curve for developers who are new to the framework.

In Summary, understanding the key differences between Rails API and Spark Framework can help developers make informed decisions when choosing a web development framework.

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Advice on Rails API, Spark Framework

Juan José

May 1, 2020

Decided

I developed Hexagon heavily inspired in these great tools because of the following reasons:

Take full advantage of the Kotlin programming language without any strings attached to Java (as a language).
I wanted to be able to replace the HTTP server library used with different adapters (Jetty, Netty, etc.) and though right now there is only one, more are coming.
Have a complete tool to do full applications, though you can use other libraries, Hexagon comes with a dependency injection helper, settings loading from different sources and HTTP Client, so it comes with (batteries included).

Right now I'm using it for my pet projects, and I'm happy with it.

35.9k views35.9k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Rails API	Spark Framework
Rails::API is a subset of a normal Rails application, created for applications that don't require all functionality that a complete Rails application provides. It is a bit more lightweight, and consequently a bit faster than a normal Rails application. The main example for its usage is in API applications only, where you usually don't need the entire Rails middleware stack nor template generation.	It is a simple and expressive Java/Kotlin web framework DSL built for rapid development. Its intention is to provide an alternative for Kotlin/Java developers that want to develop their web applications as expressive as possible and with minimal boilerplate.
-	Built for productivity; Lets you take full advantage of the JVM
Statistics
GitHub Stars 5.1K	GitHub Stars 9.7K
GitHub Forks 275	GitHub Forks 1.6K
Stacks 95	Stacks 39
Followers 142	Followers 91
Votes 16	Votes 7
Pros & Cons
Pros 5 Lightweight 5 Great for quick decoupled apps 3 Simply the best 2 Soon to be merged into core Rails 5 1 Logging by default	Pros 2 Very easy to get up and running. Lovely API 1 Native paralelization 1 Java 1 Easy 1 Fast
Integrations
Ruby	Kotlin Java

What are some alternatives to Rails API, Spark Framework?

ExpressJS

Express is a minimal and flexible node.js web application framework, providing a robust set of features for building single and multi-page, and hybrid web applications.

Django REST framework

It is a powerful and flexible toolkit that makes it easy to build Web APIs.

Sails.js

Sails is designed to mimic the MVC pattern of frameworks like Ruby on Rails, but with support for the requirements of modern apps: data-driven APIs with scalable, service-oriented architecture.

Sinatra

Sinatra is a DSL for quickly creating web applications in Ruby with minimal effort.

Lumen

Laravel Lumen is a stunningly fast PHP micro-framework for building web applications with expressive, elegant syntax. We believe development must be an enjoyable, creative experience to be truly fulfilling. Lumen attempts to take the pain out of development by easing common tasks used in the majority of web projects, such as routing, database abstraction, queueing, and caching.

Slim

Slim is easy to use for both beginners and professionals. Slim favors cleanliness over terseness and common cases over edge cases. Its interface is simple, intuitive, and extensively documented — both online and in the code itself.

Fastify

Fastify is a web framework highly focused on speed and low overhead. It is inspired from Hapi and Express and as far as we know, it is one of the fastest web frameworks in town. Use Fastify can increase your throughput up to 100%.

Falcon

Falcon is a minimalist WSGI library for building speedy web APIs and app backends. We like to think of Falcon as the Dieter Rams of web frameworks.

hapi

hapi is a simple to use configuration-centric framework with built-in support for input validation, caching, authentication, and other essential facilities for building web applications and services.

TypeORM

It supports both Active Record and Data Mapper patterns, unlike all other JavaScript ORMs currently in existence, which means you can write high quality, loosely coupled, scalable, maintainable applications the most productive way.

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Rails API vs Spark Framework: What are the differences?

Introduction

When choosing between Rails API and Spark Framework for web development, it's crucial to understand the key differences to make an informed decision.

In Summary, understanding the key differences between Rails API and Spark Framework can help developers make informed decisions when choosing a web development framework.