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React is a client-side library. Rails is a server-side framework. I don't see how you can even really compare these apples and oranges.

Personally, I think rails and react go together very well. For apps that need rich client-side functionality, I will do a react spa with a back end in elixir/ Phoenix (which is very similar to rails).

For apps that don't, just doing server-side rendering is plenty sufficient and is my preference.




I'm only comparing development experience and, so to say, the conceptual environment.

Verily, Rails can be a pretty good and compact way to serve backend APIs for a React-based frontend. But the API boundary is the "narrow waist", its relative neutrality allows to switch backend and frontend implementations easily, or even to mix them. I've seen a React frontend seamlessly consuming APIs served by Python and Rust services, and it's hardly possible to spot which endpoint is served by what in the frontend code.

Unlike on the frontend, FP approaches on the backend are not (as) widespread. Established imperative frameworks (Django, Rails, Spring Boot, etc) are still the huge majority.




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