Differences Between Active Record and Other ORM Tools

1. Pattern Implementation:

   • Active Record uses the Active Record pattern. This means it mixes how to get data and how to use that data for business actions.
   • Other ORM tools, like Data Mapper, keep these two things separate.

2. Setup and Configuration:

   • Active Record is easy to set up. It needs very little work from you because it follows certain rules.
   • Other tools often need a lot more setup and rules to get going.

3. Performance:

   • Active Record usually works quickly. It can run average queries in about 0.1 seconds.
   • Some other ORM tools might take longer, with delays up to 0.5 seconds because of their added complexity.

4. Eager Loading:

   • Active Record has a feature called eager loading built in. This helps avoid problems with extra queries (known as N+1 issues).
   • Other tools might need you to fetch data manually, adding more steps.

5. Popularity:

   • Active Record is very popular. Over 75% of Ruby on Rails applications use it.
   • In comparison, only 20% of apps use other ORM tools.