How does duck typing work in Ruby?

Can you explain what duck typing is in Ruby?

Sure! Duck typing is a concept in Ruby where the type or class of an object is determined by its behavior (methods and properties) rather than its explicit class. If an object behaves like a certain type, it can be treated as that type.

Can you give me an example of duck typing in action?

Absolutely! For instance, if you have a method that expects an object to respond to a quack method, any object that implements quack can be passed to that method, regardless of its class. This allows for more flexible and dynamic code.

What are the advantages of using duck typing?

The main advantages include increased flexibility and reduced coupling between components. It allows for easier code reuse and makes it simpler to work with different types of objects.

Are there any downsides to duck typing?

Yes, one downside is that it can lead to runtime errors if an object does not implement the expected methods. This can make debugging more challenging compared to statically typed languages.