What are the differences between Ruby lambdas and blocks?

What are the differences between Ruby lambdas and blocks?

Ruby lambdas and blocks are both ways to pass chunks of code, but they have key differences. A block is a piece of code that can be passed to methods, while a lambda is an object of the Proc class that can be stored in a variable. Would you like to know more about their specific differences?

Yes, what are the main differences in terms of return behavior?

Great question! In a lambda, the return statement exits the lambda itself, while in a block, the return statement exits the method that called the block. This can lead to different behaviors depending on how you use them.

Can you give me an example of each?

Sure! Here's a simple example: For a block, you might use array.each { |item| puts item }. For a lambda, you could define it like this: my_lambda = ->(x) { return x * 2 }. When you call my_lambda.call(3), it returns 6 without affecting the surrounding method.

Are there any performance differences between them?

Yes, generally, lambdas can be slightly slower than blocks because they are objects and have more overhead. However, the difference is usually negligible for most applications.