What are the differences between using blocks and methods in Ruby?

What are the differences between using blocks and methods in Ruby?

In Ruby, methods are defined with the def keyword and can be called with arguments. Blocks, on the other hand, are chunks of code that can be passed to methods, allowing for more flexible and reusable code.

Can you give me an example of a method and a block?

Sure! A method example would be:

def greet(name)
  "Hello, \\#{name}!"
end

And a block example would be:

[1, 2, 3].each do |number|
  puts number * 2
end

When should I use a block instead of a method?

Use blocks when you want to pass behavior to a method, especially for iteration or when you need to customize the method's behavior without creating a new method.

Are there any performance differences between blocks and methods?

Generally, methods are slightly faster since they are defined once and can be called multiple times, while blocks are created each time they are passed to a method. However, the difference is often negligible.