What are Procs and Lambdas in Ruby?

Can you explain what Procs and Lambdas are in Ruby?

Sure! Procs and Lambdas are both types of closures in Ruby that allow you to encapsulate code blocks.

What's the difference between a Proc and a Lambda?

The main difference is how they handle return statements. A return in a Proc will exit the enclosing method, while in a Lambda, it will only exit the lambda itself.

Can you give me an example of each?

Of course! Here's a simple example:

For a Proc:

my_proc = Proc.new { return 'Hello from Proc!' }

def test_proc
  my_proc.call
  'This will not be reached'
end
puts test_proc

For a Lambda:

my_lambda = -> { return 'Hello from Lambda!' }

def test_lambda
  my_lambda.call
  'This will be reached'
end
puts test_lambda

That's really helpful! Are there any performance differences?

Yes, Lambdas are generally more strict and can be slightly slower due to their argument checking, while Procs are more flexible.