What are the differences between closures and procs?

Can you explain the differences between closures and procs in Ruby?

Sure! In Ruby, a closure is a function that captures the lexical scope in which it was defined, while a proc is an object that encapsulates a block of code.

What are the key characteristics of closures?

Closures can access variables from their defining scope even after that scope has finished executing. They maintain state.

And how do procs differ in terms of arguments?

Procs can take a variable number of arguments and can be called with fewer arguments than defined, while closures are more strict.

Can you give an example of when to use a closure over a proc?

Use a closure when you need to maintain state across multiple calls, like in a counter function. Procs are better for reusable code blocks.