Pros of Active Admin

• More intuitive and user-friendly interface
• Better documentation and community support
• Easier customization of views and dashboards

Cons of Active Admin

• Less flexible for complex admin panel requirements
• Steeper learning curve for advanced customizations
• More opinionated, which can limit some design choices

Code Comparison

Active Admin:

ActiveAdmin.register Post do
  permit_params :title, :body, :published_at

  index do
    selectable_column
    column :title
    column :published_at
    actions
  end
end

Rails Admin:

RailsAdmin.config do |config|
  config.model 'Post' do
    list do
      field :title
      field :published_at
    end
    edit do
      field :title
      field :body
      field :published_at
    end
  end
end

Both Active Admin and Rails Admin are popular gems for creating admin interfaces in Ruby on Rails applications. Active Admin offers a more polished out-of-the-box experience with better documentation and community support. It's generally easier to set up and customize for basic admin needs. However, Rails Admin provides more flexibility for complex admin panel requirements and may be preferred for projects that need fine-grained control over the admin interface. The code comparison shows that Active Admin uses a more declarative syntax, while Rails Admin offers a more configuration-based approach.

Pros of Administrate

• More customizable and flexible, allowing for easier tailoring to specific project needs
• Cleaner, more modern UI design out of the box
• Better integration with Rails conventions and patterns

Cons of Administrate

• Less feature-rich compared to Rails Admin, requiring more manual setup for advanced functionality
• Smaller community and ecosystem, potentially leading to fewer resources and third-party extensions

Code Comparison

Administrate dashboard configuration:

class ProductDashboard < Administrate::BaseDashboard
  ATTRIBUTE_TYPES = {
    id: Field::Number,
    name: Field::String,
    price: Field::Number.with_options(prefix: "$", decimals: 2),
    created_at: Field::DateTime,
    updated_at: Field::DateTime,
  }
  # ... other configuration
end

Rails Admin configuration:

RailsAdmin.config do |config|
  config.model 'Product' do
    list do
      field :id
      field :name
      field :price do
        formatted_value do
          "$#{value.to_f.round(2)}"
        end
      end
      field :created_at
      field :updated_at
    end
  end
end

Both libraries offer ways to customize the admin interface, but Administrate's approach is more aligned with Rails conventions, using a dedicated dashboard class. Rails Admin, on the other hand, uses a DSL within a configuration block, which can be more concise but potentially less intuitive for complex setups.

Pros of rails_admin

• More active development and maintenance
• Larger community and contributor base
• Better documentation and support resources

Cons of rails_admin

• Potentially more complex setup and configuration
• May have more features than needed for simpler projects
• Slightly larger footprint and resource usage

Code Comparison

rails_admin:

RailsAdmin.config do |config|
  config.authenticate_with do
    warden.authenticate! scope: :user
  end
  config.current_user_method(&:current_user)
end

rails_admin>:

RailsAdmin.config do |config|
  config.authenticate_with do
    authenticate_or_request_with_http_basic do |username, password|
      username == 'admin' && password == 'password'
    end
  end
end

The code comparison shows that both repositories use similar configuration blocks, but rails_admin offers more flexibility in authentication methods, while rails_admin> uses a simpler, basic HTTP authentication approach.

Both repositories provide admin panel functionality for Ruby on Rails applications, but rails_admin is generally considered more feature-rich and actively maintained. However, rails_admin> might be a good choice for simpler projects or those requiring a more lightweight solution.

Pros of Comfortable Mexican Sofa

• More focused on content management and website building
• Offers a simpler and more intuitive interface for non-technical users
• Provides built-in templating system for easier content creation

Cons of Comfortable Mexican Sofa

• Less flexible for general-purpose admin tasks
• Smaller community and fewer extensions compared to Rails Admin
• May require more customization for complex data models

Code Comparison

Rails Admin configuration:

RailsAdmin.config do |config|
  config.actions do
    dashboard
    index
    new
    export
    bulk_delete
  end
end

Comfortable Mexican Sofa setup:

ComfortableMexicanSofa::AccessControl::AdminAuthentication.class_eval do
  def authenticate
    return true if current_user.try(:admin?)
    redirect_to root_path
  end
end

Both projects offer different approaches to admin interfaces in Rails applications. Rails Admin provides a more general-purpose solution for managing database records, while Comfortable Mexican Sofa focuses on content management and website building. The choice between the two depends on the specific needs of your project, with Rails Admin being more suitable for complex data models and Comfortable Mexican Sofa excelling in content-centric applications.

Pros of Inherited Resources

• Lightweight and focused on resource-oriented controllers
• Easier to customize and extend for specific use cases
• Better integration with existing Rails applications

Cons of Inherited Resources

• Less out-of-the-box functionality compared to Rails Admin
• Requires more manual setup and configuration
• Limited built-in UI components

Code Comparison

Inherited Resources:

class ProductsController < InheritedResources::Base
  actions :all, except: [:destroy]
end

Rails Admin:

RailsAdmin.config do |config|
  config.model 'Product' do
    list do
      field :name
      field :price
    end
  end
end

Inherited Resources focuses on simplifying controller logic, while Rails Admin provides a comprehensive admin interface configuration. Inherited Resources is more suitable for developers who want fine-grained control over their admin interfaces and are willing to build more custom functionality. Rails Admin, on the other hand, offers a more complete out-of-the-box solution with less customization required for basic admin panel functionality.