The Ruby Way assumes that the reader is already familiar with the subject matter. Using many code samples it focuses on "how-to use Ruby" for specific applications, either as a stand-alone language, or in conjunction with other languages.

Topics covered include:
* Simple data tasks;
* Manipulating structured data;
* External data manipulation;
* User interfaces;
* Handling threads;
* System programming;
* Network and web programming;
* Tools and utilities.

Note: The appendices offer instruction on migrating from Perl and Python to Ruby, and extending Ruby in C and C++.