---
title: Learn About Ruby Hashes
---
### Basics:
* Ruby hashes are comparable to Javascript objects or dictionaries in languages like Python.
* Hashes contain items that are stored by `key: value` pairs.
* Ruby hashes can be created using the following methods:
* `my_hash = {}`
* `my_hash = Hash.new`
* There are many methods built into Ruby to find information from and update hashes.
## Examples:
my_hash = {'name' => 'Batman', 'age' => 25}
# is equivalent to:
my_hash = Hash.new
my_hash'name'] = 'Batman'
my_hash['age'] = 25
# Both of these examples return:
{"name"=>"Batman", "age"=>25}
# here is an alternative way to create the array:
{name: 'Batman', age: 25}
# this example return:
{:name=>"Batman", :age=>25}
# learn more about [symbols here
## References:
* The official Ruby documentation for hashes.