Exploring the capabilities of Ruby on Rails in web app development
In the last few decades, web development has taken a sharp turn and led to creating the most innovative web apps that no one has ever imagined. With such development advancements, developers faced challenges in developing new ideas. But, the availability and consistent introduction of tools and frameworks has made the development process more manageable.
Several frameworks are running the market and developers’ minds. Among them is a versatile web app development framework that has made an outstanding jump into the top frameworks, Ruby on Rails. It has made developer’s life easier by reducing development time while ensuring high-performing applications.
It has been in the market for so long and has been the prior choice for most developers over the years. From startups to established businesses, everyone is talking about Rails (Ruby on Rails).
The higher reliability of RoR has increased the developer’s demand in the market, making it one of the most highly paid-career opportunities in every sector.
Many companies are hiring third-party web app development services, and Rails is leading in that market too. Whether full-time or part-time, rails developers are on the top list.
If you are just getting started in the web app development field, you must get into the deeper details of why you must opt for Rails for better career expansion.
What is Ruby On Rails Framework?
Rails is a commonly used web app development framework that has made its presence among developers by reducing their coding efforts. It lets you develop dynamic and top-notch web apps and websites.
Being a JS framework, all the coding libraries will also be written in JavaScript. This framework is built on top of the Ruby programming language.
Image credit: jetbrains.com
Rails are a collection of several libraries offering solutions that save development time by reducing manual efforts in repetitive tasks. In simple words, developers can use this framework to get the required code integrated into their projects to reduce coding time.
Rails’ popularity is due to its principles, as said by Culturebie’s founder and CEO, Jasmit Kaur.
- Do not repeat yourself (DRY)
Not repeating the same information within the system makes the mode code expansible, stable, maintainable, and easy to debug.
- Convection over configuration (CoC)
Developers follow the shared common ground of Rails conventions. Rails provide the freedom to implement the best practice so developers can move with the right coding decisions. Still, defaults to that.
Why is Rails a better choice for your business?
Keeping its ground, Rails has everything to offer that development requires to deliver the best possible solution to different market needs. Below are the reasons that make Rails a better choice.
- Perfect solution for your Agile projects
With Rails module design, developers can make swift changes without impacting the quality of the web app. It lets the managers provide instant feedback so further changes can be made quickly, ensuring high time-to-market. Rails have a mechanized test available that helps the developers to test the code while writing it, saving additional testing time. It saves the developer’s time by maintaining separate documentation for the source code.
- Supports MVP development
Developers can create a minimum viable product (MVP) to test their tiny features. It ensures that the web app is working as expected. Also, developers can get MVP approved by clients as feedback.
But, this procedure is expensive and might fit in the pockets of startups. So, make sure you choose the best Rails development service provider to help you with the latest tools and technology while fitting everything into your budget.
Several factors of RoR make it suitable for creating MVP, such as a resilient environment, rapid programming, scalability, savings on development costs, and advanced compatibility with third-party tools.
- API development for mobile applications.
By default, Rails uses a RESTful structure to create applications. It leads to the efficient creation of APIs without the need to hire a new developer to create RESTful code.
- Vast and active community support.
In 2020, there will be more than 4k contributors that worked hard to improve Rails. This number has increased, and you can see how Rails has evolved. The vast community support makes development more accessible, as you can get more innovative ideas to implement. With this tremendous support, you can get your queries resolved within time.
- Concise documentation.
Rails come with self-explanatory documentation, making it easier for developers to understand and implement. It has made it more accessible for developers to get deeper into Rails.
- Rails are mature and stable.
Developing apps with the Rails framework is easier to maintain due to its refined and stable code. Most developers do not easily switch to new frameworks if they struggle with their coding efforts. Rails have become more mature and can now provide more stable code, saving a lot of developers’ time so they can focus more on refining the application logic.
- Automation and development
Rails emphasize automating complex and repetitive manual tasks so the developers can focus on productivity and development. This leads to the efficiency of the development process and fewer bugs.
Apart from that, Rails has easy testing that attracts developers and makes their prior choice for developing web apps. Also, rails offer several Ruby gems, which are open-source libraries to add a specific feature, so developers do not have to write code scratch.
Due to these benefits, Rails has captured a massive percentage of the web app development market, catering to top solutions across multiple domains.
Myths About Ruby on Rails
Despite several benefits and reasons to opt for Rails, some myths have degraded its reputation in the market and have disappointed some developers. If you are determined to use Rails, you must know what those myths are and how true they are.
- Scalability- some companies say that web apps built using Rails are not efficient in handling the increase in website traffic. It cannot scale the app’s features accordingly.
But, Rails has improved itself, and many new versions have been released. If we consider Twitter, handling such massive traffic is not a cup of tea for any framework.
Now, to clear your doubts, Rails is highly scalable with its new feature of horizontal scaling. So, if you stick to Rails, you are good to go.
- Performance- being a full-stack development option, Rails can get your front-end and back-end problems solved. Rails have shown slow performance compared to other frameworks, such as Node.js or Golang. But, this case only happens if the web app faces an instant and exponential surge in traffic.
But with companies such as Basecamp, Airbnb, and GitHub. You will not see such performance and speed-related issues.
But, yes, it performs slower than other frameworks, as shown below.
Is Ruby on Rails Dying?
Well, for those who believe that RoR does not have any future scope, you’re mistaken. Rails are growing, consistently improving, and maintaining their supremacy among developers globally. With each release, you will get new features that will blow your mind, that how efficiently you can use Rails for better web app development.
Despite this, many still question its worth and compare it with other frameworks. But the fact is, some might find it more outdated than other alternatives, but once you start using it, you can see the efficiency in creating innovative apps.
As you can see, Rails has been listed among the top frameworks.
To explain our point, we will show you some stats that prove the Rails market growth.
- 4k plus contributors on GitHub, contributing to the improvement of Rails.
- 130 million plus downloads.
- As per the TIBOX, Rails comes in the top twenty technologies.
- According to SimilarTech, Rails is supporting 400k plus websites globally.
- As per the survey, many people still feel that Ruby is still alive and doing good enough to maintain its position.
- Developers are still recommending Rails to new developers.
When And Where can you rely on Rails?
With its bag full of benefits, you can adopt the Rails framework in any industry. Proving all the myths wrong, Rails has won hearts and is now ruling the top companies in the market.
- Fintech Domain
Rails have successfully handled and created complex applications even in the Fintech domain. Some examples are- funders, squareup, Costtracker, etc.
- E-commerce website.
One of the famous examples of Rails-supporting e-commerce websites is Shopify. It has leveraged extensive tools of Rails to deliver an outstanding UI.
- Software development
Companies such as GitHub and Zendesk are taking benefit of Ruby on Rails. These sites are using the principle of Rails (CoC) to stand out.
- Social media web apps
Other famous example is Twitter, Basecamp, and Dribble. Due to its capability of handling colossal traffic and unique styles, great platforms are using Rails.
- Data analytics platforms.
Another well-known Rails example is Bloomberg which is a powerful financial data provider.
And many other companies are using Rails for their improved growth. Covering a vast geographical area, Rails is powering millions of websites globally.
Which Websites Use Ruby on Rails?
RoR Developers and their payscale
Due to its increasing popularity and broad scope, Rails is on every developer’s mind, and they are consistently working on upgrading themselves as per the latest releases.
Being a Rails developer is not a simple task as you need to be cross-skilled and knowledgeable. Thus, rails developers are highly paid in the industry of web developers.
You can see how developers charge differently per hour across the globe.
Conclusion
According to top companies’ current usage and dependency on Rails, it seems it is not fading away soon. Efficiently adapting to its pros and cons, developers have made a pact and are moving forward by delivering amazing apps with Rails.
Rails have provided its worth in developing fantastic web apps. It ensures fast loading speed, security, scalability, and versatility of your web apps. Many companies are offering Ruby on Rails web app development services. If you want rails developers to help you create a fantastic web app, you must choose the best.
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