Switch From Rails to Phoenix- What’s the need?

Well, Ruby and Ruby on Rails need no introduction. It has been a game changer in the web app development industry, ensuring the fast development of highly functional and robust web apps.

So what’s changed the thought?

It all started with an open debate going around about which is better “Rails or Phoenix”. Over time, Elixir grew in popularity, making its impact on businesses. As a Ruby on Rails developer from a leading web app development company, we always wanted to try something new that could improve web app development- we tried Elixir.

You all will be amazed to experience Elixir’s quite resemblance to Ruby. It is because Elixir comes out of the mind of the Ruby developer itself- José Valim. He tried running Ruby on the Erlang virtual machine to overcome Ruby’s problems on multi-core machines and observed functional programming languages like Erlang didn’t have issues like background tasks and process monitoring.

While working with Elixir, we understood its strength over Ruby and how it can help businesses with faster and more scalable web app development.

Let our expert share their insights here.

Here is an overview of Ruby, Elixir, RoR, and Phoenix.

Ruby on Rails- A programmer’s best friend

As we mentioned, Rails needs no introduction.

Ruby on Rails is a web application framework written in Ruby. It is known for its simplicity and fast development. It follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) approach which makes it a suitable option for developing complex solutions.

As per the Stackoverflow 2024 survey, Rails is preferred by 4.7% of developers.

It offers a wide range of library “gems” for extended functionality. The core features of Rails-

• Convention over Configuration: Rails follows conventions to reduce the need for configuration.
• DRY Principle: “Don’t Repeat Yourself”. It reduces development time by allowing developers to use reusable code.
• MVC Architecture: break complex code into Model, View, and Controller components for better app management.
• Active Record: It optimizes database interactions by providing an object-relational mapping (ORM) system.
• Scaffolding: Quickly generates code for basic CRUD operations.
• Built-in Testing: Supports automated testing with tools like RSpec and Minitest.
• Gems and Plugins: Extends functionality with a wide range of libraries and tools.
• Migration System: Manages database schema changes easily.
• Asset Pipeline: Manages and optimizes CSS, JavaScript, and images.

You must hire a dedicated Ruby on Rails developer for better and fast-track development.

Also read- Ruby on Rails vs Javascript: Which One to Choose in 2024?

Now take a look at the limitations of Ruby on Rails. It includes slower execution time, memory usage, concurrency, and complex codebase.

What if we say, Elixir and Phoenix suppress them all?

Now, you must want to know what is Elixir and how it does it.

Elixir- Functional Approach to Programming

Productive. Reliable. Fast. this is what Elixir is. It lets you develop web apps like never before. Like you cannot imagine doing it with Ruby. not just robust and scalable web apps, it is a developer’s true friend.

Elixir is a functional programming language that runs on the BEAM virtual machine, the same as Erlang. BEAM is known for handling low-latency, distributed, and fault-tolerant systems. It’s used in web development and embedded software.

Erlang is also used in large online games and by Cisco, which says 90% of internet traffic passes through Erlang-based systems.

What Makes Elixir Phoenix Better Than Ruby Rails?

Let us start with the advantages of Elixir that build the base for the Phonix framework.

A Proven Solution- BEAM

Elixir runs on the Erlang virtual machine (BEAM). BEAM is one of the oldest VMs in computing but is still in use today. It was originally designed for telecom systems that handle many connections at once.

Fast development speed

Elixir is highly valued for its ease of use and productivity. It offers a straightforward setup on various machines, including Windows, and maintains simplicity as projects grow, unlike Ruby. Elixir’s code is organized and easy to understand, which saves development time. It also provides fast and efficient testing, unlike Ruby, which can be slow and heavy.

With built-in features for caching, background tasks, and process monitoring, Elixir reduces the need for additional services. Although pattern matching was initially challenging, it ultimately made coding simpler and more efficient. Elixir’s functional programming approach and pattern matching make it a powerful tool for developers.

High performance

Elixir is a compiled language, which means it’s optimized before the server even starts running. This helps Elixir run faster than many other web development tools like Ruby, Python, and Node.js.

In tests, Elixir with the Phoenix framework was up to 13 times faster than Ruby on Rails and about 50% faster than Node.js with Express.

Reduced server costs

In Elixir, code runs as lightweight processes. These processes use little memory and CPU, allowing you to run hundreds of thousands of them at once. This makes Elixir ideal for building systems that need to be distributed and fault-tolerant.

Elixir apps use fewer resources than apps made with dynamic languages. Because Elixir focuses on performance, it can handle more users with less computing power. This means Elixir apps can manage millions of requests with small servers.

Bleacher Report cut its server needs from 150 to just 5 by switching from Ruby on Rails to Elixir Phoenix. Elixir apps have low technical requirements, so they can run on inexpensive servers instead of needing expensive hardware.

Scalability

Elixir can handle increasing traffic without needing more servers. It makes the most of the resources on a single machine, which is perfect for growing applications.

Open-Telecom Platform (OTP) for Reliability

Elixir apps use the Erlang/OTP platform, which was created for the telecom industry to be very reliable and handle huge scale. Elixir and Phoenix build on Erlang’s strong foundation to work well for web and mobile apps.

Both the Elixir and Erlang communities strive for almost perfect uptime — 99.9999999% reliability. This level of reliability has been proven in Ericsson’s telecom equipment and sets a high standard for Elixir’s own reliability and fault tolerance.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Elixir Phoenix

When to Use Elixir Phoenix?

• High-Traffic Apps: Ideal for handling lots of messages or chat traffic.
• To manage high-traffic apps with more than thousands of connections at a time.
• Great for web applications with high-traffic users.
• Suitable for applications in the IoT space.
• Apps for distributed systems
• Asynchronous Tasks: Perfect for software that needs to handle tasks independently and concurrently.
• Scalable Apps: Designed to support future growth and expansion easily.

Final Thoughts

There’s no clear-cut answer to which is better — Elixir or Ruby. Both are excellent for building different types of apps and systems.

Elixir is becoming more popular as it delivers impressive results. However, we did not leave Ruby aside. Still, many of our successful projects are built using Ruby and we are sure, it is not dying soon. Also, Elixir is not going to replace Ruby for the time being.

In short, choose Elixir if your project matches the use cases mentioned, and you’ll get excellent results. But stick with Ruby for projects that suit it better.

For next-gen ruby on rails development services, OnGraph is still leading the race.