5 Things to Know About Ruby Development

Does your company need durable, easy-to-maintain web applications capable of scaling as necessary? Ruby Development brings many benefits to software development projects through the Ruby programming language and its framework, Ruby on Rails. But many junior developers and startup CEOs are still not aware of what it's capable of.

Here are five things you should know about Ruby Development.

1) Ruby is Different From Ruby on Rails

Ruby is an effective, practical, object-oriented programming language; Ruby on Rails (RoR or Rails) is the web development framework that uses the Ruby programming language.

That might sound confusing, so, in short, Ruby = the code; Ruby on Rails = where you put the code.

2) It Covers Both Front and Back-End Development

Its ability to cover both the front and back-end really makes it unique; Ruby on Rails developers can truly call themselves full stack. Full stack developers build entire websites without outsourcing or relying on other team members. This is an enormous asset to start-ups and entrepreneurs.

It's especially popular with tech start-up software engineers thanks to rapid prototyping. That means one could think of a web app, and a Ruby on Rails developer could have it ready online within hours. Very few web frameworks can accomplish a feat like that.

3) Ruby Builds A Range of Sites

RoR is exceptional for building web applications, especially if you're under a time crunch. Ruby on Rails developers most commonly build the following web apps:

• MVPs

• Social networking apps

• E-commerce platforms

• Apartment sharing/vacation rental apps

Many world-renowned products have been written in Ruby and built with Rails, such as:

• Airbnb

• Goodreads

• Shopify

• Twitter

Though RoR is great for web frameworks, you can't build mobile apps in Rails. But you can build web apps that serve as the backend for any mobile apps.

4) It's Not Perfect

There are few cons to Ruby on Rails, and most are quite easy to work around. Most criticism revolves around:

• Runtime speed/performance

• Lower flexibility

• Cost of developmental mistakes

Runtime Speed

The top complaint from software engineers is the ‘slow’ runtime speed of RoR. This can make it harder to scale your Rail web apps.

But those within the Rails community know that unless you have a Twitter-sized user base, it's rare you'll witness performance dips. It's also only slightly slower than web frameworks like Django or Node.js.

Lower Flexibility

RoR includes plenty of hard modules and dependencies out of the box. And by hard, we don't mean difficult — we mean rigid.

Included default modules are great for web apps with standard functionalities. But if you have something highly unique in mind, adjusting RoR to your needs can prove difficult.

Cost of Developmental Mistakes

We mentioned the sheer speed of prototyping in Rails. Depending on your software engineers, this can help or hurt you.

Inexperienced Ruby on Rails developers might make unobvious errors that erode your web app's future performance.

Since Rails is an open-source framework, all components highly depend on each other. Structural deficiencies will be difficult to fix for this reason.

That's why it's important to really get familiar with Ruby on Rails and practice before applying it to a big project.

5) It's Beginner-Friendly

RoR is highly forgiving. It was developed to guide users into writing impressive code — even if they have little experience.

One of the company's main beliefs is convention over configuration. For beginners, this means writing impressive code without knowing why things are the way they are. For experienced developers, this means heightened productivity.

It also features syntax that's close to human speech. Experienced developers, junior developers, and those with zero tech experience will find it much easier to understand.

Example Code — PHP vs. Ruby

If you'd like to print the words "Let's learn Ruby!" 5 times using PHP, the code is:

<?php
  echo str_repeat("Let's learn Ruby!", 5);
?>

Now, look at what's required line of code for the same action in RoR:

5.times { print "Let's learn Ruby!" }

Pretty straightforward! But if you want to join the Rails community but haven't written any line of code before, you'll have to familiarize yourself with a few things first.

HTML CSS JavaScript Familiarity

Don't worry; it's not so difficult. And you have some options with your learning process. You'll definitely need familiarity with HTML and CSS under your belt before you learn Ruby on Rails.

But JavaScript isn't a prerequisite. You'll need the skill down the line, but you can learn Rails first. In fact, lots of people who've learned Rails find it easier than JavaScript.

Learning the Ruby Programming Language

Before free-falling into Rails, make sure you've learned Ruby first. You don't have to become an expert. Just make yourself comfortable with the language. The basics you'll need are:

• Data Types

• Object Orientation

• Debugging

• Methods

Whether you're a junior developer looking to learn object-oriented programming or a start-up CEO planning to launch your web app, Ruby on Rails is an optimal choice. Code written in Ruby is fun and easy. Rails is perfect for beginners and getting web apps up quickly; just make sure your developers are comfortable with HTML, CSS, and the Ruby language itself.

Need help applying Ruby on Rails to your project? Get in touch with us today. Our team is fluent in Ruby and can help you create a high-quality application using this programming language.

Contact us to learn how we can help you with your project today.