Ruby on Rails for web app development

Ruby on Rails is one of the leading technologies when it comes to web app development. According to Slintel, it has a significant portion of the web framework technologies market share of 29.03%, only behind Django which has 31.27%. It has users across the world and some of the world's leading brands such as Airbnb, Soundcloud and Shopify have adopted Ruby on Rails to create winning apps.

In this guide, we will look at Ruby on Rail for web app development, what it is, its key benefits and limitations and getting started.

What is Ruby on Rails?

Ruby on Rails, also referred to as just ‘Rails’ is an open-source web app development framework which adopts the Ruby programming language to build apps. Ruby on Rails offers developers the capabilities and resources to build complete apps, making it an easier and smoother process.

Ruby on Rails for web app development

Ruby on rails may be an ideal choice for web app development as it can offer speeded-up development which can be incredibly beneficial for a variety of organisations, particularly start-ups as it can reduce the go-to-market time. Ruby on Rails empowers developers to create and build apps that are highly robust, scalable and dynamic. Hence, it was initially used by Twitter which enabled the platform to scale substantially. We will look at Ruby on Rails in relation to web app development, the key benefits it has to offer and the limitations it may present.

Key benefits of Ruby on Rails

Here are some of the key benefits which make Ruby on Rails a winner:

Reduced development time

Ruby on Rails helps reduce development time from anywhere between 25 to 40%. This is incredibly beneficial especially for prototyping with the pre-existing plug-ins, testing abilities within the framework and simplified element creation.

Speed to market

With any application development, in the ideal world, the development process would be fast to enable a speed to market. With its remarkable functions, this can be achieved with Ruby on Rails, enabling a sped-up to go to market.

Save costs

With quicker development time, organisations can save both time and resources. If you can get the application developed quickly and effectively, it will save you significant costs. Additionally, there is no requirement for licencing fees as it is an open-source framework.

Improvement and development

Ruby on Rails is always being updated to meet developer demands. Some considered the platform outdated, therefore, a significant set of changes and updates were made with additional functionality for developers with version 5.

Scalable apps

Scalability can be a concern and a challenge for many businesses. Therefore, building apps with scalability in mind can help businesses save time and cost later down the line. Ruby on Rails apps offers scalability as they can handle thousands of requests simultaneously. This can be seen from their roster of users including leading brands.

Guided web app development

With Ruby on Rails, you have the flexibility to create unique apps, however, Ruby as a programming language runs on an opinionated format where it enables developers to follow industry best practices, improving the end result.

Community

For developers, a platform or technology-specific community can be invaluable for support. There is a large Ruby on Rails community which can provide assistance and guidance when necessary.

Easy front-end development

Ruby on Rails is compatible with some of the leading front-end technologies such as Angualr.js, React and Vue, which makes the front-end development process seamless for Ruby on Rails web apps.

Limitations of Ruby on Rails

There are also some limitations to Ruby on Rail that need to be considered.

Lack of flexibility

Due to its nature of having many pre-define plugs in adherence to industry best practices, it makes flexibility a bit of a challenge. This will need to be considered in line with the outcomes and the requirements of the project.

Costly mistakes

If you may a wrong judgment call or error during development it can cause significant issues and challenges further down the line as the components rely on each other. Therefore, it’s incredibly important to ensure that thorough inspections are made.

Slower performance

One of the common limitations of Ruby on Rails is the performance is slower compared to competitors such as Django and Node.js. Although this may be the case, many developers argue that appropriately optimised apps should perform equally well.

Ruby programming language

Ruby is the programming language used to build web apps within the Ruby on Rails framework. It is one of the most popular programming languages for the number of benefits on offer including speed, guided development, cost-efficiency, testing and debugging features and built-in security features and mechanisms.

Read about the most popular programming languages for 2023.

Getting started on Ruby on Rails with Ardent

The ardent highly skilled software development team have employed Ruby on Rails to deliver a wide variety of apps for clients. If you are looking to create apps that are

• Visually stunning
• Robust in nature
• Offer scalability
• Have a quick development time
• Offer security

..We can help. Our expert engineers can take on board your technology preferences or make suggestions on what suits your project, challenges and business goals to deliver exceptional web apps. Explore our web app development services, find out more about our Ruby on Rails partnership or get in touch to get started.

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