Marcus RichardsIf you were to ask a developer to describe Ruby, they would most likely claim it’s a combination of Python’s intuitiveness, Perl’s efficiency, and Smalltalk’s conceptual sophistication. With such a presentation, you might believe that Ruby is the number one option for many engineers around the world. Yet, that’s not the case.
Not that it matters, though. While Ruby might not be as popular as Python or Java, many well-known platforms, such as Shopify, Stripe, and Airbnb, are using it due to its simplicity and efficiency.
Although it was born more than 20 years ago, Ruby’s still one of the highest paid programming languages today. No wonder why so many engineers are interested in learning it — especially when it becomes clear that Ruby is a wonderful language for full-stack development. Don’t believe it? Read on.
Ruby in full-stack development
As you know, not all programming languages support front-end and back-end. The best representatives of this deficiency are JavaScript and Python. Well, Ruby has an advantage over them as you can use its most famous framework, Ruby on Rails, to develop a web application in full.
Why is Rails good for full-stack development? First of all, Rails comes with a broad range of plug-ins, tools, and ready-to-use modules that can help you write the code much faster.
Secondly, it allows you to combine elements of existing and new applications. And lastly, Rails is an open-source programming tool, which means that you can use it and modify it as you see fit.
Moreover, since Rails is in active development, you’ll be able to use new features and fixes regularly.
Why should you use Ruby On Rails?
Rails’ goal is to simplify the process of creating a web app by generating default code structures. Many beginner developers use it because it’s much simpler to understand and doesn’t require an extensive theoretical background in coding.
This valuable framework won’t only help beginners learn to code but will also help them build a full-stack website in the nick of time. Its uniqueness lies in its ability to cover both front-end and back-end. Therefore, if you’re a Rails developer, you’ll most likely be portrayed as a full-stack developer.
That’s not all. Rails will also allow you to learn other languages in addition to Ruby, like HTML/CSS, and JavaScript., meaning that you’ll expand your abilities in your way to becoming a stronger web developer.
Benefits of using Rails in full-stack development
Here’s what gives Rails the advantage over other frameworks regarding web app development:
Faster prototyping
According to the latest statistics, over one million websites currently use the Rails framework because it makes the app-building process quick and easy. Why is that important? Primarily because businesses need to get their prototype to customers as soon as possible in order to get a quick estimate.
This is where Rails comes in handy as it can help you build a prototype within a few weeks. Due to its MVC structure, ready-to-use modules and plugins, and concise and expressive syntax, Rails will reduce the app creation time by 25%–40%.
Furthermore, Rails is a practical full-stack framework with almost all the tools required for web app development. These include scaffolding, ORM, background processing, database schema management, and RESTful API development.
Cost-effectiveness
Using Rails for app development won’t only save you time, but it’ll also save you a lot of money without sacrificing the quality of the product.
How so? Rails has a large community, meaning you’ll find many gems you could use in your web app development, like Pry, Draper, and Figaro, which will significantly reduce development costs. Moreover, since this is an open-source technology, you won’t have to pay license fees.
Scalability
Rails can handle hundreds of requests at once because its language is thread-safe and allows for horizontal scaling.
Shopify is one of the best examples of a scalable web application written in Rails. During peak times, the platform processes about 80,000 requests per second.
So, if you want your app to be able to handle more traffic, all you need to do is attach extra servers and run additional Ruby operations.
What can you build using Rails?
Due to its versatility, you can use Rails to build a web app in almost any industry. Here’s a list of a few web apps you can build:
FinTech apps
Fintech is a fast-growing and constantly changing industry, which is why developers might encounter various problems when creating a web application.
Rails enables you to deal with the main application development challenges, such as high costs and long development times.
E-commerce apps
Rails can help you create and manage an online store by providing features like product catalogs, shopping carts, payment processing, and order management.
Healthcare apps
There are two main reasons why many hospitals use Rails. The first is its simplicity, i.e., its code is short and precise, and the second is speed. As mentioned above, Rails reduces creation time by 25%–40%.
What does the future hold for Ruby?
Ruby is a programming language that has an intuitive, easy-to-learn syntax that resembles the spoken language, making it ideal for beginners. It’s also very effective in program development since it integrates the best traits of other languages, like Java, Python, and Perl.
Thanks to its framework, Rails, which can adapt to different environments, constant updates, and a big community behind it all, there’s a high chance Ruby will remain a developer’s favorite tool for learning and working for many years to come.
