Is Ruby on Rails Dead? Expert’s Review

Even though Ruby on Rails isn't as frequently discussed as JavaScript or PHP, it remains one of the best frameworks for web development. "Is Ruby on Rails dead?" is a popular question in the tech industry. Tech enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and developers worldwide are curious about the relevance of this long-standing framework and want to know if it is still viable.

In this article, we will explore what Ruby on Rails is, share experts' opinions on its current status, and provide valuable insights. If you need help recruiting developers for your project, let us know what you need.

A Little Insight on Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails, also known as "Rails" or “RoR,” is a web application framework built on Ruby. It is the most popular Ruby development framework and currently powers popular and powerful web applications like Fiverr, Spotify, etc.

Ruby on Rails and Ruby are not the same thing. Ruby is a high-level, object-oriented, general-purpose programming language developed by Yukihiro "Matz" Matsumoto in the mid-1990s and publicly released in 1995. Ruby on Rails is a web application framework developed by David Heinemeier Hansson in 2015 and licensed under MIT. According to David Heinemeier in one of his favorite PodCast Features, This Developer's Life, he built Rails on Ruby Programming Language because it was concise, easy to use, and supported the high-level software engineering patterns he needed. Consider reading "Ruby Vs. Ruby on Rails" to get more insights on the difference between Ruby Programming Language and the Ruby on Rails framework.

Why Are People Asking if Ruby on Rails Is Dead?

The tech industry is well known for celebrating innovations and technology. Unfortunately, as the demand for innovation arises, so are programming languages and frameworks for creating the solution. Therefore, it is semi-impossible for a programming language to be a celebrity for eternity. However, that does not translate to Ruby on Rails is dead; rather, it helps us understand the driving force of the “Is Ruby on Rails dead” question trend. We will break down the three possible reasons behind the frequently asked question.

Twitter Moved to Scala

"There's a lot of things that Ruby is great at, but long-running processes? Particularly memory-intensive ones? Not so much." – Alex Payne, former Twitter developer.

Twitter used to be one of the biggest sharks that used Ruby on Rails for its web development. However, the platform constantly experiences a hit on the wall due to its massive number of users. Hence, Twitter migrates most of its code from Ruby Scala to Java.

Twitter VP of Infrastructure Operations Engineering, Mazen Rawashdeh, wrote an article on bolstering our infrastructure. He mentioned how migrating their codes from Ruby to Scala has helped them overcome constant network breakdowns.

In the article, he mentioned, "For example, we've been steadily optimizing the Ruby runtime, and, as part of our ongoing migration away from Ruby, we've reconfigured the service so traffic from our mobile clients hits the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) stack, avoiding the Ruby stack altogether."

Perhaps, you are also considering migrating from Ruby to Java; you can explore some of our top Java development companies. We guarantee their professionalism and expertise.

Scalability Issues

Though scalability issues have been sited as a problem with Rails, it would be wrong to blame only the framework for scalability issues and deficiencies in responding to many user requests. At times, it depends on how good the developer is. That is why we have created a comprehensive guide on what to consider before hiring Ruby on Rails developers.

How fast an application responds to requests depends on each element in the server system architecture and how correctly the Web app's backend is configured for appropriate performance. So, before calling Ruby on Rails dead, we recommend being familiar with the elements responsible for the slowdown.

Avoid scaling problems with Rails by considering:

• code optimization
• service-oriented architecture
• horizontal scalability

The Emergence of New Programming Language

"Ruby on Rails is not the young, exciting platform like it used to be. However, this doesn't mean that it's dead." – Uku Taht

Ruby on Rails was developed in 2005, translating over half a decade. Since the creation of Ruby on Rails, the programming community has celebrated the emergence of different new programming languages and frameworks. As we are all fond of trending towards new releases, people get concerned about the survival of Ruby on Rails. You can check out the pros and cons of Ruby on Rails.

Ruby on Rails is Not Dead - 7 Reasons Why

Undoubtedly, no one would want to stick with a programming language that seems irrelevant or obsolete. So it is okay if you still ask, is Ruby on Rails dead? To convince you that Ruby on Rails isn't over, below are seven sufficient reasons to give you a glimpse that Ruby on Rails still has a great future in the developer industry.

1. Application Friendly

Ruby on Rails is used to build Fiverr, a freelancing app; Shopify, an eCommerce website; and other popular applications such as SoundCloud, GitHub, Airbnb, and Zendesk. As a result, millions of people heavily engage these platforms daily with little or no glitches.

So if an application built on RoR over 16 years ago still functions effectively and challenges the new programming languages, it will be wrong to refer to or consider RoR dead.

2. Relatively Fast

Over the years, the misconception has been that Ruby is slow and time-consuming. But did you know large-scale Ruby on Rails apps with a well-thought-out architecture and infrastructures like Basecamp, Airbnb, or GitHub are super fast? If your web application is built on Ruby on Rails and constantly lags, our best recommendation is to get in touch with some of our best Ruby on Rails development companies.

RoR constantly improves its performance to serve its users better. As of 2008-2009, Rails 2.6.1 and 6.0 were released with improved performance, new features, and a solution that simplified building Web apps. In addition, Rails have released a 7.4 update; which includes js bundling-rails integration, asynchronous query loading encrypted attributes to Active Record, and other goodies.

3. Flexibility and Versatility

"I believe Rails is still the most wanted framework when we think about making a quick MVP" – Dariusz Musielak

Some programmers or developers still adopt the use of Ruby on Rails during the journey of coding. However, RoR has hundreds of tools that foster and simplify your overall coding experience and spare your time from simple yet time-consuming tasks.

4. Wide Range Use Cases for Businesses

Before considering that a programming language is dead, it must have lost its relevance in technology and business operations. On the other hand, Ruby on Rails is still relevant, especially to developers building apps with several functions. The MVC architecture of ruby on rails makes it possible for developers to build apps with complex functionalities.

The MVC is a convention over configuration design that helps developers write less code while maintaining flexibility. Thus, rails are used to build e-commerce apps like Shopify; it is also used for social media apps, booking apps, etc.

5. Full Stack Functionality

While you must learn front-end and back-end languages to build a full-stack application on your own, the game changes when it comes to RoR. By learning Ruby on Rails, you can build full-stack applications without the support of a third-party language.

Not all languages offer front and back end, with a convention over configuration design. This feature has made RoR relevant and useful, especially if you want to build a full stack with a single language. If you are interested in becoming a Ruby on Rails developer, you may consider exploring our collection of the best Ruby on Rails certificate courses.

6. Wide-Spread Community

Although PHP and Python are used more widely than Ruby, two of their most popular frameworks, Laravel, and Django, have fewer contributors than Rails. Ruby's ability to support heavy traffic is perfect for social networking apps or communities like Twitter.

A higher number of contributors means gems (libraries) are of very good quality, and as the saying goes, "there's a gem for everything in Rails." The availability of a large community implies that you are sure to have answers to boggling issues and can quickly reach out to someone for a bug fix. Rails are known for the effort of its community to create reusable libraries that encapsulate solutions to everyday problems.

7. High Job Demand for Ruby on Rails Developers

If you are still bothered and still asking, Is Ruby on Rails dead, then think of the number of businesses constantly looking to Hire Ruby on Rails developers. Ads from LinkedIn show the statistics for the demand for various programming language developers. The need for Ruby developers is 104,000 thousand compared to others. If you are an entrepreneur, you can read about IoT business models and how you can benefit from them.

FAQs

Q1. Does Ruby on rails have a future?

Yes, it does. Any programming language's future depends on constant updates to meet new requirements and serve its users. The creators of ruby on rails have shown that they have their users in mind, with constant updates, bug fixers, and new features to improve the framework's efficiency. So, ruby on rails has a bright future.

Q2. Is Python or Ruby Better?

Python is good for building quick applications. You don't need to be a full-time software engineer to build something with Python, while Ruby requires the technical expertise of a programmer to use. Additionally, Ruby's syntax is easy to learn, but the bugs can be difficult to locate. This is the reverse in Python.

The answer depends on the app you want to build. So, this question should be which one is best for your team, or, which one is best for your project?

Q3. Does Google use Ruby on rails?

No. Google Cloud has the tools most Ruby developers need to successfully build cloud-native applications. Google is built with JavaScript and Typescript on the front end and C, Java, C++, Python and Node.js on the backend. Read on how Node JS can help improve your business activities.