Why Ruby on Rails Is Perfect for Your Startup
Why use Ruby on Rails for your startup/project? Why Ruby on Rails and not some other technology? In this article, you will find clear answers to these important questions and find out why Ruby is the best choice for your startup. You will also discover the key Ruby benefits, best Ruby on Rails website examples, how to find a great Ruby on Rails developer, and much more. So without further ado, let’s get started!
Ruby - A Precious Gem in the Startup World
Ruby is one of the world’s most popular programming languages at the moment. It is also one of the most human-like coding languages out there which closely resembles the English language. This makes it easy to master and code with. Its creator, Yukihiro Matsumoto, designed the language intending to end up with a “genuine object-oriented language“. Released in 1995, became a beloved language with countless Ruby developers building new projects on the basis of its most popular framework, Rails.
Because of its simplicity, many startup founders choose to build their software projects with Ruby on Rails (RoR). It is equally suitable for Ruby on Rails website development, e-commerce, Ruby on Rails mobile development and many other purposes. For this reason, in the last decade, countless successful startups built with Ruby got born, some of which you must already know. Let’s see the most noteworthy companies using Ruby on Rails.
Top Websites Built with Ruby on Rails
What if we told you that some of your favorite startups use Ruby? Not sure which Ruby on Rails example sites we’re talking about? Check the best Ruby on Rails websites which perfectly answer the question “What can you build with Ruby on Rails?”:
- Airbnb
- Netflix
- Shopify
- GitHub
- Twitter (in the early days)
- Basecamp
- Slideshare
- Groupon
- Bloomberg
- Couchsurfing
- Fiverr
- Kickstarter
- Zendesk
Recognize some names among the websites created with Ruby on Rails? Yes, it seems like the top startups prefer RoR. If they chose Ruby, wouldn’t it make sense to at least consider the same option for your startup? Let’s explore in detail the benefits of Ruby on Rails you should know about.
Top 10 Ruby on Rails Advantages for Your Startup You Must Know About
This Ruby on Rails overview can be infinite so we decided to highlight a few important reasons you should seriously consider RoR. Think about how these advantages compare to those of other languages. So, let’s review each of the reasons in detail.
1 – It’s (Almost) Free
To begin with, RoR operates under the MIT open-source license. This means it is absolutely free to use. There are no licensing fees for SDK and so forth. Thus by using RoR you already save money on licensing fees.
You might be thinking that the fact that it’s free implies some cons such as lack of support, documentation, etc. Although it is often the case with other open-source frameworks, RoR is a lucky exception to this rule due to its vast popularity. In addition, most libraries, add-ons, etc. are free as well with a few exceptions. Hence, in 99% of cases, you won’t have to spend any money so it is correct to say that RoR is almost free to use.
2 – It’s Simple
RoR is perhaps most well-known for its simplicity and being easy-to-use. Simplicity and resemblance of the human language are the basis of Ruby. This itself implies numerous noteworthy advantages. One of them is its ease for learning. Since the syntax is so easy anyone can easily master RoR provided enough time and effort. This means that if you decide to switch to RoR in your current project, your team will be able to quickly master the new language.
The ease of syntax also implies that building the actual product will be much easier than with other languages i.e. you will experience less headache on your startup journey. Most likely, you will have a lot of other problems to deal with on a day-to-day basis while working on your project so choosing RoR for development will at least help to make your stressful entrepreneurial life a little bit easier.
3 – It’s Fast
What do we mean by “fast”? We mean fast in development. Since RoR is so simple to code with, this means that the development process gets much more efficient and quicker. Therefore, you and your team will save a lot of time and enjoy higher productivity. This means you will get your Minimum Viable Product (MVP) ready much faster among many other things.
In addition to simplicity, RoR offers many ready-to-use libraries, templates, modules, etc. which rids you of the need to build everything from scratch. We all know how important speed is in business and entrepreneurship. RoR makes your startup more efficient and faster on your way toward market dominance.
4 – It’s Stable and Predictable
The framework is stable and predictable. This means you don’t have to worry about the long-term validity of your code or about sudden unexpected changes which can disrupt your code and ruin your startup. The conventions which exist in the RoR world are commonly accepted and conserved. You can go to bed every night with a calm mind without worrying that you will wake up the next morning and find out about a new unpleasant update to the framework.
5 – It’s Easy to Maintain and Change
The stability and predictability of RoR imply another important advantage – easy maintenance and change implementation. It is super easy to add changes to the current code and keep an eye on it. If there ever arises a need to rebuild or seriously update the current application, you don’t have to worry about any technical difficulties that may arise as is often the case with other frameworks and languages.
This also means that if new coders join your project they will manage to quickly get familiar with the current code. The time and financial costs of updates and hiring new team members for startups can often appear to be quite high. Using RoR minimizes these expenditures and makes your startup flexible to changes.
6 – It’s Scalable
Scalability is something you must seriously consider initially before you choose the suitable technology for building your product. If your application becomes popular, you have to be prepared for the growing traffic of visitors and adapt to it respectively i.e. the framework that you use must be scalable.
RoR can boast perfect scalability. Taking this into account, it should now come as no surprise to you why the largest startups prefer RoR – because they care about scalability.
7 – It Offers a Vast Talent Pool
Because RoR is so popular, there is a large number of talented developers and qualified Ruby on Rails companies out there. This means that finding the right talent will never be a problem for your startup. By the way, RoR programmers tend to be the happiest ones.
Why? Because one of the initial goals Yukihiro Matsumoto set in creating the language was to make the people who code with it happy and remove as much headache from their work as possible. Therefore, you can expect to find not only talented developers but also positive and happy team members who will positively contribute to your startup’s spirit and culture.
8 – It Offers an Abundance of Libraries
Boasting a large community, RoR consequently offers a significant number of libraries, modules, add-ons, gems (special extensive libraries for fulfilling a multitude of development functions), etc. This, in many cases, simplifies the process of RoR application development as startups don’t have to build everything from scratch. Instead, you can use the already existing open-source libraries for a variety of goals you want to accomplish with your project. This once again helps to save precious time and money which is the key advantage of Ruby.
9 – It’s Secure
Security is another important advantage of Ruby. Some people assume that being an open-source framework implies sacrificing security. This is not the case with Ruby. Fundamental security features were integrated into RoR from the very beginning.
This does not mean that the framework is absolutely secure and has no vulnerabilities at all. The community regularly identifies security weaknesses and proposes corresponding solutions to them. Therefore, if you happen to deal with certain security issues in RoR, you can expect to find effective solutions or be able to come up with them yourself.
10 – It’s Widely Supported
As we have already said, RoR can boast one of the largest communities in the programming world. This means that RoR users can count on extensive support from the community. Many of the existing technical issues have been already solved, tons of guides, articles, and books have been written. Such question boards as Stack Overflow and Ruby Forum are perfect places for finding answers to any questions you might have and getting the needed technical support for your project.
Having discovered the key advantages you might be already convinced that RoR is the right framework for your project. With this in mind, the next logical question is how do you find a great Ruby developer or team?
How to Find a Great Ruby on Rails Development Company for startup?
With so many development companies on the market, the question of where to find Ruby on Rails developers does not even need to be asked. Ruby on Rails companies are everywhere. A better question is how to correctly screen and select the right Ruby on Rails developer.
Decide if working with a local RoR developer is the right idea, or if it is better to outsource development. To hire Ruby developers among the local talent may prove to be much more expensive than outsourcing to places like Ukraine or Belarus.
If your project can be implemented with remote teams (and almost all software projects can) then you should consider hiring a remote dedicated development team for your startup provided you are comfortable with the time zone the RoR development company is located in. If you do decide to begin looking for a Ruby on Rails development firm here is a list of things you must pay attention to during the selection process to find the best Ruby on Rails developers:
- Proven track record. If the company you are screening has no proven track record, no further consideration makes sense. Move on. It is not worth risking your project working with an inexperienced company even if they offer better terms and lower pricing.
- Proven track record. If the company you are screening has no proven track record, no further consideration makes sense. Move on. It is not worth risking your project working with an inexperienced company even if they offer better terms and lower pricing.
- Location. When we’re talking about the location of your remote dedicated team we don’t just mean the time zone. It is also important that the country of your choice is known for providing great specialists.
- Cost. Obviously, the cost of development matters, especially in the case of startups which usually don’t enjoy rich budgets. For startups, every dollar counts. Therefore, the best option is to hire Ruby on Rails developer which provides the best quality at the lowest cost.
Of course, there are many other factors to pay attention to. These are just the basic things you must consider to find Ruby on Rails developers for your project. Instead of spending countless hours searching for the right team, you can check CyberCraft – a trusted software development company from Lviv, Ukraine. With Cybercraft, you get the highest possible level of expertise while enjoying cost savings of up to 60%. The company has an experienced team of Ruby developers with a proven track record and successful experience in numerous Ruby projects.
Final Thoughts
Ruby has a bright past and is most likely destined for a bright future. Its user base is constantly growing, with new gems being added to the community every day. If you are puzzled as to which programming language to choose for your startup project, Ruby might actually be the best option. Such famous startups as Airbnb, Shopify, Github, and other popular websites using Ruby on Rails suggest that you should definitely consider Ruby.
