Ruby on Rails is a popular web development framework which has powered some of the world’s best web applications – Airbnb, Shopify, Basecamp, Github, and many more. Ruby on Rails web development framework has highly matured since its inception 15 years ago.
BoTree has also built powerful web apps like TFC, Appruv, InspectDate, and others using Ruby on Rails. But does it still make sense to hire Ruby on Rails developers in 2020 for web & mobile applications?
Ruby on Rails is facing stiff competition from its competitor frameworks like Django, Laravel, Angular, Express.js, Flask, Bootstrap and many more. The recent advancements in software technology have put these frameworks under the spotlight. It has led developers to question the feasibility of Ruby on Rails application development in comparison to others in 2020.
For example, Django’s numerical and computational capabilities keep it ahead of Ruby on Rails web development when it comes to data science applications. But is it faster than Ruby on Rails? Many developers still doubt that.
The experienced developers understand that Ruby on Rails has reached its maturity as a framework and is one of the best today for building quality applications. In the post-COVID-19 world, even though there are obstacles, more opportunities lie ahead for Ruby on Rails development companies.
Also Read: Top Ruby on Rails Web Development Mistakes Companies Should Avoid
Let’s explore such obstacles & opportunities in this article. We will also focus on some of the top RubyGems that make Ruby on Rails what it is today.
Ruby on Rails Development: Challenges in 2020
Ruby on Rails is an older web development framework. With more advanced features, there are frameworks like Django, Flask, and others that can enable companies to build highly-powerful applications.
Three of the primary challenges that Ruby on Rails application development faces in 2020 are:-
- Considered weak for data science apps
Data science applications are increasing every day. Companies are reinventing their applications through a framework which can build ML and AI-based applications. In this term, RoR development is considered poor and faces heavy competition from Django. - Insufficient documentation
Today, every framework and programming language has enough documentation to get started even a rookie from scratch. That’s why beginners love them. Ruby on Rails programmers often suffers from a lack of documentation which can be a big disadvantage of novices. Written documentation is much quicker than diving deep into the code for understanding behaviour. - Slower boot speed
Ruby on Rails web development is heavily dependent on libraries and RubyGems. Thus, the boot time is slow as compared to modern frameworks which boot up quickly. Slow boot speed can also be frustrating for modern Rails developers as they expect a faster framework to work with. - Myths surrounding Ruby
There are several myths that surround RoR development. The most prevalent one is that the framework is dead. Such publicity has made developers and businesses sceptical and led to a decline in its popularity. However, it is not true, and Ruby on Rails developers can support this with high-quality apps as examples.
Ruby on Rails Development: Opportunities in 2020
While the framework is facing challenges from others, it is still one of the best to build web and mobile applications. But you have already read about the benefits of Ruby on Rails application development. Let’s explore the opportunities that the framework provide to businesses.
- Cost savings during COVID struggle
- As the world unlocks and the COVID19 era sets in, companies would want to compensate for their huge losses. However, to serve the more mobile and tech-oriented economy, applications would still be needed.
- Ruby on Rails development services provides businesses with an opportunity to save costs and build high-quality applications. Development with RoR is highly-affordable. The framework is avail for free as it is open source.
- Ruby on Rails programmers are in ample supply and provide high-quality work at a reasonable price. Companies can build an application without putting a hole in their pocket and save money.
- Build quick products
- Companies are competing fiercely in 2020 during COVID-19 and will continue to do so after it. Since their revenues are lost, they would like to make up for it as soon as possible.
- This is one of the biggest opportunities for RoR development. The framework allows for rapid prototyping and delivers products extremely fast. Rails developers can build applications by nearly 25% to 40% faster than other framework developers.
- To beat the competition and grow quickly, Ruby on Rails is the best bet for companies who want to get an early lead in the world that is recovering after COVID-19.
- Ecommerce applications
- When everyone was stuck at home, ecommerce was one of the only thing driving a little bit of revenue. People got used to getting things delivered at home. With this, came a new wave for ecommerce applications in the market.
- Ruby on Rails web development provides exceptional ecommerce application development. It has amazing features that can enable startups and MNCs to build ecommerce applications within no time.
- And if they want to integrate ecommerce into their existing apps – Ruby on Rails development services can help them without any hassle.
Ruby on Rails Development: Best Ruby gems in 2020
Now when we talk about integration in existing applications, RubyGems forms the core behind highly powerful web and mobile applications. Ruby gems enables Ruby on Rails programmers to add functionalities and feature-rich apps.
For most developers, RubyGems is the name of the game when it comes to building high-performing applications. We will list out the best RubyGems for us in 2020 to help you build better apps.
- ActiveRecord Import: Probably one of the most downloaded Ruby gems by Rails developers, activerecord-import allows quick insertion of bulk records. It requires a minimal number of SQL statements. One of the biggest advantage during Ruby on Rails application development – it reduces the conversion time significantly.
- Webpacker: In Ruby on Rails web development, the primary purpose of webpacker is to run along with Javascript, CSS, images, fonts. It provides integration with yarn and webpack as well as entire application assets.
- Draper: Draper allows Ruby on Rails developers to build decorators around models. Without Draper, developers don’t need to write helpers. There’s a list of attributes and extended methods for the object.
- RSpec Rails: To avoid unit test cases, RSpec Rails is the perfect choice for developers. They can integrate the RSpec framework into any of the Rails projects. It features descriptive and neat syntax.
- PRY: PRY is perfect for debugging errors and eliminate issues. Implement debugging step-by-step, which includes unique features and command shell integration. Ruby on Rails developers highly prefer PRY to debug their applications.
Also Read: Top 10 Ruby Gems for Ruby on Rails Web Development Projects
Conclusion: Is Ruby on Rails Development worth in 2020?
Ruby on Rails web development is one of the most preferred application development frameworks in 2020. It provides a lot of opportunity to businesses for building efficient applications. Ruby on Rails will cut down costs and provide high-performing applications – necessary to grow in this era.
BoTree Technologies utilizes the Ruby on Rails framework to build high-quality web applications. We have already built a lot of them Have a look Ruby on Rails case studies.