Is Ruby on Rails still Alive?
What is Ruby on Rails
Well first let us break it up. Ruby on Rails sounds like it is one thing and some may argue it is by how well it all flows together, however, Ruby is a dynamic, general-purpose programming language and Rails is a framework for displaying our work in Ruby. Rails was created in 2004 which actually lead to Ruby winning “Programming Language of the Year” in 2006 despite being written more than 10 years before then (1995). Ruby on Rails is also the framework behind some huge names like Twitch, Shopify, Github, Hulu, and even Airbnb. Everyone can agree these are sticking around for a while and even still growing so why would anyone think Rails or Ruby is on its way out.
Some Reasons Ruby may be Dying
- Slow Performance. It is true that Rails runtime speeds are slower than other frameworks like Node.js or Golang, these speed issues are only noticeable at large-scale traffic. Other times the speed issues are not the fault of Rails but rather server architecture or database set up. There are large-scale RoR apps that include BaseCamp, Airbnb, and Github. Also, some performance issues come from the disconnect between the framework and the developer. New or just less experienced developers of Rails sometimes make wrong decisions when writing code and that may be because Rails does so much for the developer that it sometimes hides what is happening and how to address issues that may be happening
- Scalability Issues. This debate seems to have sparked with Twitter. Yes, Twitter was a Rails app and has since moved to Scala. Remember this is Twitter size traffic constantly ever-changing. That doesn’t mean that Rails can not scale it just may be different than others and some of the solutions are: Code optimization, Service-oriented architecture, and horizontal scalability
- It’s getting old. It’s been over 16 years since the release of Rails framework and there have come along some younger, prettier, even more user friendly in some cases frameworks for other languages. There are pros and cons here for this but since this is the “why it’s bad” part I’ll focus on the cons. Startups want the latest and greatest usually so that leads to them leaning towards things like React or Vue. Newer frameworks can be faster but that also means learning new code. With the time that Rails has had in the sun, it has many developers versed in it. Even bootcamps like those at Lighthouse Labs or le wagon still teach it because many companies are already running it and maintenance and growth are always happening.
Why Ruby on Rails isn’t out yet
- It’s quick to setup. Many developers I believe would agree that developers with equal knowledge in different frameworks would say that a Rails application is quite quick to setup. Others may be able to do more afterward but the initial setup of a Rails application doesn’t take long and if you are looking to hit the ground running this may be the framework for you and your team
- It’s been around for a while. Some might not think that 16 years is a long time but in computer world it is. This means there are many resources and sites and gems all dedicated to making Rails and Ruby easier and smoother to use. Many developers writing articles on solving issues that new developers may run into regularly. However other new frameworks don’t have the years of experience behind the culture yet. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t use and learn them it's just more to think about when picking language and frameworks for yourself.
- Ease of readability. Many developers love Ruby for its ease of readability. Some languages really look and feel like what an outsider would say looks like computer language while Ruby is very readable even to newbies.
Both of these sections of code do the same thing in two different languages. When called in the console the outcome is “Hello World” printed out 5 times. This is where some people butt heads. Ruby is very nice and simple but you have control over each step in Javascript here. This is just one example and things can be argued in every direction here, just wanted to give a small window into why it can be found to be more readable as a new developer.
Future of Ruby on Rails
All in all Rails as a framework is not going away soon. Its true startups will probably opt-out for the newest development in frameworks and libraries, but with so many established companies still using Ruby on Rails it is going to be around for a while. So it all depends on you. Are you a new developer that is going to join one of these big companies or are you focused on the grind of getting start ups going? Having more to pad that resume is never going to be a bad thing and being that it is still relevant with some big players and you are looking to learn something maybe this is the new framework to put on that resume.
References
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