Why Ruby on Rails Will Never Die: A Veteran Coder’s Perspective
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- Sep 20, 2024
Having worked with Ruby on Rails for quite some time, I have had an opportunity to watch many technologies come to life and then…whisper it low, die. At this point, I have lost count of how many times I have heard or read about the so-called “death” of Rails, wait for some time, and there it is, revitalized and once more relevant. Grapez' job title looks like a Highly-skilled websupport developer. Fortunately, Rail’s maturity, reliability and sodality have a number of base reasons why they cannot aim for super innovation. I shall give my reasons as to why Ruby on Rails will never die in the eyes of an experienced developer.
1. Maturity and Stability
1. Maturity and Stability
Rails is one of those frameworks that has matured over time and has moved from its initial hype-cycle due to the applicability and growing adoption of agile methodologies in the software development space. It is today dominated by so much hype that everyone tends to look for the next big thing. However, when you're creating a production-level application that should be able to grow as well as deal with real-world challenges, there is no room for such. Having launched in 2005, it is safe to say that Rails has become battle tested and proven.
Rails Alumni have also adopted the “Don’t reinvent the wheel” principle. In practice, it means providing reasonable defaults, but allowing some level of customizability. It allows one to rapidly begin work on a project, but it also enables one to incorporate long term goals of scalability. Over the years, Rails has cultivated its norms and systems to this end, resulting in a framework that is very consistent and reliable with a major consideration of ease of maintenance.
2. Productivity Out of the Box
2. Productivity Out of the Box
The environment of development has always evoked a sense of dealing with the optimal solutions. I cannot quote an example that would help better illustrate how much because it is so overwhelming that whenever I need to roll out an MVP, Rails wins the race all the time. With the underlying principles of Rails, one can create a workable web application within a very short time as compared to most of the other frameworks. With such a combination of scaffolding, builtin generators, and an extensive ecosystem, one can concentrate on the core essence of your app, rather than recreating everything from scratch.
In a world where you are paid to transform ideas into features, Rails allows you to get those features out there in a format that customers can appreciate. That is why for years, Rails has been loved by start up companies and small teams and why if say that start up grows, they do not feel any urge to change platforms.
3. The Vibrant Ecosystem
3. The Vibrant Ecosystem
Ruby on Rails is not just a framework; it is a whole ecosystem. The ruby society has developed a huge number of GEMS, every kind of prewritten program that could help any web-related developer. Instead of building custom software on top of these common features, you can simply use these community-provided gems instead. Want to use oauth? devise helps you do that . Want to do background job processing? Do not worry sidekiq is a callable lamb.
Apart from speeding up the development process, this environment also makes sure that the developers are not working on similar issues in different projects. Due to the modular design of Rails and the presence of these gems, development is more about creation than mundane coding activities.
4. A Thriving, Supportive Community
Ruby on Rails has one of the most passionate and helpful developer communities out there. While newer frameworks might have their moment in the sun, Rails has sustained a strong community of contributors and users for over a decade. This means you'll never be short of tutorials, Stack Overflow answers, blog posts, or open-source tools to help you when you're stuck.
For newcomers, the wealth of documentation and community-driven content makes Rails one of the friendliest frameworks to pick up. As an experienced coder, I’ve found that the sense of camaraderie and collaboration in the Ruby community is unparalleled. You’re never coding in a vacuum.
5. It Powers Major Platforms
When people say Ruby on Rails is dead, I like to point to the giants still running Rails apps in production. From GitHub to Shopify to Basecamp, many of the world’s largest and most important platforms are built on Rails. These companies aren’t stuck on Rails—they choose it because it works.
And it’s not just about the present; the longevity of these apps shows that Rails is capable of handling large-scale traffic and business-critical workloads over many years. The idea that Rails doesn’t scale is an outdated misconception. Given the right practices, Rails scales just fine, as proven by these tech giants.
6. Continuous Evolution
Far from stagnating, Rails continues to evolve. Rails 7.0, with its emphasis on Hotwire and the elimination of the need for a full-fledged JavaScript framework, has shown that Rails is more than capable of adapting to modern development trends. Hotwire brings back the simplicity of server-rendered HTML, while also offering the real-time, interactive experiences that users expect from modern web apps—all without the heavy client-side JavaScript burden.
The Rails core team has always been open to innovation while maintaining the principles that made the framework great in the first place. This balance between evolution and stability is what keeps Rails relevant. It integrates with modern front-end libraries, APIs, and deployment strategies while preserving its powerful core.
7. It's Not Just for Startups
While it’s true that Rails is a favorite among startups for quickly iterating on ideas, its simplicity and scalability also make it ideal for enterprise applications. Large-scale companies love Rails for its maintainability and the ease with which they can onboard new developers. Code written in Rails five or even ten years ago is still easy to understand because the framework promotes readability and clear patterns.
In my experience, companies large and small appreciate frameworks that help them avoid unnecessary complexity. Rails shines here because, despite its flexibility, it encourages good development practices, reducing technical debt over time.
8. The Human Element
At its heart, Ruby on Rails is designed for developer happiness. As someone who's worked in a variety of languages and frameworks, I can attest to the joy that Ruby brings to coding. Its expressive syntax and the Rails framework’s elegant solutions allow me to focus on crafting well-structured, beautiful code. When coding is enjoyable, productivity naturally follows. That’s a massive factor in Rails’ enduring popularity.
There’s a reason many developers who leave Rails for shinier frameworks eventually return. It’s hard to beat the balance of power, simplicity, and enjoyment that Rails provides.
In Conclusion
Ruby on Rails is not dead—far from it. It’s a framework that has matured, adapted, and continues to be a force in web development. Whether you're building an MVP, scaling an enterprise app, or just want a joyful coding experience, Rails delivers. From its robust ecosystem and strong community to its modern enhancements like Hotwire, Rails remains a vital and powerful tool in the web developer's arsenal.
In a world where fads come and go, Ruby on Rails has stood the test of time, and I don’t see it disappearing anytime soon.
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3 comments
whistling past the graveyard ? Your post sounds desperate & delusional. > "Ruby on Rails Will Never Die" All technologies eventually fade away and die. You sound like the kind of person who can't accept reality and change. Python usage is growing rapidly. Every new Python developer is one less Ruby developer. The pool of Ruby developers is shrinking. A recipe for decline. A sad fact that wishful thinking can't change.
Well your are free to your opinion however python can never compare with Ruby on Rails. You speak like an inexperienced developer someone that hasn't much experience working with other languages. Therefore it's pointless having any conversation with you about this topic
Hi 5 from someone who has been using Ruby and Rails since 2005, and still uses them for every software dev. Even said bbye to JS.