Ruby on Rails, or RoR for short, has become one of the most popular web development languages in recent years. According to The State of Web Development 2018 survey, RoR was the 3rd most popular language of choice behind PHP and JavaScript, with 11% more users than the year before. As such, developers are seeking information on why they should learn Ruby on Rails, as well as how they can use it to build better applications than their competitors. Here are 8 reasons why Ruby on Rails will help you build a kick-ass application that’s better than the rest!
1) Very Active Community
Today, more than 80% of Fortune 500 companies use Ruby on Rails in their daily business. This shows how popular and well recognized is it today. It has a very active community of developers that keep up to date with new versions and releases from Ruby on Rails. They are always ready to help you if you have any questions or issues regarding your development process. You can even find many online forums for free where you can get answers for your doubts and questions. You can also participate in discussions about different projects or problems and get feedback from other members who are already using Ruby on Rails. Besides, there are many conferences organized by different associations where you can meet people who work with RoR every day and learn everything about it directly from them.
2) The Perfect Language for Rapid Application Development
Ruby has been a favorite among web developers for years, and it’s certainly earned its spot as one of the most popular programming languages. Built by Yukihiro Matsumoto (who goes by Matz) in Japan, it was designed to complement his language Smalltalk. It first became popular when it was used for rapid application development (RAD) with Java Enterprise Edition.
3) Free And Open Source
Perhaps one of RoR’s most attractive features, RoR and all of its libraries are completely free and open source. This makes it a great choice for entrepreneurs who don’t have a lot of money to invest in getting their business up and running. Because RoR is so accessible, it appeals to people across industries—from programmers to marketers—which creates more jobs than hiring a single agency could ever do.
4) Outstanding Performance and Security
No other development framework has performed as reliably, or provided as much bang for its buck, as Ruby on Rails developers. It’s no wonder that it powers thousands of websites and apps—and has for years. In fact, 80% of all new web development projects in 2016 were done with RoR. That speaks volumes to how effective and secure it is!
5) Great Frameworks and Libraries
Since Ruby and Python are very high-level languages, you can save a lot of time by using one of their frameworks or libraries. Frameworks make it easier to structure your program by giving you a starting point and providing an API to interact with various pieces of data. Some common frameworks include: Ruby: Rails, Sinatra Python: Django, Flask, Pyramid Libraries give you access to functionality that you don’t have to write yourself.
6) Great Support
One of RoR’s strongest suits is its support. Because it’s an open-source development platform, there are always dedicated programmers and developers to offer help. For example, if you have a problem or question, you can ask your question in online forums and get answers from other people using RoR or developers who helped create it. And when you do have issues that require professional attention, there are several companies like 37signals and Engine Yard that provide such services for hire.
7) Highly Customizable Tools, Environments, and Deployment Processes
Choose your own tools, select a variety of environments and develop with whatever deployment process you want. No matter how small or large your project, you can take charge of your codebase. If it’s in your best interest to change direction mid-stream, you can do that too. There are no limitations to what you can do as long as it makes sense for your project. That’s one of Ruby’s greatest strengths: flexibility in an ever-changing web landscape.
8) Fastest Growing Software Industry In 2018 (And Beyond!)
It’s no secret that software has become an increasingly lucrative industry for developers. With it being one of, if not, THE largest industry in today’s modern world and showing no signs of slowing down, why are so many new programmers flocking to learn Ruby on Rails ? After all, there are plenty of other programming languages out there… But what makes RoR different from those other platforms? What advantages does it have over its competitors?
