Advantages and Disadvantages of Ruby on Rails

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Advantages and Disadvantages of Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails is one of the most popular server-side web application frameworks written in the Ruby programming language. Since its 2004 launch, it has been used to create a number of innovative apps, such as Shopify, GitHub, Airbnb, and several others. As a full-fledged web framework, it is praised for its ease of use, rapid application development, and scalability. 

Nevertheless, Ruby on Rails has its disadvantages, such as its reliance on third-party libraries, difficulty debugging, and inability to support legacy systems. How well it works, like anything else, is heavily influenced by what you are building and the types of tools and flexibility required. In order to determine whether Ruby on Rails is the proper development framework for your project, you will go over its advantages and disadvantages in this article.

Pros of RoR

Let’s start with something positive about Ruby on Rails, right? Because of the many benefits it can provide, RoR app development is a popular first option among start-ups. The framework has a convention-over-configuration approach and extensive libraries, which make rapid development possible within the allotted time frame. Robust documentation, a comprehensive library of open-source gems for extra functionality, and a vibrant community are all advantages. Learn more.

1. Time-Saving

It is relatively easy to learn the basics of the framework. But it will take time for you to get a hold of its true potential. Once you do it, you will understand why Ruby on Rails is said to be time-effective. There are many tools available in RoR that can help you accelerate and simplify your overall coding experience. 

  • Its modular architecture also reduces development time and costs by enabling quick and easy modifications to an application without interfering with other areas of the codebase. 
  • The thing is, if you use RoR, you can spare your time from simple yet time-consuming tasks instead of wasting your valuable time on them. 
  • That translates to more money and more productive work completed in less time. 

In the end, this means you can save on development costs, start enjoying the benefits sooner, and drastically shorten the time it takes to get your product to market. It is claimed that you can cut their development time by 25–40% by using the RoR framework.

2. A Wide Range of Useful Tools and Libraries

RoR offers a vast array of helpful tools and libraries that can assist you while working on your software project. These libraries cover a wide range of tasks, such as database management, web services, and web development. It also provides a robust testing framework that makes it easy to debug and test applications. Additionally, the framework is extensible, allowing you to add new features quickly. 

The tools available in the framework are intended to impact the content of your code and how your software is designed. Some are used for debugging the software, while others are used for optimisation and testing. Every year, the framework expands and adds valuable tools and resources to improve user efficiency.

3. Rapid Development

RoR enables quicker web development. In addition to being readily available, their pre-built libraries and plugins let developers build app features as soon as feasible. The developers do not need to write a lot of code because they can use simple syntax. Compared to other frameworks or programming languages, Ruby on Rails developers can develop software 30% to 40% faster.

4. Vast and Vibrant Community

RoR has a vibrant and active community of developers on platforms like GitHub. The best thing about this framework is the abundance of pre-made software snippets that are available for specific tasks. You can choose which of these snippets, also known as “gems,” best suit your project and increase productivity in a shorter amount of time. Best of all, if you are new to working with RoR, you can always ask for assistance because of the beautiful community.

5. Adherence to Industry Standards

Due to its opinionated nature, Ruby on Rails encourages the highest standards and web development best practices, thereby leading you into their way of doing things. It conforms to industry standards, and applications developed with it are expected to follow established software design paradigms such as ‘Don’t repeat yourself’ and ‘coding by convention.’

  • The developer should avoid duplicating code and instead create abstractions according to the DRY (Do not repeat yourself) principle. It guarantees your application’s maintainability and a clear division of responsibilities. 
  • According to the coding by convention principle, developers must specify unusual app features. 
  • It is much simpler for developers to work together or for one developer to take over for another when standards are followed. It also improves the framework’s overall usability.

Cons of RoR

Sounds good, doesn’t it? The picture can’t be seen from only one side. There are downsides to anything, and Ruby on Rails is no exception. The following are some of the main cons of using RoR for web development:

1. Inflexibility

As mentioned earlier, RoR is standardised and has a lot of ready-built code that makes it easy for developers to use and learn. This is one of the framework’s greatest strengths, but it also becomes one of its main disadvantages. The reason for this is that developers are unable to experiment with the code. 

Their creative options are limited, and they must adhere to a reasonably rigid scaffold. Therefore, you should consider the project’s fundamental components and whether they are more standard or unique before deciding which framework to use.

2. Continuous Evolvement of the Framework

It is a framework that undergoes continuous evolution. But this has advantages and disadvantages. It is a good thing when changes happen for the better, especially for a language or a framework like RoR with vast community support. The problem is that newcomers and beginners may not be able to adjust to the overwhelming changes. 

Along with the framework itself, the community-developed tools and libraries also undergo this drastic change. They continuously develop new features in addition to making improvements and adding new ones. You need to be a part of the community and be updated on everything to keep up with and make use of the framework.

3. Performance Time

Performance time is another drawback that is constantly discussed in Ruby on Rails. Compared to other web application frameworks, RoR has a fairly lengthy boot time, especially when working on large projects. However, runtime speed may be unaffected by apps that have been properly optimised.

But, you will undoubtedly notice a difference if you compare the waiting time with other frameworks, like Node.js. Nevertheless, given all that Rails has to offer, this difference could be better and can easily be ignored.

4. Cost of An Error

Performance time has a significant impact on the cost of an error when developing with Ruby on Rails. RoR is going to be your best friend if you can be meticulous and pay close attention to all the little details while developing. 

But if you make some poor decisions early on in the development process, it can easily cause your application to run much slower overall, interfere with the way different parts of your software connect, and have unexpected consequences. 

For your next project, Ruby on Rails is unquestionably one of the best web development frameworks to take into consideration. As with other excellent frameworks, you can accomplish almost everything with RoR. It is the go-to option for many successful projects, including GitHub, Airbnb, BaseCamp, Zendesk, and Bloomberg, because of its outstanding community, high-quality code base, enormous module database, and maintainability of RoR applications.

But the details really do matter. If you have strict deadlines and financial constraints for your project, RoR is undoubtedly a wise option. However, if you want something more flexible, quick, and complex, RoR may not be for you. Hope the article helps you learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of Ruby on Rails. 

Interesting Links:

Deep Dive in to Ruby on Rails

More Insight into The Pros and Cons of Ruby on Rails

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