Technology evolves due to changing business demands. The needs of developers and users are also changing. Businesses rely on frameworks to create the most optimal solutions to serve customers. As essential tools for building applications, frameworks are no different. What was suitable and popular yesterday may lose its necessity and relevance today.
Talking about frameworks, what's your favourite framework? Is it Laravel? or Ruby on Rails? If you are still loyal to using RoR, have you ever thought about whether RoR is still relevant today? Let's find out.
Get to know Ruby on Rails (RoR)
Ruby on Rails is an open-source server-side web application framework with an MIT licence. Ruby is the primary programming language in Ruby on Rails.
RoR and Ruby are two different things. RoR is a framework that uses the Ruby programming language, while Ruby is a programming language from Japan. At the time of the release of RoR, Ruby was gaining peak momentum as a programming language.
Ruby on Rails was born in 2004 and won the Programming Language of the Year Award from Tiobe in 2006. RoR is considered compatible with most projects that use the Ruby programming language.
RoR revolutionised the web-developing world
When RoR hit the stage in 2005, it came up with a new approach to building web applications. One of the things that RoR bought was that it eliminated the need to write boilerplate code. This is called the convention-over-configuration software design paradigm.
RoR liberates developers to focus on business features and application logic. So that developers will not be bored and stuck on the coding. It also boosts productivity and helps developers deliver MVP on applications faster. Along with Django, RoR propagates the use of MVC patterns such as the DRY principle.
Why do people think RoR is dead?
You might hear that some people thought that RoR was dead. According to statistics from Stack Overflow, Ruby on Rails is predicted to decline in 2022.
When they see this data, some people immediately think RoR will die in 2022, but RoR is just not in the spotlight. Many of the big players in the field are still loyal to Rails, such as GitHub, Airbnb, SlideShare and Twitter. So why do people think RoR is dead?
1. Slow performance
RoR has a slower run time than Golang or Node.js. This weakness is noticeable when in large-scale traffic. However, RoR isn't always the culprit behind slow speeds. There are databases and server architectures that developers need to look at.
In fact, for three years in a row, RoR has always provided a solution to every problem. Starting from:
- Rails 6.0 uses Ruby 2.5+ with a complete solution that further simplifies the creation of web applications.
- Rails 7.0 provides integration in js bundling-rails and several other updates in 2021.
2. Scalability issues
This issue arose as Twitter announced the move from Rails to Scala. RoR is lacking in handling user requests.
Still, when we talk about Twitter, many things need to be identified to see which component is responsible. Examples such as server architecture and configuration.
Is RoR still relevant in 2022?
So is RoR still relevant to be used in 2022? The answer is, of course. In some ways, RoR is superior to other frameworks.
1. Simpler business logic execution
Rails implementation is simple and fast on complex business logic because of its beautiful and elegant syntax. For example, when you need an API for your app, you can ask the Rails developers, who will develop it very quickly. On top of RoR's structure, scaffolding, classes, etc, makes development structured and easy to write and read code.
2. Ultra big collection of gems
Ruby has a collection of gems (library) created by developers. This collection is a bridge to fill the remaining gaps in web apps. And the best thing about this collection is that it's free for commercial use. Library collections make it easy for developers to use them when stuck in some code.
3. Security
Applications that are sensitive to data, such as finance, health care, and stocks, would be perfect if you use Ruby on Rails.
4. Rapid development
One of the plus points of RoR is its super-fast development. Due to its simple system and the MVC conventions that RoR imposes, the development cycle reduces significantly. RoR helps you build your MVP in no time before the product launch.
5. Continuously evolving
There are always updates from RoR. The update shows the fact that they are still alive and growing. The latest version of Ruby on Rails is Ruby on Rails 7.0.0, born in December 2021.
What's new in RoR?
Ruby on Rails will turn 18 in 2022. Many changes occur to the language and framework. In 2021 last December, Ruby announced the latest version, Ruby on Rails 7.0.0. This version embodies the idea of bringing an integrated approach to web development.
1. Node and Webpack is no longer required
In Rails 7, you no longer need to use NodeJS and Webpack. In this rule, there is no translation between what you write and what the browser receives. This is not a problem because almost all browsers support es6.
2. Turnolinks and UJS are replaced with Turbo and Stimulus
Apps we build using Rails 7 will get Turbo and Stimulus (from Hotwire) by default. Hotwire is a new approach that allows you to quickly update the DOM by sending HTML over the network.
3. Database-level encryption
In Rails version 7.0.0, you can mark specific database fields as encrypted using ActiveRecord:: Base. You can use the encrypted attribute continuously, and RoR will encrypt and decrypt automatically between the database and your application.
4. Asynchronous request
Version 7.0.0 has a load_async method you can use when requesting data to get results in the background. This feature is essential when loading some unrelated requests from controller actions.
Is it Really Worth Learning?
Ruby on Rails is still relevant in 2022 and will stay relevant for many years. Building applications using RoR is faster and easier with coding based on conventions. This is a good option if your budget and deadlines are tight.
Ruby on Rails offers stability which directly translates to successful and hassle-free maintenance. As a good developer, you know how to take the magic of Rails and use the rest of the time to focus on business features and application logic.
