What make Ruby on Rails a very good choice to start an application in 2022

Ruby on Rails, also called RoR or Rails, is an open source web framework written in Ruby. It’s the framework we use at Squadracer to build client applications.

Among the various advantages of Rails, we have selected four:

• Simplicity
• Default security layer
• The integration of automatic tests
• The community

Simplicity

Since Rails is completely based on Ruby, the framework has been designed with the same main motivation.

One of the main pillars of the framework is : Convention hover configuration.

This way of thinking about the framework aims to reduce the number of decisions a developer has to make when developing an application.

This system reduces the amount of discussion about the choice of implementation. In addition to being a productivity gain for those familiar with the conventions, they also make it easier to onboard new developers, both experts and beginners. This will even be an advantage for onboarding the most junior developers, as the convention always provides a default choice which is the right choice in most situations.

This choice is certainly not a barrier to the development of your project’s specificities!

Default security layer

Security is an important part of the Ruby on Rails documentation.

It’s clear that today’s web applications are the target of attacks and most of the vulnerabilities come from the application itself.

By design, the framework already prevents certain types of attack, such as SQL injections, and following good practices by using the framework’s functions helps developers to be vigilant in making secure web applications.

In addition to the work done by the Rails team, other initiatives have been developed, like Brakeman, a gem that will analyze the code for flaws (versions of libraries and frameworks, what attributes are allowed when submitting a form, « Dynamic Render Path » problems, and many others).

Easily integrated into a CI, no Squadracer project is started without its integration into our quality process!

The integration of automatic tests

A good application does not come without its test suite.

Rails provides its own unit testing solution, Minitest, at installation. However, it’s the RSpec testing framework that is the most popular today.

It allows you to check that each of your features continues to have the same behaviour after changes.

In addition, your application can be tested by simulating the browser path as a user might do thanks to the integration of Capybara in the default configuration.

Like Brakerman, it’s a good practice and a way to confirm the quality of your project to integrate your test suite into your CI.

The community

Ruby on Rails has an active community where developers can access free tutorials. This active community regularly shares their open-source library creations to make your Ruby on Rails application development process smoother and faster.

Widely used in the tech world since 2006, Ruby on Rails has continued to evolve to the present day. The framework continues to be a force of proposal in the tech world with notably the presence of Hotwire in its version 7 released in December 2021.

The Parisian community meetups are held every first Tuesday of the month. Each event starts with some Rails related tech presentations, now broadcasted on their Twitch and Youtube channel. This active community is the reflect of all Rails developers: mutual help and regular knowledge sharing.

Last words

Although one of the oldest of the modern web frameworks, Ruby on Rails is still a very good solution for starting a project. It has many advantages that make life more pleasant for your team.

It’s thanks to its various advantages that Ruby on Rails has been the choice of large companies such as Github, Shopify, Twitch, AirBnB, Heroku and also the reason why 7 of the 27 french unicorns offer to join them to improve their applications based on this framework.