Ruby on Rails, also known as RoR, is an open source server-side web application framework written in Ruby. Rails has been built by some of the most respected developers in the business and has been in development since 2003. It has gained popularity over the years and many successful startups are using Rails today to power their websites and applications. Here are four reasons why your startup should use Ruby on Rails too.

The History of Ruby on Rails

Developed in 2001 by David Heinemeier Hansson, David Dahl and Mike Clark, Ruby on Rails (or simply Ruby) is a web application framework designed to assist with web development and improve performance. The programming language that gives Ruby its name, Ruby was originally developed in Japan at research institute Mathematical Research Institute of Okayama University by Yukihiro Matsumoto.

Core Philosophy of Ruby on Rails

We believe that every developer should know two languages: a compiled language (like Java or C++), and a scripting language (like Python or Ruby). It’s not an either/or decision—it’s a both/and one. When picking what languages to learn, it makes sense to choose one that gets you up and running quickly and helps you express yourself in ways that feel natural, but also allows you to scale your application when it’s time. That’s why we recommend learning Ruby.

Customization Is Very Easy

Customization is a necessity in today’s world of online business. Choosing a platform that can easily adapt to change is vital, and with Rails you don’t have to worry about being locked into an outdated framework. You can design your application as soon as it’s built, making it much easier to keep up with ever-changing trends. If you do decide to switch frameworks, you can also do so relatively painlessly. A lot of companies are switching from PHP to Rails because they want something more modern and flexible than PHP offers. This flexibility makes adapting changes much easier than if they were using another language or framework.

Open Source and Free Of Cost

Just like Linux, Ruby on Rails is an open source project, which means it’s completely free. Not only does it cost nothing to use, but other developers will freely contribute and help out with bugs and issues. This means you can focus all your energy on creating a world-class product that is technically sound. Also, since Ruby on Rails is so popular, there are tons of tutorials available online to get you started. In fact, many large companies such as Twitter and Airbnb were built using RoR.

Flexibility to Choose Third Party Add-Ons/Plugins/Software

Another thing that makes Ruby on Rails a great tool to use is that it allows users to work with third party add-ons or plugins. You are able to get extra software and tools added to your site that otherwise may not have been available if you were using another platform. This creates opportunities to enhance your business, which will certainly catch attention. For example, if you want location based ads then you will be able to find a plugin for your specific needs as opposed to not being able to do so with other platforms.

Increasing Popularity

Founded in 1995, Rails is a popular web framework. Nowadays, it is used by major companies such as GitHub, Twitter and Shopify to support their business applications. In 2008, its creator David Heinemeier Hansson released it under MIT license so that anybody could use it. The first version of Ruby on Rails was released in October 2004 with Version 2 released in July 2007.

Community Support Available

Ruby on Rails was developed by David Heinemeier Hansson with help from a group of other developers and designers. The project has a large online community that includes plenty of support forums, blogs, job listings, and user groups. The Ruby language has been around since 1993—meaning there’s plenty of documentation and code examples to draw from. This can make it easier to solve common programming issues that crop up during development.

Flexible Development Environment And Longevity

The development environment is very similar to that of PHP and LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and Perl/PHP/Python). It’s flexible enough to allow you to change your framework if you decide down the road that a different one would better suit your needs. In addition, it will also last a while. As long as there are computers running Linux and Apache, there will be developers using Ruby on Rails developers. If you want something that’s going to still be in use in 10 years, then RoR is definitely worth considering.

Multithreading and Security Support

For applications that need to handle multiple users at once, multithreading can help get things done faster. This is especially important when using a web-based program, as multiple users may be requesting services at any given time. The fewer waits you have between requests, in other words, your application’s performance will increase exponentially.

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