7 Best Ruby on Rails Jobs for Web Developers
Do you want to learn a new skill, like Ruby on Rails, but are confused about career opportunities? Here is a complete guide on Ruby on Rails jobs.
If you are a web developer, you must learn Ruby on Rails to select a top-rated framework for smooth website performance.
You must be wondering why you should opt for Ruby on Rails, a relatively new programming language, while HTML and CSS are available. We’ll discuss Ruby on Rails’ prospects and share remote jobs for web developers.
The basic principle of RoR is that you don’t reinvent the wheel, meaning you don’t need to rewrite every piece of code to develop a website. In this way, a developer saves a lot of time in developing basic web tasks.
What is Ruby on Rails?
Released in 2003, Ruby on Rails is an open-source application framework that enables web developers to develop efficient websites within limited time and money resources.
The straightforward framework offers a model view, routing, and controller architecture (MWC) for quick web development. You should know that MWC assists web developers with new structures to write simple codes.
Many renowned businesses and websites, including Shopify, Twitter, GitHub, Hulu, and Airbnb, have Ruby on Rails deployed at the back end. That’s why Ruby on Rails jobs abroad and locally are on the rise: they are easy to program and implement.
Kevin Systrom, CEO of Instagram, acknowledges the improvement of Ruby on Rails Instagram even though Instagram hasn’t been developed on Ruby on Rails. You can use the operating system’s command-line interface to install a package library such as RubyGem.
RoR offers a collection of code libraries that offer a tailored solution or a relevant model for repetitive tasks such as creating tables, forms, and other website menus.
Ruby on Rails serves as a back-end or server-side web development platform. Consider Rails for Ruby, similar to Laravel for PHP and Django for Python.
Ruby on Rails Background
Ruby is a programming language first developed by Yukihiro Matsumoto in the 1990s. Ruby’s primary purpose is to create new projects with seamless performance quickly.
Since 2002, the Ruby language has had around 1,082 releases. Another interesting fact about RoR is that over 350,000 websites have been built on this framework globally.
The convention over configuration principle of RoR minimizes the time spent configuring files to get set up. Rails includes a set of conventions to speed up development.
| Feature/Aspect | Ruby on Rails | HTML/CSS | Laravel (PHP) | Django (Python) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Framework Type | Full-stack web framework | Styling & Layout | Full-stack web framework | Full-stack web framework |
| Primary Language | Ruby | HTML, CSS | PHP | Python |
| Scalability | High | Limited | High | High |
| Ease of Learning | Moderate | Easy | Moderate | Moderate |
| Community Support | Strong | Strong | Strong | Strong |
| Development Speed | Fast | Slow (manual coding) | Fast | Fast |
| Cost | Low (Open Source) | Low (Free) | Low (Open Source) | Low (Open Source) |
Benefits of Ruby on Rails Jobs
Here are some key benefits.
Affordability
If you are a beginner in blogging or want to develop a new online business or website, you should select Ruby on Rails, courtesy of its open-source framework.
Scalability
Another reason behind Ruby on Rails’s popularity is the scalability of developed websites. You can scale your website based on projected website traffic to achieve future business goals.
All the developed modules offer flexibility so developers can implement the desired changes. You can modify and migrate the code to define the final changes in the database schema. This way, you can use a version control system to synchronize all your things online.
User-Friendliness
As a developer, you must know the advantages of using an open-source platform to get the internal code and understand the system.
The Ruby on Rails framework enables you to customize the functionality of the app or website. Moreover, you don’t have to spend extra bucks fixing bugs or performing updates while working with the Ruby on Rails framework.
Text Files’ Library
You require the following three essential files if you want to create a rich repository of the code to create customized modules:
- Ruby code file with .rb extension
- YAMP configuration files
- Templates of HTML, including RXML and RHTML
These files help you edit, shift, and deploy the codes and their backups. This way, you don’t have to use any complex environment to develop a website.
Moreover, you can create RoR files even on a notepad. Later, edit these files in Textmate and implement them in the Linux server.
Easy Learning
Ruby on Rails offers simple English-like syntax codes to simplify the daily life of developers to write simple codes. Not only that, but you can also add functionality days after building a website in case of an additional requirement.
Another advantage of learning Ruby on Rails is the availability of documentation and online tutorials. You can enroll in an online class and land on one of the Ruby on Rails remote jobs. This way, you can learn how to methodize apps and websites that are essentially web-oriented.
Supportive Tools
The RoR libraries support different tools to create interactive and attractive websites. This way, developers can modify a large-scale website in less time.
Ruby on Rails offers easy integration of components by supporting functionalities such as RESTful app design, rapid development, and other libraries (gems).
Other in-built gems such as respect, cucumber, and unit tests are also used to develop quality websites. Moreover, you can build custom gems to facilitate fellow developers.
You can use all these tools to facilitate developers’ and testers’ following different approaches, such as test-driven development (TDD) and behavior-driven development (BDD).
Model-View-Controller (MWC) Architecture
The MWC architecture enables multiple developers to collaborate on a project remotely and debug the codes on numerous levels.
The RESTful application design (Representational State Transfer) is a software architecture style based on the client-server relationship.
- Model—Offers relationships between objects and the database, including association, validation, business logic, and transactions. You can split the model layers into models like databases, persistence, and services to encapsulate business rules.
- View – Provides data introduction in a specific format along with user data collection and interaction handling.
- Controller – Handles the data from views.
Active Record
One of Ruby on Rails’s most potent libraries is Active Record, which allows developers to design interactive database queries.
It means you can write a query in Ruby programming, which can automatically convert it into an SQL query to receive the output and return an object.
Active Records represent the database as Ruby objects. This way, you can read and modify the objects in the code.
It’s the responsibility of Active Records to take care of the correct construction and execution of SQL queries behind the scene. You no longer have to worry about dealing with SQL implementation.
Convention Over Configuration
Ruby on Rails evades configuration files by assigning values automatically without user intervention. Moreover, it increases productivity by reducing the time spent on setting up the config files.
Agile Web Development
Ruby on Rails supports agile web development, an iterative development methodology supporting a flexible and collaborative approach.
Released in the second half of 2019, Rails 6 introduces multiple features, including:
- Parallel testing
- Automated Email support
- Working with different databases
- Tools for interaction with front-end technologies
- Built-in mechanism to organize user file storage
Required Skill Set to Learn Ruby on Rails API
Landing on one of the Ruby on Rails engineer jobs requires you to develop the desired skill set to build websites in RoR. The first step in becoming a RoR web developer is to learn HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, in addition to Ruby programming.
This is because these languages work together to complement a website. For instance, CSS enables you to display certain elements on the website. On the other hand, HTML helps determine the website structure, while JavaScript enables you to create dynamic website elements.
All these elements work collaboratively to allow the visitors to input passwords and navigate through the website using clickable buttons.
Once you master the above languages, you can learn Ruby to use specific frameworks and develop customized website modules.
You should know that Ruby on Rails is a complete framework or a one-stop solution for developing small—or large-scale websites for businesses and bloggers. A framework has multiple complex libraries you can use to create the desired web module as a web developer.
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Potential Ruby on Rails Jobs
Ruby development offers a maximum hourly rate among the rest of the web development programming jobs.
After developing the desired skills of Ruby on Rails, you must be wondering about your potential clients and the type of projects. Don’t worry—we’ll share the main categories in which you can offer your Ruby on Rails work-from-home services.
Ruby on Rails Jobs of Regular Web Application Development
Ruby on Rails offers a one-for-all and all-for-one solution to develop affordable websites. It provides reliable technology to guarantee seamless and glitch-free web performance.
Ruby on Rail Jobs of E-Commerce
You must have heard about Shopify. It’s one of the biggest E-commerce platforms, developed on none other than the Ruby on Rails framework. Spree Commerce is also another successful example of a RoR project.
As a web developer, you can find gems for all kinds of E-commerce features to set up and run an online store quickly. You can also develop a secure payment gateway, help desk, marketing emailing list, and much more.
Ruby on Rails Jobs of Customized Database Solutions
Ruby on Rails framework offers excellent compatibility with the latest database structures to develop innovative business models.
Moreover, the framework provides exceptional Object Relational Mapping (ORM), known as ActiveRecord, to enable web developers to create databases without SQL.
In addition to that, Ruby on Rails offers seamless integration with Database Management Systems like PostgreSQL.
Ruby on Rails Jobs of Content Management
Ruby on Rails offers SEO-friendly tools for content management and creation. If you have a content-centric website, such as a personal blog, Ruby on Rails can surely help you develop the desired content for your targeted audience.
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Ruby on Rails Jobs To Facilitate Start-ups
Are you a startup that wants to develop a business website and doesn’t have a clear idea or a project plan for the website? Don’t worry because Ruby on Rails can serve as your best alley as you can build your web application and keep adding more features while developing.
Ruby on Rails Jobs For Software as a Service (SaaS)
You can use the Ruby on Rails framework to build a successful SaaS project. For instance, Zendesk is a cloud-based customer support platform, that facilitates more than 200,000 global customers.
Ruby on Rails Jobs to Develop Quick Prototype
Ruby on Rails is a perfect option to develop prototypes. You can create an MVP to present your web project to your prospective client to explain their business requirements.
This way, you can pitch your idea of website development to attract more users. Moreover, you can also help your clients in generating leads for better monetization of the web app.
Other Ruby on Rails Jobs
You can use Ruby on Rails to develop a communication-oriented app such as Twitter, Dribble, or Basecamp. Moreover, you can also build media hosting streaming apps such as SlideShare and Hulu.
The Practicality of Ruby on Rails
- Faster programming, courtesy of Ruby’s object-oriented nature and availability of open-source codes.
- The Rails conventions allow developers to use the same structure and coding practices in different Rails projects.
- Ruby on Rails offers rapid application development (RAD) to accommodate and implement changes.
- Ruby codes are readable and self-documenting to enhance productivity. This way, developers don’t need to spend extra time writing separate documentation for other developers to pick up existing projects.
- Rails offers a good testing framework with its unit testing setup called RSpec.
- There is no need to spend extra money on an additional license because Rails and most libraries are open sources.
- The Rails framework allows web developers to create web apps by combining Ruby programming with other languages, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
- You can use RubyGems as libraries, add-ons, and software snippets as a ready-made solution to create different modules.
- Ruby on Rails offers parallel development to speed up a web development project by providing ready-to-use baskets to implement separate business logic.
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Limitations of Ruby on Rails
One of the biggest limitations of using Ruby on Rails is that not all website hosts can support it. However, don’t worry because you can run the Rails web app on a Virtual Private Server (VPS) with Rackspace, Linode, and Amazon EC2.
This way, you can control the server and allocate the desired resources accordingly. Some Ruby on Rails companies share concerns about slower Rails applications than C or Java. Ruby on Rails isn’t an apt choice if you want a higher operational speed with lesser server resource consumption.
The RoR framework’s boot speed isn’t up to the mark. Moreover, depending on the total number of dependencies and files, it requires more time to start.
This claim is valid somewhat; however, many established businesses such as Groupon, Channel 5, and Yellow Pages rely on RoR.
Lastly, another limitation of Ruby on Rails is the scalability. You can either upgrade the server on which Rails is hosted or divide the workload to multiple servers and tools.
Although Ruby on Rails supports multi-threading, you should keep an eye on the active requests. The website’s performance can be severely affected if the requests queue up at the back.
Suppose you want to hire a Ruby on Rails developer to create a website. In that case, it’s essential to understand the language, its practicality, and, most importantly, its benefits.
Ruby on Rails is a popular and reliable web development language with a robust online community. After reading this article, we guarantee that finding Ruby on Rails jobs is a piece of cake.