Innolance Uses Ruby on Rails for Web Development (& You Should Too)

 

For years, Innolance clients have asked: What led to your decision to use Ruby on Rails for Web development? Why not use one of the multitudes of other Web frameworks and languages? It would be easy to say, “Because it’s the best.” and leave it there (Ask me, it’s true.), but that wouldn’t exactly make for a great article, so I’ll expand a little.

 

First, let’s talk about Ruby on Rails in general terms.

 

What is Ruby on Rails?

 

Rails is a development tool that provides Web developers with a framework, a structure on which to build the code they (we!) will go on to write. Rails is then written in a programming language known as Ruby. Think of it this way: Ruby is to Rails as PHP is to Symfony and Zend, and its appeal is largely due to the simplicity and concision of the language.

 

Ruby on Rails is all about convention over configuration. Programmers don’t have to spend gobs of time configuring files; instead, Ruby on Rails comes built with a set of conventions, and more quality time can be spent on actual Web development.

 

Innolance prefers Ruby on Rails for Web development.

 

Why, specifically?

 

• Programming for Web development can be done much faster with Ruby on Rails than with other frameworks and languages — largely due to its object-oriented nature.

 

• Inherent conventions make it easy for Web developers to move seamlessly between projects.

 

• The process of making changes within the framework is simple, and as a result, Web development with Ruby on Rails can be completed rapidly.

 

• Productivity is increased, because Ruby code is easy to read, and for the most part, self-documenting. The need to compose separate documentation is nearly nil, freeing up Web developers to work on other projects.

 

• Ruby on Rails focuses heavily on testing.

 

Ruby on Rails is not without its challenges.

 

Just like with any other Web development framework — especially those that are open source — Ruby on Rails comes with its challenges, and its limitations, but fear not: These can be overcome.

 

The challenge: Not all website hosts support Ruby on Rails.

 

This has a lot to do with the fact that Ruby on Rails is certainly more resource-intensive than PHP, which turns off some of the lower-end shared-hosting providers.

 

The solution: Ruby on Rails-friendly hosts are out there.

 

Host your Web development project with Heroku or EngineYard, or on a Virtual Private Server (VPS) with Amazon EC2 or Linode — the latter of which allows for full control over the server.

 

Innolance uses Ruby on Rails for Web development (& you should too).

 

When it all boils down, which framework and language you use for Web development projects is all about preference. And at Innolance: We, a group of enthusiastic and experienced Web developers in the Washington DC metropolitan area, prefer Ruby on Rails.