Ruby on Rails (ROR) has become a leading choice for web development. The incredible framework delivers state-of-the-art web apps, helping startup organizations scale up quickly and efficiently. No wonder ROR is the 14th most popular programming language in the world, powering over 5.9% of websites whose server-side programming language is ROR. In this article, we will look at the most popular and high-traffic Ruby on Rails Websites that are developed with RoR, demonstrating the framework’s effectiveness. So, let’s begin.
What is Ruby on Rails (ROR)?
ROR is an open-source server-side web app framework that was created in 2004. The framework is based on Ruby, which is a dynamic programming language developed over two decades ago by Yukihiro Matsumoto, a Japanese software developer. And even after being so old, Ruby still ranks among the top ten popular programming languages across the globe.
Rails, or Ruby on Rails, is primarily a software library that further extends the unique capabilities of Ruby. Developed by David Heinemeier Hansson, the framework was originally created to provide developers with a simple language that is much less complicated than Java or PHP. Hansson combined JavaScript, HTML, and CSS with Ruby to create ROR, one of the best programming tools for Ruby on Rails Websites today.
ROR is a comprehensive solution that offers an array of tools to write both client-side and server-side code, enabling developers to easily create the entire structure of web applications.
One of the best aspects of using this framework is its RubyGems feature. This feature serves as a package manager that allows the creation and quick sharing of specially curated Ruby software libraries called “gems”. There are multiple gems available to suit the specific requirements of any project. Also, with the ever-growing Ruby on Rails community, the number of gems is increasing at a rapid pace.
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Important ROR Stats to Look At
Ruby on Rails is extensively used for creating new high-performance web platforms and backend solutions. As per the Stackoverflow 2021 Survey, developers claimed that they choose Ruby and Rails 6.75% and 7.04% times among the other available programming languages and frameworks respectively.
Additionally, it is seen that the number of live websites and web applications developed using the Ruby on Rails framework is over 1 million worldwide.
As per Tiobe Index, Ruby stands strong among the 20 most popular programming languages in 2022. And the annual survey by Stack Overflow also shows the language appearing in a similar spot.
Top Websites Built with Ruby on Rails
Over the years, several versions of ROR have hit the market, and each version has further simplified custom app and website development by offering many new and improved gems. Today, developers are using this framework to build different kinds of websites, including social networking sites, eCommerce websites, custom database solutions, and more.
Here, we will look at the updated list of the most popular websites developed using the ROR framework. So, let’s begin.
1. Twitter
Twitter, the leading news and social networking site is among the top websites based on ROR. It was first developed using ROR and jQuery which enabled the developers to create a fully-functional product in a very short time. Although subsequently, Twitter moved a part of its back-end services to Scala and Java, ROR still remains a part of its front-end layer.
2. Shopify
Shopify is a well-known eCommerce software giant that powers over 600,000 online global retailers. The company offers highly customizable eCommerce websites to retailers for a fixed monthly subscription fee. As one of the best ROR-based companies, Shopify uses the framework to expedite web store development. The company even allows developers to benefit from RubyGems and get access to smart ROR applications quickly.
3. GitHub
GitHub is a software hosting service used by thousands of software developers on a regular basis. The high-traffic website is also backed by an incredibly massive community of 40 million developers who have contributed over 100 million resources so far. And GitHub was originally built on the Ruby on Rails framework. Even today, the website relies on ROR applications to quickly and effectively process the large number of requests encountered each day.
4. Airbnb
Airbnb, the California-based startup, has quickly emerged to become a leading app for all travelers. The app connects travelers searching for a place to stay with hosts who can rent out their apartments. And this app’s infrastructure is largely based on Ruby on Rails. Developers who built the website used RoR in addition to Moment.js, Raven.js, and React.js. ROR is primarily used by Airbnb for its payment stack.
5. Twitch
Twitch is an online video streaming service that is especially popular among the gaming community. The incredible website is ideal for professional and amateur gamers and has over 1,000,000+ broadcasts monthly without any scalability issues. Twitch uses Ruby on Rails and GO with an Nginx web server to power its backend. For the front end, it uses Ember JS.
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6. Groupon
Groupon serves as an eCommerce marketplace connecting over 25 million customers with local businesses. Many people nowadays subscribe to Groupon to find the best deals on local products, services, and events. Earlier, the high-traffic website was using Ruby on Rails for its front end. However, subsequently, the company had to switch to Node.js to efficiently scale and manage the increased web traffic.
7. Dribbble
With a network of millions of web designers from across the globe, Dribbble is among the best creative directories. It allows designers to showcase their graphic design projects and search for lucrative work opportunities. A large part of this website is built with Ruby on Rails. Additionally, Dribbble uses HTML5 and jQuery API elements.
8. Etsy
Etsy is among the most reputed eCommerce platforms that connect retailers of high-quality handmade products with potential buyers and suppliers. As of last year, there were 96.3 million active users who purchased products through the platform. And Etsy has immensely benefited from choosing Ruby on Rails as its platform. ROR helped the platform maintain a robust database, integrate different APIs, and implement additional features with ease.
9. Instacart
Instacart is one of the leading apps in the grocery delivery industry. The platform works with over 300 retailers and allows customers to purchase grocery items using the web or mobile apps. Instacart operates across the Canadian and North American markets, delivering in over 5,500 cities. The efficient platform uses Ruby on Rails in its tech stack along with Firebase, Python, React, Nginx, and more.
10. SoundCloud
SoundCloud is a platform that enables budding and aspiring artists to promote their music and share it with each other. Currently, there are 76 million active users and over 200 million tracks available on the platform. It is easy to find niche and non-commercial artists exhibiting their art on SoundCloud, which was originally built on Ruby on Rails. With ROR, it was easy for the platform to iterate fast. However, due to unprecedented growth, the platform had to be later moved to JVM.
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11. Fiverr
Fiverr is an online aggregator marketplace for services. The massive platform has 3.42 million buyers who invest in services available on Fiverr each year. The platform is quite straightforward and allows users to purchase or provide services effortlessly. The most common services traded on Fiverr include content writing, digital marketing, mobile and web app development, graphic design, and UI/UX design. As for the software side, Fiverr’s tech stack is a combination of Ruby on Rails and other technologies such as jQuery and React.
12. SlideShare
SlideShare is a slide-hosting website that has over 80 million active monthly users. The platform lets users explore over 15 million videos, presentations, and infographics in high-quality layouts, presenting one of the best examples of websites built on Ruby on Rails. SlideShare was built with ROR in 2006.
13. Hulu
Hulu is a video streaming platform just like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Although it is only available in the USA, the platform had 43.8 million by the end of 2021. Since the very beginning, Hulu has been using Ruby on Rails and the company still prefers the framework. A few years back, the platform was rewritten but ROR is still being used in its backend with Backbone.JS forming the front.
14. Basecamp
Basecamp is an efficient project management and team communication tool that enables teams to easily manage large and complex projects. This tool was also developed by David Heinemeier Hansson, the same man who created ROR. Initially, Basecamp was only developed as an open-source web app framework for internal use. However later, it was launched as a full-fledged project management tool. And with ROR, Basecamp scaled from just 45 accounts at the time of its launch to over 2 million accounts in 2016.
15. CrunchBase
CrunchBase is a leading repository of information about public and private companies. It offers valuable insights into different companies, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 organizations. And using these insights, venture capitalists and angel investors can seize lucrative business opportunities. CrunchBase is one of the best websites whose backend is written in Ruby on Rails. Its front end is built with Varnish for page caching.
16. MyFitnessPal
As the name suggests, MyFitnessPal is a web and mobile app that helps users along their fitness journey. The app tracks one’s diet and exercise routine to determine the optimum calorie intake for best results. Last year, the app recorded 200 million users and won several awards for its effective programs. Now talking about the app’s tech stack, both the MyFitnessPal web app and website are completely based on Ruby on Rails.
17. AngelList
AngelList is a US-based website that connects the best talents with startups across the globe. The website has over 35,000 hiring companies and over 2,000,000 candidates and 5 million registered users. The heavy-traffic and hugely effective website is completely based on the Ruby on Rails framework with some additional support of libraries from jQuery.
18. Square
Square is a payment system for physical and eCommerce retailers. Developed by Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter, Square provides a comprehensive set of tools needed to accept payments from a global audience. With over 44 million active users, Square is an incredible platform. And just like Twitter, it was also originally written in Ruby on Rails. However, some years later, the developers rewrote the system architecture, switching to JVM for the backend.
Why Ruby On Rails (ROR) is So Popular?
Ruby on Rails is an excellent framework for almost all kinds of projects, thanks to its extensive library of gems available. The framework follows a quick and flexible development process that radically accelerates the process and ensures the best outcomes.
Below are some of the most common reasons why ROR is such a popular choice among developers.
- High speed: Ruby is a simple, logical, and clear language with a lean codebase. This results in quick and expedited development of web applications.
- Flexibility: Ruby on Rails framework is highly flexible. Even if the developers miss out on integrating some functionality in the website, they can do it separately using different modules. Additionally, individual parts of the application can be separately modified and expanded if needed.
- Massive community: Ruby on Rails is among the frameworks that have a huge and helpful community. In case of any issue, the developers can discuss the problem and seek solutions from the community members. Also, there are over 1,700,000 RubyGems that can help any developer to enhance the value of their web product.
- Scalability: For many years, ROR has faced issues in terms of scalability. However, Ruby on Rails 6 released in 2019 addressed all these issues. The version was considered scalable by default, allowing developers to launch scalable multi-threaded applications.
- High reliability and maintainability: Ruby on Rails leverages test-driven deployment or TDD approach. This means that the framework supports extensive testing, thus ensuring highly stable and maintainable solutions. ROR is supported by automated testing tools that make the final product bug-free in no time.
Conclusion
Ruby on Rails is one of the most sought-after frameworks that is over 15 years old. But even today, the framework is deemed effective, thanks to its features like Ractors and schedulers, extensive libraries, and an active community. No wonder it is still a favorite tool for developers. If you wish to create a feature-packed web application, you must certainly consider this framework. You can get in touch with renowned ROR developers to get started today.
FAQs
Yes, Ruby on Rails continues to stay relevant and a highly useful framework in 2022. It is an excellent choice for building rapid prototypes, MVP, and web applications of all types.
A lot of companies still use the framework to power their websites. For instance, the websites of Airbnb, Shopify, SlideShare, GitHub, and CrunchBase are based on the ROR framework.
Ruby on Rails is one of the best open-source frameworks for developing the backend of web apps. Ruby is a simple and concise language that expedites the development process and reduces time to market.
As of March 2021, Ruby on Rails powered 380,996 of the total global websites.
Yes, Netflix includes Rails in its tech stack. Similarly, Hulu, another famous live streaming platform, also uses Ruby on Rails for its backend infrastructure.
Ruby is a slightly more difficult programming language to master as compared to PHP. However, in terms of the offering, the former is certainly more vast. It is a more robust language and is great for developing business web applications.
It depends on your interest and the project you wish to undertake. While PHP is a much simpler language to learn in comparison to Ruby, the latter is more efficient and can be used for building web apps of all kinds.
Ruby has a very active and strong community of developers. Additionally, the programming language can easily power high-quality applications and other projects. Thus, the future of Ruby is seemingly very bright.
Most developers believe that JavaScript is much faster than Ruby, thanks to its highly optimized engine.
No, Ruby on Rails is not dying. It is still a great framework for developing web applications. It also has an active and growing community of developers that are working to build more powerful RubyGems every day.
Yes, Ruby is worth learning as it is still relevant and will remain so in the coming years. It is one of the top 10 programming languages in the world that is best known for its simple, logical, and practical code base.
The only reason for the decline in the popularity of Ruby on Rails is the increase in competition. This decline has nothing to do with the framework becoming obsolete. In fact, it still remains to be one of the preferred frameworks for web development by developers across the globe.
