Ruby on Rails Web App Development

In the era of social networks and messengers, you might lose the initial meaning of what you use and what you work with. And the truth is the most of your time you spend using web applications. Such as? Such as Facebook, Gmail, YouTube, Couchsurfing, GitHub… All of them are applications which run in a web browser. This material is aimed to help you recognize and define web apps, find how they can be developed and choose the most effective and easiest way to create them. Why should you read this article? We spent many hours improving our skills and knowledge and created many outstanding web apps to share our experience with you. Here you can find a lot of advice from people who are involved in the web app development every day. Nevertheless, caring is sharing.

What Is a Web App?

Basically, web application or web app is a client–server software application in which the client (or user interface) runs in a web browser.

Apart from the entertainment, we used to associate applications with, they are utmost important for a business segment. The Web lets millions of businesses use it as a cost-effective communications channel. However, effective engagement is only possible with the ability to capture and store all the necessary data. Data should be processed and presented to the user.

To handle the storage and retrieval the information web applications use a combination of server-side scripts, and client-side scripts to present information to users. This way users can interact with the company via online forms, content management systems, shopping carts and more. Applications allow to proceed effective work: employees can create documents, share information, collaborate on projects, and work on common documents regardless of location or device.

Examples of Famous Web Apps

We already mentioned Facebook – the most famous worldwide social network, created in 2004 using PHP and JavaScript. This web app is used by more than 2.01 billion monthly active users (by August 2017) and has an average of 17 percent user increase over a year. Probably, you’re also familiar with email marketing service MailChimp founded back in 2001. Sometimes you don’t simply recognize whether you use a website or a web app. But soon we will tell you how to understand the difference. You might also often use one of the most interesting web applications – Wikipedia. Wikipedia as a whole is a specific type of web application. But a single article on Wikipedia can be considered a web page. People can freely edit the article, make changes to the database, where it is displayed on the entire web. It was launched in 2001 and still is very popular among web-searchers. Other great examples of web applications are YouTube and PayPal. Here you can find examples of Top-10 web applications for business.

Key Differences between a Web App and a Website

So let’s define a website from a web application. Basically, a website can be static or dynamic (based on some database of content). And web application is interactive, with some kind of built-in functionality. Here are the main differences:

• The website is a complete product which can be seen on your browser. The web application can be a part of a website.
• Functions of a web application are much complex than functions of a website. A website just shows collected data and information while web application maintains the whole website.
• A website is a source of information while web application works interactively.
• A website works on a web browser and a web app runs and used on a computer.
• The website is easily ascertainable through any operating system and device, only by using URL. But the web app should be downloaded and installed first for proper work.

The Benefits of a Web Application

Regardless of the purpose of your web application, it has some pros make it very popular among users:

• Web applications run on multiple platforms without paying attention to OS or device as long as the browser is compatible
• Any compatibility issues are eliminated by access the same versions by all users
• Web applications are not installed on the hard drive, thus eliminating space limitations. Also, web applications reduce software piracy in subscription-based versions
• The costs for both the business and the end user are reduced as there are less support and maintenance required by the business and lower requirements for the end user’s computer
• Different online apps and other programs provide the same functionality as the desktop versions. However, they easily accessible from anywhere and have broader reach because of working across multiple platforms.

Web App Development Process

We found out that web app development process is more complicated than a website development. But in what way? Web applications use an architecture that breaks applications into discrete parts, using multiple programming languages and deploying the applications on several layers of technology. For example, HTML and JavaScript in the browser, C# on the Web server, C# or Java on the application server and SQL for the database. The architecture makes web application development quite complex. But only if your developers not as experienced as the Syndicode team.

Challenges of web app development

As in any other development process, web app development has its own pitfalls. Since that you have to be aware of:

• The range of user agents. Make sure you know and able to support multiple different browsers and versions of them, each of them with their own different quirks.
• The size of a display. A desktop web application is expected to display well on an anything from a 13″ laptop all the way through a 30″ — sometimes even larger — monitor. There’s no guarantee that it will be taking up the entire screen on the smaller sizes with the added bonus that screen resolution may change as well.
• Managing and transferring state. A state is something that is really annoying to manage inside a web application. And each of the mechanisms has problems due to limits in storage capacity, ephemerality or lack of functionality.
• Security. Anything you care about securing has to be on the server since the browser is a hostile environment.

Of course, there are more things like these to consider of, but most of them depend on your web application purpose and details. We can estimate your project and point the most viable risks and challenges you can face with, free of charge.

Software Frameworks for Web App Development

These days web app development can be done in many ways. But you should already know that developers are fond of software frameworks which simplify the development process many times.

Ruby on Rails Web App Development

Ruby on Rails is an open source framework that can be used for web app development. It is a dependable routing system that follows software rules and patterns. We utilize this technology during the web app development process.

Ruby on Rails web app is developed with an emphasis on REST or Representation State Transfer. It is a software architecture style based on the client-server relationship. It fosters a logical structure inside the Ruby web app that can be opened as an Application Programming Interface or API.

Here in Syndicode we use Ruby on Rails as our framework of choice. With the use of Ruby on Rails, the resulting web app has lower risks of:

• Hacking
• Data Theft
• Spying

Some of the coding principles involved in the Ruby on Rails web app development process include DRY pattern, convention over configuration, active record pattern, and model view controller. Convention over configuration, for instance, will make the programmer no need to spend a lot of time configuring files to start the process. Ruby on Rails already comes with a set of conventions that make the process faster.

Ruby on Rails Web App Advantages

And now more in-detailed information about advantages of RoR applications. We bet that you know these famous web applications and used some of them at least ones. GitHub anyone? Basecamp, Airbnb, ASKfm, Goodreads, Kickstarter and more… In simple words, all the web applications built using Ruby on Rails have something in common like these advantages:

• They were quickly launched
• They spent no cost for using Ruby on Rails
• They have no problems with maintaining and staff migration
• They’re fast
• They can be easily updated with the latest functionality

Web Apps Created in Syndicode

Here in Syndicode we create a wide range of software development services for different business needs. We can provide high-level UX design, frontend, and backend development for the web app. Go to our portfolio page to see our level and approach. For example:

Less Accounting

Less Accounting is a software for business owners who dislike bookkeeping. This web app helps to send online invoices, export data, manage contacts, create different templates, account workflows and create reports. Explore it: https://lessaccounting.com/

Movinga

Movinga is removals platform that offers best relocation experience within Europe. This web application helps to book your home removal without the need for an in-person home inspection. Explore it: https://www.movinga.com/

HelloCare

HelloCare is one of the most important social projects we helped to create. The main goal of HelloCare is to help older and lonely people by connecting them with nearby helpers to assist their everyday needs. Explore it: http://hellocare.de/

Hotel Cloud

Hotel Cloud (which now has a new name Black Bell) is e-concierge service for hotels and apartments rentals that enabled their guests to order any internal service. With its new functionality, Black Bell platform is used to build location-based marketplaces. Explore it: https://www.blackbellapp.com/en/

And more…

Parts of Ruby on Rails Web App Development Process

There are many things included in the web app development process. Depend on the complexity of your project and the desired technologies, the roadmap can include dozens of things to be done. But we can highlight some main points of the web app development process that are vital for any project.

Ruby on Rails Web App Development in Syndicode

Our Ruby on Rails web app development process encourages a flexible and collaborative approach that is perfect for clients that have fast-changing needs.

Frontend

One of the things that customers look for in a Ruby on Rails web app is a user-friendly UI and flexible at the same time. Our developers have strong skills in development tools and front-end techniques. They also have the experience to create responsive web apps that offer rich user interactions. Plus, they have a solid understanding of the best practices with regards to the front end of the web app.

Backend

As part of our mission to be the top Ruby on Rails web app developer, we are knowledgeable of the latest technology trends, as well as the best practices in the industry. We also have experience in dealing with advanced cloud-based services. Our goal is to provide a Ruby web app that is highly scalable. We ensure the performance of the web app is optimized. With a fast and stable backend, the web app will allow your business to grow. As with everything we do, our goal is to develop the app that best suits your requirements.

A great web app development leads to an end product that can be used in more ways than one. We have already considered integration during the development phase. This will ensure that users will have a good experience using the web app, and reduce the development time as well. Ruby on Rails utilizes common structures and modular design that make it easier to integrate an app with another.

Benefits of Ruby on Rails Web App Development

We already talked about benefits the user gets with a web application. Web applications made it easy and pleasant to do your business on the internet wherever you are and whatever kind of device you use. Now we would like to tell you a bit more about developer experience, which is actually not very different from user’s. That is possible thanks to the great and simple tool to develop any web application.

Potential Problems with Ror Web App Development and Myths

And like with any other technology (nothing is perfect in this world), there are some potential problems you need to be aware of. Some of them are not problems at all. So we will start with myths:

Ruby on Rails “convention over configuration” will tight your hands in sense of forcing you to write in a certain way. The truth: of course you will write in a certain way because many things in RoR simplified and pre-set. But you can configure many of them if needed. So this is not a real problem. In RoR you can’t do really much without gems. Yes, that’s true. But the other question is why you need to code without gems? They are the main advantage of RoR. Don’t try to invent what is already here
“RoR is dying”. No, it’s really far from it. Such news can appear due to the rising popularity of new technologies. But they show up every year and fade out with the same speed. And RoR is here for a long time, it has too many applications based on it and a huge army of fans used to it. So in the next 20 years, it will still be around.

And now is the time, to be honest, and tell you about potential problems with RoR web app development. To calm you down you, these problems are unlikely to appear if you work with a dedicated software development team. And they are:

• While the frontend is usually easy to scale, scaling a big database might be complex.
• Sometimes you might face with version conflicts and difficulties while compiling.
• Ruby on Rails for relatively large scale projects may force you to go beyond basics and understand more underpinnings.
• This way framework becomes a little difficult.

Anyway, if you work with professionals who have a prior experience in the field, you can forget about all these issues.

How to Find Dedicated Professionals for Web App Development

According to Clutch.co research, Ukrainian developers are the cheapest ones among other high-rated professionals. We can do the same as USA specialists do, but ten times cheaper. And that is a huge advantage for your business. In case you’re interested and want to compare, here you can find the average sales for Ukrainian programmers. Also, visit our blog to discover Software developers salary in 2017 research. By the way, Eastern Europe in 2017 is considered as the cheapest region for programming outsource. And the question now is not about where to find dedicated professionals (in Ukraine, of course), but how. What are the key criteria you have to apply for search? To simplify your task we wrote them down.

Main criteria for reliable software development team/company:

• Experience. They need to have at least several years of successful work to gain enough proficiency
• Portfolio. Better for them to have at least several neat projects in the portfolio to show what they can do. Testimonials from previous clients are welcome
• The number of developers. There is no need for hundreds of programmers. But the complete team should provide all your needs. And depending on a project size (if we talk about web app development) you should have at least 5 programmers working on it
• Technology and innovation in the core. Make sure they are working with up-to-date cutting-edge technologies
• Experience of distributed teams. That matters a lot if your teamwork remote or you travel while the project in development.

All these qualities can be found in Syndicode. If you have any questions about web application development, don’t hesitate to ask us. We’ll be glad to help you.