Today, some magnet schools are teaching computer coding as a second language the way we learned French and Spanish. And it makes sense. Code is swiftly becoming the universal language for success no matter what country or industry you’re in. For those of us who didn’t grow up with mandatory computer science classes, it can feel overwhelming to catch up on the latest trends and industry expectations. But don’t worry – we have you covered. Ruby on Rails is a trendy web application framework that lets you quickly and easily create scalable, fully-functional web components that will power your business. Want a real world example? AirBnb, Indigogo, Hulu and over 1.2 million other websites have already been on top of this trend.

WAIT, WHAT IS A WEB APPLICATION FRAMEWORK?

Let’s backup. If HTML builds the picture frame that holds your website together and standardizes the look and feel of your site in accordance with brand guidelines,web applications fill in the canvas. Think: pop ups, animations, automatic updates, video frames, and other interactive elements. JavaScript is one of the most popular coding languages used to build web application frameworks that integrate with other elements on your site (such as your HTML and CSS). Ruby on Rails is giving Java a run for its money.

TELL ME MORE ABOUT RUBY ON RAILS:

Ruby on Rails was created in Japan several years ago, but has steadily grown in popularity, finally making it to the top of many 2016 trend lists. The reason? Developing on Ruby is faster (let’s say than JavaScript) and it’s free. The program’s open source base also makes plugging in integrations such as Google Analytics, customer management tools, and other e-commerce tools a breeze. Most importantly, Ruby is a full-stack framework, which means your front-end code (a.k.a how things look) and your back end code (a.k.a how things work) all sync with code built using Ruby so you don’t have to create nearly as much code to make things do what you want them to do on your website.

BUT HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT FROM JAVASCRIPT?

If your team is already using JavaScript or .NET code and wondering whether switching your development language would be more work than its worth, consider this. Two big differentiators that make Ruby on Rails shine are its built-in- testing feature and intelligent convention naming. Save time on the debugging and QA process with Ruby’s automated testing. This alone will save you plenty of headaches and maybe even a few QA salary dollars. And your developers will love you for it. They will also love that they don’t need to write pages and pages of configuration code to clarify their work. Ruby provides suggested naming conventions that significantly reduces, and in some case eliminates, the need for time spent writing configuration code. Remember: time is money.

GET TO THE BOTTOM LINE:

You need to learn (or encourage your team to learn Ruby on Rails) if: 1. You are a newcomer to writing code and want to choose something that will be worth the effort and valuable for years to come. 2. Your site is outdated and needs an update (like, transitioning to a responsive site). 3. You have a lean team and need to find ways to increase speed to market without compromising quality. Let our team help you prioritize the types of web framework applications that will be most valuable to your brand and bring your team up to speed on this exciting new trend.

Click here to learn more about the types of projects we’ve helped our clients achieve – from app development to banner ads, and full site-refreshes – we know creative digital trends like no one else and can help you.