Plain and simple, Ruby is the result of supply and demand. At the time of its inception – and presently – many experienced programmers happened to be avid fans of object-oriented programming (OOP).
Most languages in the 1990s were procedural in nature, a phenomenon known as Procedural Programming (PP). To compare, only a couple of OOP languages were scattered across the industry’s landscape.
But more than a few programmers were dissatisfied with the capacity of many other object-oriented programming languages. Then somebody decided to meet the demand.
A decade later, Ruby grew to mass appeal. Not only was it object-oriented, but it was elegant and simple. You could understand Ruby code without actually knowing much about coding at all.
Today, it is prized as a flexible code for beginners to learn. And senior software developers are no stranger to Ruby either.
Knowing what Ruby is and why it works might give you some insight into why it’s so unique. You may even want to use Ruby yourself.
What Is Ruby?
Ruby is an interpreted, open-source language for general-purpose programming. General-purpose denotes that Ruby can be used in numerous domains to build virtually any sort of application.
To boot, Ruby is free. Its best asset, however, is its objects. To be clear, Ruby is an object-oriented programming language. OOP is a programming paradigm favored among many.
OOP relies on the concept of objects that can store data. Objects are an intuitive means of giving properties and procedures when elements of code require real-life, material comprehension.
Conceived in 1993, Japanese computer scientist Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto had searched far and long for an OOP language that would fulfill his desires. He was familiar with a few languages like Python and Perl.
They were object-oriented, yes, but he didn’t like them very much. Ergo, he decided to create his own language. Ruby 0.95 was released in December of 1995.
Ruby on Rails
Much of Ruby’s popularity is credited to Ruby on Rails. Ruby on Rails is a framework built in Ruby to develop web applications. It is server-side, meaning much of the action takes place on the webserver itself, rather than on the client end.
David Heinemeier Hansson developed Ruby on Rails in 2004. To be frank, Ruby on Rails might be more popular than Ruby itself. From its origin, it has offered web developers an incredibly efficient way of building websites.
The package library RubyGem, on which Ruby on Rails is based, is a collection of libraries that streamlines the process of building a website. These libraries bestow developers with a number of solutions for designing menus, forms, tables, and more straight off the shelf.
One of Ruby’s principal tenets is convention over configuration. Configuration refers to the time-consuming task of configuring files to manage the various settings of a website.
Ruby on Rails is partial to conventions in that many of the settings necessary for a web application will be implemented by default. This way the developer only has to configure unconventional files.
Many people today consider Ruby on Rails to be old and out-of-use. However, several popular websites depend on Ruby on Rails to run. Twitter, Hulu, and Urban Dictionary are just a few names that should turn some heads.
What Is a Ruby Developer?
A Ruby developer is a back-end software developer. Back-end developers work on what the user does not see on their side of the screen. But this programming is an integral part of every application and plays a major role in an application’s performance and functionality.
Back-end developers, by association, must work closely with front-end developers to make certain that the user interface (UI) on the client-side can integrate flawlessly with the user experience (UX) functions that happen in the background.
To this end, Ruby developers will likely be responsible for creating databases and libraries to support an application, as well as making sure they function properly when a user inputs data.
Because of the emergence of Ruby on Rails, more and more Ruby developers are specifically working through this framework to build web applications.
Ruby on Rails developers script and maintain new web applications or improve upon existing ones. They code server-side logic for running web applications.
Why Use Ruby?
When a software developer takes on a new pupil, whether this is in the context of formal schooling or a dozen Google searches and an Internet guy on the part of the student, they usually look to Python or Ruby.
One of the core philosophies of Ruby is that languages, in general, should be designed for people. People should not have to struggle with machines to be understood. Rather, languages should work to mitigate the language barrier.
The syntax of both Ruby and Python is likely why developers opt to learn these languages first. Ruby and Python share some things in common which can explain why their syntax is so easy on the eyes.
Interpreted V. Compiled
The most basic form of language for a computer is machine code. Essentially, machine code is just bits made up of 1s and 0s. Humans aren’t adept at reading machine code. Thus, machine code is either compiled or interpreted into readable data.
In a compiled language, a high-level programming language like Java or C++, is translated into an assembly language – a low-level language that is slightly more evolved than mere machine code.
With an interpreted language like Python or Ruby, the compilation happens in real-time as the code runs. Interpreted code runs slower than compiled code for this reason. An interpreted language is – for lack of better words – ‘winging it’.
On the other hand, interpreted languages tend to be more flexible than compiled languages. They allow for smaller program sizes, more straightforward debugging, and dynamic coding.
Dynamically typed languages, likewise to interpreted languages themselves, check errors during execution leaving programmers with a lot more breathing room. Statically typed languages are far stricter.
For beginner coders, interpreted languages are much easier to work with as it permits tiny mistakes here and there without the need for any hard critiques.
Object-oriented V. Procedural Programming
Object-oriented programming allows developers to create objects that have a set of behaviors and attributes.
This type of programming might seem more intuitive than simply coding with linear-based logic. With OOP, programmers can create classes that can categorize details and operations particular to an object of its class.
For example, a car class might have Toyota as a name, red as an attribute, and a drive function as a behavior. While this mode of programming is abstract it has a great capacity to manage situational concepts.
This is in contrast to procedural programming. You can think of procedures as being routines and subroutines to run a program. The very first high-level programming language, Fortran, was a PP language.
Basically, PP languages operate from top to down via a list of instructions. Compare procedural programming to a to-do list. It is useful for a linear mode of thinking but not conceptual understanding.
As an illustration, a car in PP would simply be a variable and a singular one at that. It cannot be defined as a class in which other data values can be stored.
Developers of any kind benefit from a more structural model of programming, which object-orienting programming can provide by definition.
Ruby on Rails, especially, is a framework that is optimized by its object-oriented partner in crime – Ruby. This makes manipulating the building blocks of a web application less variable and more transparent than a PP language would be capable of.
Advantages of Using Ruby
From a developer’s perspective, Ruby is extremely resourceful. In a 2018 survey inquiring about what language developers preferred to use, Ruby ranked fifth among all developers. Surely, Ruby’s fame is not undeserved.
Free
You can copy, use, and modify Ruby without even thinking about your wallet. For professional developers, this means the process of employing Ruby to service your business needs is not difficult at all.
Simple
Beginners use Ruby because it’s easy to learn. It’s expressive and it mirrors the English language in helpful ways. As a dynamic programming language, Ruby also foregoes hard and fast rules for a less stressful approach to programming.
Fast
The explanation as to why is unclear but most software developers agree that Ruby is one of the fastest programming languages out there. This probably has to do with dynamic typing and convention over configuration where Ruby on Rails is concerned.
Meta
Ruby supports metaprogramming. Metaprogramming is the software engineering version of predictive text. When a language metaprograms, it analyzes your code after or as you write it, then the code writes itself as best as it can figure.
Object-oriented
Object-oriented programming renders a useful kind of modularity to developers, making coding and debugging a more instinctive undertaking. Two characteristics of OOP reinforce its utility: inheritance and polymorphism.
Using inheritance, different objects can reuse the same code as their traits are class-defined. For instance, a Toyota and Ford under the car class will both have access to the drive function.
Polymorphism lets objects take on a single function but implement it in different ways.
Instead of defining a function for each object, both your Toyota and Ford will inherit the drive function. This is an example of inheritance.
But with polymorphism, you can override the base elements of a function. Ford, for one, known for its performance vehicles, could in theory be programmed to drive faster.
Companies Who Use Ruby or Ruby on Rails
- Airbnb
- Ask.fm
- GitHub
- Fiverr
- Soundcloud
- Couchsurfing
Reasons to Hire a Ruby Developer
Developers are falling head over heels for Ruby. This is a good thing. It means you’ll have a large pool to pick from if you decide to use Ruby to develop your app.
Ruby is open-source, meaning Ruby developers can work with the software to accommodate your needs. And this won’t be in the least bit expensive as Ruby is free as well.
Ruby is also known for prioritizing a bug-free environment. Ruby developers can test your app to the max so there won’t be any surprises.
Half of managing a business is marketing what you’re selling. If you know this to be true, then you know you’ll need a website to get your name out there. This is where Ruby on Rails developers come in.
What’s perhaps most important, is knowing that Ruby is scaleable. Considering that even Twitter used Ruby on Rails at one point, scalability won’t be an issue for your startup.
Hire a Ruby Developer
First, you should ask yourself whether you need a Ruby developer or a Ruby on Rails developer. These are not necessarily incompatible. But Ruby on Rails developers tend to stick exclusively to the web, and others like to work with a wider range of software.
If you need a Ruby on Rails developer, the justification is plain. A website might be one of your fiercest marketing tools and should be used as such. Good software can lead to an even better website, with the right developers of course.
Otherwise, if you want to create any other type of app, Ruby developers are proficient in working with software that is dexterous and likable. This will alleviate the weight of app development for you and your business.
How to hire a Ruby developer?
For those who wish to take the high road and hire Ruby developers on your own, we’re still here to help. Hiring a developer on your own is a very focused and hands-on process that requires considerable knowledge about software development in general.
The last thing you want to do is trust your hiring process to someone with no technical ability. If you are a non-technical manager looking to learn a thing or two, we have a great resource here for you to learn more about the hiring process in detail. Otherwise, we’d recommend you contact Trio for consulting and developer allocation.
What should you look for in a Ruby developer?
Depending on whether you want to hire a Ruby developer or a Ruby on Rails developer, you’ll want to hone in on different skill sets.
At a high level, Ruby developers should have the following skills and qualities:
Ruby Developers
- Possess a high-level understanding of object-oriented programming
- Have experience in back-end programming like database management
- Design reliable and reusable Ruby code
- Great comprehension of Ruby syntax
- Knowledge of concepts such as MVC, Mocking, ORM, and RESTful
Ruby on Rails Developers
- Have former experience building web applications
- Preferred knowledge of Ruby at a base level
- Familiarly with common libraries such as RSpec and Resque
- A background in other web technologies like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
How much do developers cost in the U.S?
In the United States, ZipRecruiter reports that the average salary of a Ruby developer amounts to $106,234 per year. As a whole, salaries range between $41,500 and $146,000 for Ruby developers.
Here’s a chart that visualizes the salary ranges within the United States for a Senior Software Developer.
How much do developers cost in South America?
Due to economic differences between the United States and South America as a whole, the cost of offshoring software development is significantly lower than hiring full-time with U.S talent. For Ruby developers in South America, the average salary is currently around $100,000 whereas a mid-level developer costs around $76,000.
How much do developers cost in Ukraine / Eastern Europe?
Eastern Europe shares very similar rates to South America, again due to the economic differences. When looking at salaries in Eastern Europe, data shows that a Senior Ruby Developer costs around $100,000 on average.
Hourly Rates for Developers
Another way to look at developer costs is through hourly rates. While salaries are good to understand for hiring developers for full-time and long-term, you might just need a developer for a period of 3-6 months or 6-12 months. In these types of situations, it’s best to calculate your costs based on the hourly rates of a developer.
Below is a table that lists the various hourly rates of developers in different locations based on their job title.
Why Hire a Ruby Developer?
Trio Ruby developers are pre-vetted, interviewed, and then trained further to become true software professionals, capable of adapting to situations that are both within and outside of the scope of their general expertise.
At Trio, we hold our developers to a higher standard. Much like how elite special forces units recruit only the best from main branches of the military, we recruit developers who either show amazing potential or demonstrate exceptional skill.
We then take their talents and sharpen them even further.
Another benefit of hiring a Trio developer is that you won’t incur the costs of hiring, which can add up to be around 30% of a developer’s salary on average, as well as overhead costs associated with full-time employment.
By working with Trio, you can enjoy a highly experienced full-time developer for a fraction of the cost, along with the added project management assistance.
To learn more, tell us a little bit about your project, and we can get started.
