Rails Developers Hiring Guide

Get on the Ruby train with the Rails framework

Rails (otherwise known as Ruby On Rails) is a web application development framework, written in Ruby and designed to make web applications easier to develop. Rails accomplishes this by making assumptions about what developers need to get started. By doing this, developers have to write less code to accomplish more than with most frameworks. On top of that, Rails helps to make software engineering more fun.

What’s not to love about that?

The assumptions Rails makes are the best way to do things. The framework is even designed to encourage developers to work that way and discourage alternatives. In other words, there is a “Rails way” which will deliver a far more pleasant development experience.

The Rails philosophy works with 2 guiding principles:

Don’t repeat yourself. By not writing the same information over and over, Rails code is more maintainable, extensible, and less buggy.
Convention over configuration. Follow the Rails assumptions and you’ll have to work with fewer and fewer configuration files, leading to less work.

If you’re curious as to what has been built with Rails, consider the following:

Pixlr – web-based photo editing service.
Basecamp – web-based business organizer.
Bloomberg – business news site.
Couchsurfing – social networking platform.
Fiverr – freelance hiring site.
Github – Git repository.
Kickstarter – project funding.
Shopify – e-commerce platform.
Twitch – gaming live stream service.
Zendesk – help desk platform.
Airbnb – hotel and apartment booking service.
Google Support site.
Facebook Messenger site.
FedEx.
Realtor.com

If your business decides to go with Rails, know you’re in good company.

Hiring Guide
Interview Questions
Job Description

Rails is a Model-View-Controller framework that provides the default structures for a database, web service, and web pages. Rails encourages and makes possible:

JSON and XML for data transfer.
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for user interfaces.

Rails was originally released in August of 2004 and has experienced constant development since. The language includes features like:

Seamless database table creation.
Migrations.
Scaffolding of views.
MVC architecture to enable data to be separated from presentation.
Database Access Library that simplifies data handling.
Plenty of libraries for common tasks, such as form validation and session management.
AJAX Library.
Custom and Search engine-friendly URLs.
Simple debugging and testing tools.
Components are used for the storing of reusable code.
Active Record library makes it easy for developers to design database interaction queries.
Automated deployment libraries can deploy all changes to production with a single command.
Easy to learn syntax.

To work with Rails, your developers will need to install SQLite3, Node.js, and Yarn. Once the dependencies are met, they can then install Rails using the RubyGems command gem install rails. With everything installed, your developers are set to start developing with this powerful framework.

Do remember, however, that Rails is a software library (a framework) that extends the Ruby programming language. So, to use Rails, your developers will also need to know how to work with the Ruby programming language.

One thing to know is that it doesn't matter if your developers learn Ruby before Rails. To make this easier, however, you should have your developers first learn Ruby, so they know exactly what they are getting into. That doesn't mean you can't jump right into Rails first. But in learning Rails, your developers will learn Ruby along the way. Even if your developers haven't mastered Ruby, they should at least understand the basics before tackling Rails.

How difficult is it to find good Rails developers?

Although the popularity of Rails has decreased (remember, it's 15 years old), it's still a viable framework for any business looking to add web applications into the mix. And the Ruby language didn't even catch on until the release of Rails, at which point it completely revolutionized the world of web development.

But because sites like google.support.com (a site with nearly 1.5 billion monthly visits) still use Rails, you can bet it will continue to be popular for some time. That means you shouldn't have any problem finding Rails developers.

By country, Rails usage for websites, breaks down like so:

United States - 114,885 websites
Japan - 26,755 websites
United Kingdom - 17,989 websites
Canada - 14,840 websites
India - 13,854 websites
Germany - 12,741 websites
Russia - 11,083 websites
France - 10,444 websites
Australia - 8,276 websites
Brazil - 7,540 websites
Remaining countries - 118,635 websites

So clearly, Rails is still seeing heavy usage. And if your business resides in one of the above countries, the chances are pretty good you'll find plenty of Rails developers. If your company is outside of those countries, you can always reach out to a third-party developer hiring firm to put together an outstanding team of Rails engineers.

How to choose a Rails developer for your project

Clearly, you want someone familiar with Ruby. They'll also want a strong grasp of the following:

Object-Oriented Programming.
Web application development.
App maintenance and support.
Standard libraries.
Project management tools.

Conclusion

Finding the right Rails developer (or team of developers) can offer a big boost to your online presence by creating web applications to extend the services of your current website. In today's market, the importance of that can’t be overstated. Because of that, you should put in the effort to find a solid Rails developer.

What is Ruby on Rails?

RoR is an open-source web application framework built with the Ruby language that helps people create powerful and flexible web applications.

What do subdirectory app/controllers and app/helpers do?

App/controllers help Rails find controller classes and handle user's web requests.

App/helpers hold any helper classes that assist the CMV classes.

What command can you use to create a controller for the subject?

Ruby script/generate controller subject.

What is the Rails Controller?

The Rails Controller is the heart of an application and helps the overall User/Views/Model interaction and handles URLs as well as regulates the helper modules and sessions.

What does garbage collection do in Ruby on Rails?

Garbage collection allows for pointer value removal and removing inaccessible objects from memory.

We are looking for a Rails developer responsible for creating exciting web applications, as well as integrating the necessary backend elements created by teammates into the application.

Our Rails developers will be responsible for analyzing user and company requirements to successfully meet objectives, determining application features and functionality, and recommending changes to existing company Rails-based applications.

Responsibilities

Design, build and maintain efficient, reusable, and reliable Ruby code
Integration of data storage solutions.
Integration of user-facing elements developed by front-end developers with server-side logic
Identify bottlenecks and bugs, and devise solutions to these problems
Help maintain code quality, organization, and automatization
Analyze user requirements to help inform application design.
Define application objectives and functionality.
Align application design with business goals and customer needs.
Develop, test, and debug software.
Produce detailed documentation.
Recommend changes to existing web applications and infrastructure.
Ensure continuous professional self-development.

Skills And Qualifications

Degree in Computer Science or related field.
Experience with Ruby, Rails, UX, database structures, and statistical analyses.
Basic understanding of front-end technologies, such as JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS3.
Understand the principles behind scalable applications.
Ability to implement automation testing.
Familiarity with concepts of MVC, Mocking, ORM, and RESTful
Solid problem-solving skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication.
Good organizational skills.
Ability to work as part of a team.
Attention to detail.