Best Websites Built with Ruby On Rails And Two Strong Front-End Frameworks
According to builtwith. com, almost 5% of 10,000 top websites are developed with the help of Ruby on Rails. The matter is that many entrepreneurs make the decision to create new startups on RoR due to the speed of web development. RoR makes it possible to do everything very fast with the software. Moreover, it is an open-source framework, that is why it is appealing to new software products.
However, do you want to know what services were created on Ruby on Rails to use it as a skeleton of your future website? I bet you will be surprised to see in this list best Ruby on Rails websites that you use every day. Moreover, these websites use handy JS frameworks and libraries our company also prefers using during the software development. Well, enough said, let's get it started!
Ruby on Rails websites developed using jQuery
First, I will start with jQuery library. If you haven't heard anything about this library, then you need to know more about it. This library allows developers to do the following with your software:
- It simplifies the frontend development;
- It can work with events;
- It implements different visual effects easily;
- It works with AJAX;
- jQuery includes many plugins for creating high-quality UI.
It is just a short description of what is jQuery, but you can already see that this library is very important for software development, and for frontend building in particular. Our developers use it actively as well to make your product really attractive. So now let's look through websites on Ruby on Rails where jQuery was used. jQuery websites examples are the following:
1. GitHub
Well, who doesn't know GitHub? I am sure all developers used it once at least. Because GitHub is some kind of a warehouse that stores a million blocks of programming code for any purpose. For today, GitHub is considered to be one of the most popular services for joint software development and as a cloud hosting. Large companies like Facebook, Google, and others use this service for storing source code and providing a free access to it. All users can create repositories where their source code will be stored.
It is a Git-based service and it is a popular tool for versions management. Also, it contains a bug tracking tool.
Technological background It is one of websites built on Ruby on Rails in 2008 using Ruby programming language. jQuery library was used as one of JS libraries for building website's UI. Also, apart from jQuery library, it uses such JS libraries like Pjax and Prototype. As for payment system, it uses Flattr micropayment service. Before you start working with GitHub, you need to install Git on your PC. VCS (version control system) lies at the heart of website functioning. This is a convenient tool for working with files that changed its version.
2. Twitter
This service can be boldly named the most popular blog platform in the world and it is included to one of the most famous Ruby on Rails sites. In fact, it is microblogs service where anyone can open its microblog and write short text notes. Each text message is called 'tweet' and it is limited to 280 characters including spaces. All your tweets are available for anyone who subscribed to your account. Then they can follow your history.
As for its popularity, I should say that Twitter has two main advantages - speed and coverage. That is, you can find any tweet using keywords for a few seconds. There are no search engines that can boast about the same features. As for coverage, Twitter is popular in the whole world and here you can find an interesting thought of famous persons. And if you want to create your own blog platform on Ruby on Rails, then you just need to give us a signal.
Technological background Here it is worth noting that initially Twitter was developed using Ruby and RoR. And it was weighed solution - the simplicity of RoR made it possible to create a really good website for a short period. However, after a few years, website owners decided to revise the website with Scala language. But nevertheless, RoR remained the backend language for content generating to users.
In addition to RoR and Scala, Twitter is built with jQuery and Webpack JS libraries. Everything listed was used on Twitter to make the user experience a high-grade. A right combination of technological stack means a lot.
3. ASKfm
The social network of anonymous questions and answers. Any user can ask his or her questions anonymously or publicly. It is necessary to create an account and sign in to leave your question or answer. ASKfm has integration with Twitter, Facebook, and other large social media. This service has many interesting features, and Shoutout feature is one of the most popular ones. It makes it possible to find people in your region nearby you and ask them a question.
Technological background ASKfm became one of the highest traffic websites built using Ruby on Rails. In 2014 about 350 million users visited it monthly. Also, in addition to jQuery, Google Hosted Libraries were used - a content distribution network for JS libraries. As for its user experience, service uses AJAX Libraries API from Google to make website page refreshing process much faster and more convenient.
4. Dribbble
The idea of Dribbble lies in the interaction between users that can show their projects like images, charts and other interesting sketches. Employers use this website to find designers for their projects etc. Here you can follow authors if you like their creations. Dribbble has a rating system that makes it possible to find the best of the best. It has an inviting system, so it means you will not be able to post your images if you don't receive the invite from a certain registered user.
Technological background Apart from RoR, Dribble was developed by using such web servers like nginx and Varnish. It also uses Google Hosted Libraries in addition to jQuery, website also uses HTML5 History API that makes it possible to change URL without page reloading. It is working along with AJAX.
5. Bloomberg
Bloomberg is an informational agency and its main role is to provide people with the timely and topical financial information about stock markets, analytics and other data about the condition of financial situation. All professionals and specialists in finance use this service actively to stay tuned for all necessary information. The agency was founded in 1981.
Bloomberg offers its Bloomberg Terminal product - a computer software system that makes it possible for all financiers to control and analyze financial market movements. Also, Bloomberg Terminal serves as a bidding platform. It has its encrypted network to protect all your data.
Technological background As it is a RoR website that brings financial information and analytical statistics, it used lots of special tools during the development. It used 3 web servers like Apache, nginx, and Varnish. Apart from main RoR framework, it also uses PHP, Express, ASP.NET frameworks. As for JS libraries, Bloomberg is the leader in our list of websites - more than 12 libraries are applied. jQuery, jQuery UI, Backbone.js, LABjs, RESPOND are the most popular ones of them. It is adapted for mobile phones. Well-thought UX allows clients to use Bloomberg intuitively and control all charts and tables easily.
Ruby on Rails websites using React.js
jQuery is very popular JS library that is used for the development of websites, and all RoR-based websites above is the proof of it. But some developers decided to create famous websites using React library in addition to jQuery to enhance some elements of the interface. More about React.js and the comparison of React with other leading front-end JS frameworks you can read in these articles - Vue.js vs React.js and Angular vs React (see the link below). Let's go to React.js websites!
1. Urban Dictionary
Everybody who wants to be closer the younger generation is trying to speak with them on the same wavelength. That is, it is necessary to know slang language that sits in tightly in the vocabulary of teens. So, Urban Dictionary is a dictionary that explains slang words and helps learn something new.
Attention! It contains dirty language.
Technological background Cowboy HTTP server is the main web server. Besides that, this service can boast about special frameworks like Heroku Vegur Proxy and Foundation along with Ruby on Rails framework. As for JS libraries, React.js was used here to create reusable UI views components. Modernizr, D3.js libraries allowed developers to adjust browser functionality and simplify manipulation with documents based on data accordingly. So, it is a good React website example.
2. Kickstarter
It is one of the largest crowdfunding platforms and sites built with React that makes it possible to finance any project with the help of the crowd. If you have a cool idea and plan to launch your own startup, you assign the amount you need to do it and then create a campaign. An entrepreneur should add pictures and video of his or her future product concept to prove that this product will be interesting. If the required amount is collected, then all backers get specific exclusive sweets since they were the ones who helped the startuper create the product.
Technological background Kickstarter website was developed using Ruby on Rails and Perl language that is a general-purpose programming language that simplifies the GUI development, system administration, and other tasks. Amazon EC2 was used as cloud computing solution. React, History.js, jQuery Waypoints were the main libraries. Kickstarter has a clear user interface with a user-friendly design and it is a popular Ruby on Rails website.
3. Airbnb
Air Bed and Breakfast - this is what Airbnb abbreviation means. It is an online market that enables people to rent or lease apartment or house. Airbnb React.js site was developed in 2008. Anyone can select what he or she needs using a special filter. Cheap hostel, expensive hotel - it doesn't matter. The difference from other similar services is that Airbnb is used mostly by private individuals, not by companies. The service offers more than 300 000 rooms, apartments, and houses in more than 192 countries.
Technological background PHP and RoR are the main frameworks Airbnb is built on. Libraries are Moment.js, React.js, Amplify.js, Raven.js, HTML5 History API. Braintree payment service is used for payments processing. Google Maps API is necessary for using Google maps and search locations. Customized filters and simple navigation makes UX of Airbnb one of the best one.
Why do our developers use Ruby on Rails?
Having listed the most famous websites built with Ruby on Rails, let's draw some conclusions. Why Ruby on Rails is good? Why do our developers actively use it? There a few reasons for it.
- It is a full-fledged multilevel framework to create web apps and websites that MVC architecture;
- RoR provides developers with high development speed. According to general statistics, development process RoR is faster for 40% approximately compared to other languages and frameworks;
- RoR framework includes many useful tools for caching, testing, routing and implementation of different other processes.
RoR framework is designed to create secure projects. If your website was used with the help of RoR tools, you should not afraid of SQL injections and XSS attacks. That is the answer to the question 'why to use Ruby?'.
