Can somebody explain to me the hype behind using Ruby on Rails to create web apps?

Hi all,

I’m looking to build an online marketplace that’s similar to oDesk and Elance where users can post jobs and have freelancers bid on them.

The current dilemma I’m in- which programming language do I go for? My decision lies between PHP and Ruby. It might help you to know that I already have the front-end of the web application already developed in HTML5/CSS3/Bootstrap.

It seems that most web applications these days are being powered by Ruby on Rails. I’ve been advised multiple times again and again: “Go with Ruby on Rails. It’s the new and best way to develop web applications.”

What I’m wondering is- is there any real siginficant advantage to developing my web application using the Ruby on Rails framework as opposed to good ol’ PHP?

Facebook, Pinterest, Flippa, 99Designs.com, Udemy, oDesk, and many other huge companies were all developed using PHP, right? And there seems to be more PHP developers available so if I were to hire a PHP developer to help me build this, I’d have access to a large pool of readily available talent. Further, RoR developers appear to be more expensive than PHP developers. If I could get my web application fully implemented and developed at a much cheaper cost by hiring a PHP developer over a Ruby developer- why not, right?

On the other hand, I keep hearing that Ruby on Rails is the way to go for web applications. Maybe it depends on the type of web application being built? In my case- do you think a freelance marketplace platform be better off built under PHP or Ruby? It might help you to know that I already have the front-end of the web application already developed in HTML5/CSS3/Bootstrap.

What are your thoughts on this?

You should build it with what you’re most comfortable with. Going with ANY product in life based on popularity will surely get you nothing but disappointment. I don’t like the syntax of PHP, so I build with Rails. However, if I was more in tune with the structure of php, I would probably build with that.

If you’re just looking to farm this out to another dev. I would go with the highest quality for the lowest price. Php, Ruby, Python, Coldfusion…*who cares as long as it works, scales and the code is understandable.

Can somebody explain to me the hype behind using Ruby on Rails to create web apps?

Ruby isn’t the cool, trendy new kid anymore … that would be node.js :smiley:

Rails kicks ass. So does PHP.

From a business POV, there are many reasons to go with PHP over Ruby.
From a techie POV; just use whichever you feel you work best in. There’s really not much one can do the other can’t.

If you’re just looking to farm this out to another dev I would go with the highest quality for the lowest price.

I agree with this, it’s more important to find the team you want to build your app than to choose a technology.

That being said if you’re in a position with lots of options I would avoid “enterprise” stacks like .NET or Java and favor open-source technologies with active sharing communities. PHP, Ruby and Python are fine choices that won’t lock you in to specific ecosystems.

Off Topic:

Java is open source as well and won’t lock you down to any specific stack any more than PHP, Ruby, or Python will. :slight_smile:

Probably less so, actually. An overwhelming majority of developers use: PHP->LAMP, Ruby-> RoR/PosgreSQL and Python->Django. There really isn’t an overwhelming majority of Java developers in any database, server, or framework. Heck, we don’t even have a common view language. (having too many options can be a problem sometimes)