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Ruby on Rails Products, Built and Kept Current

We build Rails SaaS products and MVPs, and take care of existing Rails apps that need upgrades, speed fixes or a dependable team.

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app/controllers/orders_controller.rb
Sample code

Ruby on Rails development for fast-moving products

Ruby on Rails is a full-stack web framework built around developer productivity and convention over configuration. Active Record, background jobs, mailers, Action Cable and Hotwire let a small team deliver a complete product with very little boilerplate. Many well-known SaaS companies started on Rails, and the framework keeps improving with each major release.

Rails is a great fit for SaaS products, marketplaces and internal tools where getting to market quickly matters more than squeezing out every millisecond. It is less common for mobile-first backends that need heavy real-time messaging, where Node.js may be a better fit, and the hiring pool is smaller than for JavaScript or Python. If you already run Rails successfully, staying on it is usually the cheapest path.

Nexzem builds new Rails apps with Hotwire or React frontends and maintains existing ones. A common request is a Rails upgrade that has been postponed for years. We work through it version by version with test coverage, fix slow queries along the way, and leave you on a supported release with a cleaner, faster codebase.

Read Ruby on Rails, the way we write it

A short, idiomatic sample. Scroll and the editor types each part while the note beside it explains why it is written that way.

app/controllers/orders_controller.rb
Sample code
class OrdersController < ApplicationController
before_action :authenticate_user!
# Convention over configuration: routes, views and params line up by name
def create
@order = current_user.orders.build(order_params)
if @order.save
# Active Job: the request returns before the email is sent
OrderMailer.with(order: @order).confirmation.deliver_later
redirect_to @order, notice: "Order placed"
else
render :new, status: :unprocessable_entity
end
end
private
# Strong parameters: only permitted fields reach the model
def order_params
params.require(:order).permit(:address, line_items_attributes: [:sku, :qty])
end
end

  1. line 4-8

    Convention over configuration: routes, views and params line up by name

  2. line 9-18

    Active Job: the request returns before the email is sent

  3. line 19-23

    Strong parameters: only permitted fields reach the model

What we build with Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails apps and SaaS products built quickly, plus upgrades and rescue work for existing Rails codebases.

  1. 01

    Rails SaaS Development

    Subscription products with accounts, teams, billing through Stripe, admin tools and background processing, structured using Rails conventions for easy future hiring.

  2. 02

    Rails MVP Builds

    Lean first versions for founders who need a working product quickly to show investors and early customers, without throwaway code.

  3. 03

    Rails Version Upgrades

    Stepwise upgrades of older Rails and Ruby versions, replacing abandoned gems and fixing deprecations while the live app keeps running.

  4. 04

    Hotwire Frontends

    Fast, interactive interfaces with Turbo and Stimulus that avoid the cost of a separate JavaScript framework for most product screens.

  5. 05

    Performance Fixes

    N+1 query removal, caching, database indexes and background job tuning that make slow Rails pages and APIs respond quickly again.

  6. 06

    Codebase Takeover

    Smooth handover from a previous agency or departing developers, starting with an audit, documentation and a prioritised list of risks.

Why teams pick Nexzem for Ruby on Rails

The checks every engagement has to pass before we call it done.

.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md4/4 checked

  • - [x] Fast feature delivery

    Rails conventions remove boilerplate, so more of the budget goes into features.

  • - [x] Stay on supported versions

    Upgrades close security gaps and keep gems compatible.

  • - [x] Continuity for your product

    We take over existing apps carefully, with documentation and tests before big changes.

  • - [x] Pragmatic frontend choices

    Hotwire where it is enough, React where the interface truly needs it.

When Rails is the right choice

Ruby on Rails remains one of the fastest ways to build a database-backed web application. Its conventions mean less configuration and fewer decisions, generators produce consistent code, and a mature ecosystem of gems covers authentication, payments, admin panels and background jobs. Large products such as Shopify and GitHub run on Rails, showing it scales well beyond the startup stage.

Recent releases strengthened the case further. Hotwire delivers interactive interfaces with little custom JavaScript, and Rails 8 includes database-backed defaults for background jobs, caching and WebSockets plus Kamal for deploying to your own servers, reducing the infrastructure a small team needs to run.

Rails is less suited to CPU-heavy computation or teams that must standardize on another language. In some regions the Ruby talent pool is smaller than for JavaScript or Python, so plan hiring and partner support early. For SaaS products, marketplaces and internal tools, Rails' productivity is hard to beat. Partners can fill gaps quickly.

How we structure a Rails application

We follow Rails conventions closely, since that is where its productivity comes from, but keep models and controllers from growing out of control. Complex business processes live in plain Ruby service objects, concerns are used sparingly, and query logic sits in scopes or query objects. Hotwire with Turbo and Stimulus provides interactivity without a separate frontend application.

Background jobs run on Solid Queue or Sidekiq, tests use RSpec or Minitest with factories, and RuboCop enforces style. The Brakeman security scanner and dependency audits run in CI, and safe migration practices prevent long table locks when changing large production databases. Upgrading gems regularly keeps security patches current.

  • Service objects for multi-step business processes.
  • Hotwire for interactive pages with minimal JavaScript.
  • Background jobs for email, imports and integrations.
  • Security scanning with Brakeman on every pull request.
  • Safe migrations for large production tables.

Upgrading Rails safely

Rails apps that skip upgrades for years accumulate risk: unsupported versions stop receiving security fixes, gems stop supporting old releases and each jump becomes larger. The safest path is one minor version at a time, fixing deprecation warnings before each step, with Ruby upgrades planned alongside.

Dual booting, where the app runs its test suite against both the current and next Rails version, lets teams prepare upgrades without blocking feature work. Strong test coverage on critical flows is the foundation, so if coverage is thin, we add tests around checkout, billing and other key paths before touching versions. Each step then becomes a routine release rather than a project.

  • Raise test coverage on critical flows first.
  • Fix all deprecation warnings on the current version.
  • Upgrade gems that block the next Rails version.
  • Dual boot and run tests on both versions.
  • Deploy each step separately and monitor errors.
  • Upgrade Ruby itself on its own schedule, not together with Rails.

How Ruby on Rails projects run

$ git log --graph --oneline main..delivery

  1. 82e1477

    feat: audit or discovery

    We review the existing app or product idea, gems, test coverage and hosting.

  2. 1382d13

    feat: plan

    Upgrade path or MVP scope agreed with priorities and dates.

  3. 56756e8

    feat: build and test

    Sprint delivery with RSpec or Minitest coverage on every change.

  4. 1bdf490

    merge: deploy and support

    CI deployment, monitoring and an ongoing maintenance or dedicated team plan.

What teams build with Ruby on Rails

  • B2B SaaS launched in weeks

    A founder launches a B2B SaaS product with accounts, roles, subscription billing and an admin panel built on Rails conventions, reaching paying customers quickly and iterating weekly based on their feedback.

  • Two-sided marketplace

    A marketplace connecting service providers and customers runs on Rails with listings, bookings, payments, reviews and messaging, using background jobs for notifications, invoices and payouts as transaction volume grows month after month.

  • Upgrading a Rails 4 application

    A business-critical application stuck on an old Rails and Ruby version is upgraded step by step to a supported release, with tests added first and outdated gems replaced, removing security risks without a rewrite.

  • Real-time operations dashboard

    Operations staff watch orders, alerts and team activity update live on a Hotwire-powered dashboard, built entirely in Rails without a separate JavaScript application to maintain, keeping the codebase small and easy to change.

  • Internal admin for a startup

    A startup's support and operations teams manage customers, refunds and content through a Rails admin built with an admin framework gem, saving scarce engineering time for the customer-facing product and its roadmap.

Where Ruby on Rails sits in your stack

The tools we pair it with, layer by layer. Select a layer to see what it is responsible for.

Technologies often used with Ruby on Rails

All 32 technologies

More in Backend

Ruby on Rails development FAQs

Something else on your mind? Ask a consultant and get a reply within one business day.

Is Rails still a good choice for a new product?

Yes, especially for SaaS products and marketplaces where speed to market matters. Node.js or Python may be easier to hire for, and Laravel offers similar productivity in PHP. We compare options in the free consultation.

Our Rails app is several versions behind. What now?

We assess gems and test coverage, add tests around critical flows if needed, then upgrade one version at a time. This keeps risk low and the app running throughout.

What does Rails development cost?

Cost depends on features, integrations, existing code condition, upgrade distance and test coverage. A fixed quote follows a free consultation and code review.

Can you take over from our previous developers?

Yes. We start with access setup, an audit and documentation of how the app works, then agree priorities before making major changes.

Do you offer ongoing Rails maintenance?

Yes. Monthly maintenance covers security patches, gem updates and small changes, and dedicated Rails developers are available on a monthly per seat basis.

What is Hotwire in Rails?

Hotwire is an approach to building interactive web applications by sending HTML over the wire instead of JSON. Turbo updates parts of a page without full reloads, and Stimulus adds small JavaScript behaviors. Together they deliver app-like interfaces with far less frontend code than a separate single-page application.

Does Rails 8 remove the need for Redis?

For many applications, yes. Rails 8 introduced database-backed defaults for background jobs, caching and WebSocket messaging, so smaller apps can run without Redis. High-throughput applications may still choose Redis or Sidekiq for performance, depending on workload and team preference.

We work with clients across the USA, UK, Australia, UAE, New Zealand and India.

Where we work

Tell us what you're building.

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