Why Adopt
Ruby on Rails (Rails 8+) is the best framework for solo developers and small teams. The “one-person framework” positioning isn’t marketing—it’s architectural philosophy.
Key Rails 8 Features
- Solid Queue - Background jobs without Redis
- Solid Cache - Database-backed caching
- Solid Cable - WebSockets without Redis
- Kamal 2 - Zero-downtime deployments
The “Solid” trio means you can run production Rails apps on a single server without external dependencies. For indie hackers, this is game-changing.
My Experience
I’ve been using Rails since 2006. Every framework I’ve tried since (Node/Express, Django, Phoenix, Next.js) has made me appreciate Rails more.
Both JoyCork and FlowLink are built on Rails 8. The development velocity is unmatched—I can ship features in hours that would take days in other stacks.
The Trade-offs
Pros:
- Incredibly productive for CRUD apps
- Mature ecosystem with gems for everything
- Excellent documentation
- Convention over configuration reduces decisions
Cons:
- Ruby performance isn’t stellar (usually doesn’t matter)
- Hiring can be challenging (smaller talent pool)
- The “magic” can be confusing for newcomers
When Not to Use
- CPU-intensive applications (use Go, Rust)
- Real-time streaming at massive scale (use Elixir)
- Serverless-first architectures (use Node/Python)
For 95% of web applications, Rails is the right choice.