How to Scale Up Your Ruby on Rails Application - Comprehensive Guide

Many startups decide to go with Ruby on Rails when building their applications. This is a great choice, especially because the market is flooded with developers experienced in RoR. Not only this will save you a lot of time and money, but you can also benefit from several ready-made plugins working together to provide faster and more reliable app scaling

So, how to scale up your Ruby on Rails Application? Firstly, being aware of various approaches and pitfalls while scaling up your Ruby on Rails application allows you to make the right decisions while building and maintaining it. Scalability is a big challenge for most Ruby on Rails programmers. For example, let's assume that you have a small startup, and you're good enough at development to build the application yourself. 

However, as the application gains popularity and more people are using it, you realize that it's time to focus less on development and more on maintenance. Speeding up the application is not enough. It deserves some attention from a developer who can implement various scalability methods and improve overall performance.

Read our well-structured Programming Language articles to gain valuable insights to kickstart your project. 

Introduction to Ruby on Rails

Ruby on Rails was created by David Heinemeier Hansson in 2004, who needed a simple way to create web applications. Ruby on Rails uses the Model View Controller (MVC) design pattern which separates data from a presentation, and from business logic so that you can update each aspect independently. This makes it incredibly flexible and scalable.

Ruby on Rails is an open-source web application framework that's used by developers to build dynamic websites, such as e-commerce sites, social networks, and blogs. As one of the most popular and powerful web frameworks, Ruby on Rails has earned a reputation for being efficient and stable. 

But as you begin to think about scaling your app, all that can be put to the test. This is because scaling Rails applications requires specialized knowledge. Fortunately, there are several best practices you can utilize to help you scale successfully.

What is Scalability in Web Application?

Scalability is a term used to describe the ability of a web application to handle increased traffic.

The term "scalability" is often used interchangeably with terms like "load balancing" and "high availability," but they are not the same thing. Load balancing is a way to spread out requests across multiple servers so that if one server goes down or gets too busy, another one can take over and continue handling requests. 

High availability means that if one server goes down, there is another one ready to take its place without any downtime—usually by automatically redirecting users to another server.

Scalability refers specifically to how well an application can handle increased traffic without slowing down or crashing. Scaling web applications means adding more hardware resources (such as RAM, and CPUs) to handle more concurrent requests, scaling out means adding more servers so that each server has less work to do on its own.

How to Improve Scalability of Web Applications?

Scalability refers to the ability of a system to handle increasing amounts of work without diminishing performance. In other words, it means that you can add more users or more features without degrading the quality of service.

 

There are many ways you can improve the scalability of a web application.

Reducing Request Time

One of the easiest and most effective ways to increase scalability is by reducing the time it takes for your server to respond to requests. This can be done by optimizing your code and making sure not to include unnecessary files (such as images and stylesheets) in every page request.

Using Caching

Another way to improve scalability is by using caching techniques such as Memcached or Varnish which store frequently accessed data in memory so that it doesn't have to be calculated again when requested by another user or browser session.

Parallelization

The third way to improve scalability is by parallelizing tasks across multiple CPUs or cores instead of waiting for one CPU thread at a time; this allows your application to handle more load than before without spending any more money on hardware upgrades (which would normally be necessary if you were trying to do everything at once).

What Makes an Application Scalable?

When we talk about scalability, we're talking about the full spectrum of changes you can make to your application to accommodate more users and traffic. This includes everything from increasing server capacity to reducing latency and improving performance.

An application is scalable if it can be made to run on multiple computers without having to change the application code. The term "scale" refers to the number of computers used in a cluster. Scalability is a property of distributed systems, which are applications that run on multiple computers to provide services to a large number of users.

 There are several ways to scale an application.

• Use a database that supports replication and sharding (for example, MySQL). This allows the database server to handle more load when necessary by using multiple servers and replicating data across them. Sharding involves dividing up the data into smaller pieces so it can be handled by different databases.
• Use a load balancer such as Apache's mod_proxy or nginx's traffic management module (TMM). This allows you to distribute requests across multiple web servers without changing any code in your application.
• Use a caching system like Memcached or Redis. So, the frequently accessed data doesn't have to be retrieved from slow storage every time it's needed by your application.

How to Scale Ruby on Rails Application?

The two most popular ways to scale Ruby on Rails applications are:

1. Vertical Scaling
2. Horizontal Scaling

Vertical Scaling for Building an RoR Application

Vertical scaling is a method of scaling a Ruby on Rails application that involves adding additional servers that are configured identically to the server with the highest load. The additional servers can be added to increase capacity or redundancy, and they should be configured identically to each other.

The key benefits of vertical scaling are that it is relatively easy to implement and maintain, it requires no changes to an existing application, and it can be done without downtime if the application is hosted by a provider that supports vertical scaling.

Horizontal Scaling for Building an RoR Application

Horizontal scaling is a popular method for building an application on Ruby on Rails. It is a process that allows an application to be scaled out onto multiple servers. This can be done by running the same application in parallel on multiple servers, or by adding additional functionality to the existing servers.

Horizontal scaling has several advantages over vertical scaling.

• It's easier to maintain one codebase than many different versions of the same codebase.
• It's easier to manage changes if they're all happening in the same place.
• You don't have to worry about memory issues since you're not trying to cram everything into a single machine's memory space.

How Does Horizontal Scaling Help in Ruby on Rails Scalability?

Horizontal Scaling uses a three-tier architecture, which consists of three levels:

Database Tier

This is where the database is stored, and it usually consists of one or more databases. The database tier can be scaled by adding more databases or increasing the capacity of each database.

Application Tier

This is where all application components are deployed, including web servers and application servers. The application tier can be scaled by increasing the number of web servers and application servers, and also by adding more memory to each server.

Infrastructure Tier

This is where all physical resources such as storage systems, network equipment, etc., are located. The infrastructure tier can be scaled by adding more storage systems and network equipment, as well as increasing their capacity or throughput capability.

Things to Consider While Scaling Ruby on Rails Applications

Ruby on Rails is one of the most popular web development frameworks in the world, but it has its limitations. As your Rails application scales, you'll need to make some changes to how you build and manage your codebase.

Here are some things to consider when scaling Ruby on Rails applications.

Code Management

If you're not using Git or another version control system, you can run into issues when multiple people are working on the same codebase. Not only will this make it difficult for you to track changes and roll back if something goes wrong, but it could also lead to merge conflicts if two developers try to check in at the same time.

Configuration Management

If you're managing configuration files manually (rather than through environment variables), they'll be difficult to maintain as your team grows larger.

Testing

It's important to have tests in place so that you know how well your application works under different conditions. However, as your code gets more complex, there will be more places where bugs can hide, and harder for testing tools like Selenium Webdriver (which allows for automated browser testing) to find them all.

Ruby on Rails - Best Practices To Follow

Ruby on Rails is an open-source web framework that allows you to create applications with the Ruby language. It's a very popular choice for developers and has been used in the development of many successful websites and applications.

Rails are often used with other programming languages to create powerful web applications, but they can also be used by themselves. Because of its versatility, there are many best practices you can follow when using Rails.

 

Here are some of the best practices for using and scaling Ruby on Rails.

Cache Often and Cache Well

Caching is a great way to speed up your site, and there are lots of ways to do it.

You can cache the client by using Ajax libraries like JQuery to stream data from the server on demand. You can also use gateway /reverse proxy caches to cache HTTP responses on your website and learn how to use expiration and E-tags.

Rails' built-in action, page, and fragment caching will save you time by allowing you to cache results that you'd otherwise pull from your database. Memcache is another tool that's useful when you want to save complex queries or just store large amounts of data that don't change often.

Data Segregation and Data Serving

Consider splitting your data storage into multiple databases—one for each different type of data. Serve static assets through a separate tier, or use Amazon S3 or Akamai to serve those assets. It’s more expensive that way, but it simplifies scaling. 

Relational databases scale up, not out, so sit down with your DBA over whether you need a relational data model for all your data stores. Maybe you can get away with a simpler key-value data store for some of your simpler data.

Reduce External Dependencies to the Minimum

When you're developing a site on Ruby on Rails that gets a lot of traffic, it's important to think about how your site will respond when external dependencies are unavailable. If you rely on services such as ad-serving networks or RSS feeds, you may find yourself in a tough spot if they're not available because they can't handle your growing request load.

When this happens, make sure that you have a fallback strategy in place so that your users don't see any error messages—or worse, an empty page!

Keep your Database and Job Handlers Well-Tended

It’s easy to get carried away with database queries in an ORM like ActiveRecord. Make sure you’re looking at your slow query log after each major integration to make sure you don’t have “missing” database indices and haven’t written inappropriate find-alls in your Rails code.

Scrub your database periodically for indices that are no longer being used. Similarly, watch the resource consumption of your background and scheduled jobs.

As your user base grows jobs can start to overlap, and daily log processing can start to take more than 24 hrs! This kind of thing can sneak up on you easily. Ideally, segregate your jobs into separate tiers. And, as you grow, look at moving to a message-based job handler.

Store and Manage Relational Data in Shards

When your Ruby on Rails application reaches high scaling levels, you’ll have to break up your MySQL database. Sharding involves breaking up datasets into independent pieces based on a key.

For many consumer-oriented Rails sites, this means sharding based on user ID, but other sharding schemes use data age or access frequency if that’s predictable.

Best Software To Use When Scaling RoR Applications

When scaling your Rails app architecture, you'll have to take action. But when should you take that action? You need to know when your traffic is peaking. Below are some of the most common software used to track performance and metrics in case of higher traffic.

 

Puma

Puma is an open-source web server for rack applications written in Ruby. It's great for handling requests, connections, and threads for your application. It also has built-in support for HTTPS and HTTP/2.

Unicorn

Unicorn is a Rack HTTP server for UNIX-like systems designed by Sun Microsystems. It's based on Mongrel, but it has better performance than Mongrel ever did.

NGINX

NGINX is a popular web server software used to handle requests from clients (browsers). It works well with RoR applications because it provides additional functionality like load balancing, caching, and reverse proxying (which means you can run multiple websites on one IP address).

New Relic

This tool monitors an application's performance by analyzing its logs and providing real-time metrics and alerts. It also provides insight into how much time each request takes to process, where bottlenecks occur within the application and what kind of errors are generated. The best part is that it's available as SaaS, therefore, there is no need for any additional infrastructure or hardware setup.

Redis

Redis is a key-value store that provides fast performance and can handle many requests at once. It can be used as an in-memory database or as a cache server. Redis is an open-source program that can be installed on any OS including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X.

SideKiq

Sidekiq is a background job processor for Ruby on Rails applications. It allows developers to process jobs outside of web requests so they don't impact performance while users are accessing their site or app. It's also compatible with Redis and ActiveJob out of the box!

Flame Graphs

The graph below shows the number of users your Rails application has been reaching in the past three months.

The baseline line represents the average number of users who visited your site each month. The other lines represent the point at which your application starts to become unresponsive, and then completely crashes.

Ruby On Rails Applications - Key Takeaways

Scalable applications are at the heart of an efficient, maintainable application architecture. That is why scaling your apps should be a priority if you want to take your company to the next level. 

Scaling a Rails application involves making sure you're leveraging the best features, techniques, and tools available. It also means that you need to write better code. Overall, there are several different ways to scale Ruby on Rails applications.

With careful planning and an understanding of the goals, you can make scaling your application a relatively painless undertaking. It's up to you to decide how you want to scale your particular Rails app. 

For larger Ruby on Rails applications development, you might need a dedicated team of developers who can take care of everything from modeling to maintenance. But if this is not the case, and you just need an app built, Invozone is the right choice for you. We have been developing web applications for over seven years and boast hundreds of satisfied clients. Contact us for more information today!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ruby on Rails good for scaling?

Ruby on Rails is a great platform for scaling.

The reason that it's so good at scaling is because of its flexibility and simplicity. Ruby on Rails allows developers to create flexible websites that can grow with their needs, while also being easy to use. This makes it an ideal choice for companies that are looking to scale their business quickly.

Which apps use Ruby on Rails?

Ruby on Rails is a framework that makes it easy to create web apps. It's been around for nearly 20 years and is used by some of the biggest companies in the world.

Some examples of apps that use Ruby on Rails include:

• Airbnb (The apartment and hotel booking site)
• Uber (The ride-sharing service)
• LinkedIn (The social media platform for professionals)
• Shopify (E-commerce platform for all businesses)
• Basecamp (Project management software)
• GitHub (Web hosting service for software development and version control using Git)

How do you scale an application?

Scaling an application is a complex process, but it can be broken down into three main steps:

• Identify bottlenecks in your code.
• Decide what to scale and how much to scale it by.
• Refactor your code to improve performance and scalability

What is Ruby on Rails best used for?

Ruby on Rails is best used for building web applications that require high performance and scalability. For example, Ruby on Rails can be used to build complex websites with lots of traffic, like social media sites or e-commerce platforms. It also works well with databases like Postgres, MySQL, and SQLite.

Ruby on Rails uses a Model View Controller (MVC) architecture pattern which separates application logic from user interface code. This allows you to use Ruby on Rails to create any type of web application such as blogs, forums, or CMS systems.

What is App Scaling?

App Scaling is a process that makes it easier to manage your app by automatically adjusting its resources based on demand. App Scaling allows you to scale your application up or down based on the amount of traffic it's receiving, so you can maintain high availability even during peak usage times.

App Scaling uses the same technology as Amazon CloudWatch to monitor the performance of your application and adjust its resources accordingly.