If you're building a digital product in 2025, you're likely choosing between a long list of frameworks, languages, and stacks. One name that keeps coming up, even after nearly two decades, is Ruby on Rails.

But is Ruby on Rails still a smart choice in 2025? For many fast-moving, product-focused teams, and the platforms they power, the answer is still a confident yes. This article walks through why.

We will walk you through where Ruby on Rails (RoR) stands today, why many still rely on it, what challenges it faces, and how to decide if it's the right fit for your project.

Where Ruby on Rails stands in 2025

Ruby on Rails is not the newest tool in the box. It was first released in 2004. But that doesn’t mean it’s out of fashion.

In fact, Rails is still actively maintained and used in many production environments. According to the 2023 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, Ruby is used by 6.94% of professional developers, a respectable slice of the pie, especially for a language with so many newer competitors. On GitHub, Rails continues to see regular contributions, showing that its community is alive and well.

You’ll find Ruby on Rails powering some of the world’s most trusted platforms. GitHub, Shopify, Basecamp, and Airbnb all began life with Rails. Some still use it in core parts of their backend. That speaks to one thing above all: stability.

Rails may not be the framework making the most noise in 2025, but it continues to fuel serious, high-performance platforms. As technology evolves, stability, clarity, and velocity keep products alive. Rails delivers all three.

When you need production-grade Rails apps, atEnbi delivers core frameworks, encrypted attributes, background jobs, and real‑time UIs via Hotwire/GraphQL. Learn more about their Ruby on Rails services here.

Why Ruby on Rails still has a loyal following

Speed matters when you're building something new. This is where Ruby on Rails shines.

• Rails accelerates product delivery without sacrificing structure. It follows a principle called "convention over configuration." That means the framework makes a lot of smart decisions for you, so you don’t have to spend hours tweaking small details. For teams who want to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), this can save time and money.
• Another strength is the community. Ruby on Rails has been around long enough to build a large, active group of developers who continue to improve the framework, write guides, and offer support. There are thousands of gems such as open-source packages that help you add features like payments, admin dashboards, and authentication without starting from scratch.
• Rails also has a mature testing system built in, making it easier to catch bugs early and ship with confidence. For startups and small teams, this is especially helpful. You get strong defaults, good security, and clean code, all without needing to hire a giant team.
• Many developers say they enjoy working with Rails. That matters. Happy developers often write better code and stay on projects longer.

The challenges facing RoR in the modern tech stack

That said, no framework is perfect. And Rails isn’t immune to the changing tides of technology.

• Performance is often cited as a weakness, but in most real-world applications, Rails is more than fast enough. While lower-level languages like Go may outperform Rails in raw benchmarks, what matters most is whether your product can deliver reliably at scale. Rails has proven that it can.
• Scalability concerns often come up, but these typically come down to how an app is built, not the framework itself. Rails can support massive applications when engineered thoughtfully. Shopify is a prime example, scaling a Rails monolith to handle millions of merchants globally through smart architecture and modular design.
• Hiring Ruby developers may seem harder compared to more popular languages. According to Stack Overflow’s 2023 data, Ruby no longer appears in the top 10 most-loved languages. But the Rails community remains full of senior-level talent. These developers tend to write cleaner code, follow best practices, and ship high-quality features faster, especially in lean, product-focused teams.
• Newer trends like JAMstack and Serverless shine for static sites and marketing-driven content. But when your product demands a robust backend, clean architecture, and fast iteration, Rails remains a strong choice, especially when paired with modern front-end frameworks like React.

What to consider when choosing Ruby on Rails today

Choosing a framework boils down to finding the right fit for you.

Ruby on Rails is a great choice if:

• You want to build an MVP quickly
• Your team values clean, readable code
• You want strong built-in features like routing, testing, and security
• You don’t have extremely high traffic demands from day one

It’s also a powerful option for platforms that need rapid iteration, like startups or small to mid-size SaaS products. The convention-based approach means less time on setup, more time on building the features users care about.

See it in action. Explore how atEnbi modernized the JRPass platform with Ruby on Rails. Check out the case study here.

Why Rails still matters, and when atEnbi uses it

So does Ruby on Rails have a future in 2025?

Absolutely. While it may not lead every trend or dominate every survey, Rails still brings speed, simplicity, and a strong foundation to the table. It’s a mature tool with real-world staying power, still used by some of the most senior developers in the industry.

If you’re thinking about your next product, or wondering whether to keep using Rails, the answer depends on your goals. But know this: Rails isn’t dead. In fact, in the right hands, it may be the most pragmatic decision you’ll make.

At atEnbi, we don’t believe in one-size-fits-all. We use Rails where it works at its best. When paired with modern frontend tools like React.js, it gives our team a flexible, scalable stack we’ve used across everything from MVPs to complex, multi-tenant platforms. We work closely with clients to understand their needs and then choose the framework that supports long-term success, whether that’s Ruby on Rails or something else.

Looking for a team that knows when Rails is the right call, and how to scale it the right way? Click here to Book a 30-minute discovery call with one of our engineers.