2004 founded Standing
developer-tools · rubyonrails.org
Ruby on Rails
the moat is real
21 years 250 days and counting
Extracted from Basecamp, released mid-2000s. The demo that deleted XML still converts people.
Why it lasted
- It taught a decade of startups that a web app is a folder with opinions.
- Shopify, GitHub, Basecamp, and a long tail of apps that still print money in Ruby.
- The framework keeps shipping (Hotwire, Zeitwerk) instead of becoming a museum.
Times it almost ended
- Node, then serverless, then Rails Is Dead quarterly. The jobs stayed.
- DHH's brand is a lightning rod. The code is a separate thing and that saved it.
What would finish it
- Shopify leaving Rails. That is the oxygen. They have not.
Questions
Is Ruby on Rails still up?
Yes, with a Standing verdict: the moat is real. Founded 2004.
How long has Ruby on Rails been around?
Ruby on Rails has been up since 2004-12-13.
Why did Ruby on Rails survive?
It taught a decade of startups that a web app is a folder with opinions.
Could Ruby on Rails still die?
Shopify leaving Rails. That is the oxygen. They have not.