Ruby on Rails, like most programming languages, will only provide developers with the tools to build an efficient application. Everything is still left to the developer’s hands – security, speed of processing and user interface. When a developer creates a bad application, the framework is not the one to be blamed – the developer is.

For that reason, it is important for every developer to know how to optimize his application. By optimizing Ruby on Rails application, the already efficient programming language will provide an even better application. These optimizations are not only based on how you code your application but also on how you could set up your application when they are implemented.

Caching in Rails

One of the main reasons why an application could drag down in its operation is when cache is not properly implemented. Caching could easily become a problem in Ruby on Rails because there are too many functions that should be cached to ensure ease of coding. But there are times that a function has to be repeated just to get over caching. Smart use of time-outs on data storage for caching should also be exercised. This is highly recommended when you are dealing with fragmented caching which requires different time-outs for data storage.

Memory Consumption

Another reason that an application could drag in processing data is when there is just too much memory running in the application. A good sign that you have problems with memory is when a Ruby on Rails application could handle simple data requests but the processing used for that data will continue to run even after the operation.

After 20-25 commands, the application drags significantly. Avoid this problem by checking your applications on a regular basis and make some changes on commands. It is even recommended to check your application with a load testing application to make sure your application works as expected.

Benchmarking Tools

Although not necessary for your application for optimization, installing benchmarking tools in your Ruby on Rails based application will give you a good idea on the performance of your application. The benchmarking tools could be created along with the testing tools that are usually written when the application is being developed.

When properly integrated, you can easily run a diagnostic test on your application at anytime. There are also 3rd party benchmarking tools that you can integrate to your application but if you want stability because of compatibility, take time to build benchmarking tools for your application.

Careful Iterations

One of the unique features for Ruby on Rails is that it will effectively launch most functions in an instant. The reason for this is that the application is consistently being loaded to your function. Even though you do not touch your application, it will still run in the background.

Although the problem of limiting this problem is not taken cared of efficient browsers, the challenge for developers is to lessen the delimiters which will prevent the application from executing certain task. When a command is added, it will continue to execute the command. If you run too many commands, the application could drag.

“Clean” Log

In connection to careful iteration by limiting the commands in Ruby on Rails, logging should be minimized as well. But even though if you have a small application with less commands; your application could still drag because your application will constantly update its log folder.

When there is just too much log, the application will have a hard time updating the logs folder. Implement log cleanup from time to time. This could be executed after a function wherein too many data will be asked from another source or even from the local server.

Proper Table Formatting

When you are building an application that is data intensive, ensure that the application will have ease in navigation through different tables. The tables should be simplified so that the application could easily understand table.

This will also help easy migration as you need to update your table from time to time. The usual error in table configuration is when there are too many columns to deal with or the data included in the column is too large (especially for smaller applications).

Optimizing Ruby on Rails is never easy. It requires constant concentration on how the program is being made. But the effort is worth it as you develop an application that is user friendly with little maintenance requirement.