Why is it important to validate the code quality of my Ruby on Rails project?

Whether you own a Ruby on Rails application or are about to build a new one, spending unnecessarily on maintenance or hiring development teams to solve regular errors is troublesome and costly. If you find yourself in this situation, know you’re not the only one.

Imagine a scenario where the budget you allocate for your application’s maintenance is considered unnecessary or exorbitant. As the owner of the application, you understand how detrimental it is to the advancement of your business. Unfortunately, there are circumstances where you would find yourself repeatedly paying for extra maintenance that persistently recurs.

To avoid the risk of developing an application with substandard code quality, it is imperative to ensure that your development team constructs the application in compliance with industry standards. At Mallow, we have built applications across various domains, including numerous SaaS applications. We understand the importance of upholding an application’s stability in all technical aspects.

By perusing this article, you will gain an understanding of the significance of code quality validation and its long-term benefits in reducing maintenance expenses.

Why is it vital to check the code quality of a Ruby on Rails application?

Checking the code quality of a Ruby on Rails application is critical as it ensures the application’s reliability and longevity. A Ruby on Rails application with poor code quality can lead to numerous issues, such as downtime, bugs, and security vulnerabilities.

Regular code quality checks can help identify these issues early on and prevent them from becoming more significant problems down the line. A well-written code can improve the overall performance and user experience of the application, which can ultimately lead to greater user satisfaction and retention. Therefore, conducting code quality checks is vital in ensuring the continued success and effectiveness of a Ruby on Rails application.

There are seven big benefits of evaluating code quality regularly:

1. Decrease in the rate of errors.

You can minimise the risk of coding errors and bugs by ensuring the code is well-written and follows best practices.

There are three added advantages of having decreased rate of errors in the Ruby on Rails application:

• Improved user experience and reputation – A stable and reliable application with fewer errors offers several benefits, including enhanced user experience, increased customer satisfaction, and an improved reputation. Such applications tend to provide a seamless and reliable experience for users, resulting in higher user retention rates and greater customer satisfaction. Additionally, a stable application can help build a positive brand image, increase brand recognition, and boost customer loyalty, ultimately leading to higher revenue.
• Increased productivity – When an application has fewer errors, developers spend less time fixing bugs and more time developing new features. This increased productivity can result in faster development cycles and shorter time-to-market.
• Reduced costs – Fixing errors can be costly in terms of time and money. By reducing the rate of errors, application owners can save money on maintenance and support costs.

2. Application robustness

Robustness of an application refers to the ability to perform reliably under different conditions.

The following points provide an overview of the benefits of having a robust application.

• Reduced downtime – A robust application will handle events, such as heavy traffic or sudden spikes or processing a high volume of data, without affecting user experience or downtime. If the code written for the application is of good quality, then the application will behave properly without downtime.
• Enhanced user perception – This means users can access and use the application more efficiently, improving overall performance. A robust application can handle large volumes of data or transactions without slowing down or crashing.
• Competitive advantage – An application that is sturdy in its design has the potential to surpass its rivals in terms of dependability, scalability, and efficiency. This can confer a competitive edge to a business, as consumers are more inclined to opt for an application that functions with reliability and consistency.

3. Enhanced security

Having well-written code that adheres to secure coding principles decreases the likelihood of it containing vulnerabilities that malicious parties can exploit to gain unauthorised access or steal any confidential information.

Here are some reasons why ensuring the security of your application is advantageous.

• Protecting data from attacks – A secure Ruby on Rails application protects user data from malicious attacks and ensures the privacy of the users.
• Compliance – Many businesses must comply with rules such as GDPR, HIPAA, etc. A secure Ruby on Rails application can help comply with regulations, lowering the risk of legal and financial penalties.
• Reduced risk and increased trust – Enhancing application security fosters user trust cultivates a positive brand reputation and fosters stronger relationships by thwarting data breaches and ensuring compliance. Without robust security measures, user trust in the application diminishes significantly.
• Improved business continuity – A secure application ensures business continuity by eliminating security incidents.

4. Easy to refactor

By applying design patterns and best coding practices, the application itself can become more modular and loosely coupled, which means that different parts of the code can be altered without affecting others. This simplifies refactoring because developers can update the code without fear of disrupting other portions of the application.

Maintaining these standards not only makes the codebase easier to understand and update but it also ensures that the code is readable and understandable for new engineers working on it. This is especially important for complex Ruby on Rails projects, where codebases can become complicated and difficult to understand as the application evolves.

5. Enhances reusability, scalability and maintainability

Outlined below are several advantages that can be derived from an application that are reusable, maintainable and scalable.

• Improved collaboration and development efficiency – Code that is reusable, scalable, and maintainable can be leveraged across multiple applications or features, reducing the amount of time and effort required to develop new features or applications. Developers can work together more efficiently and effectively.
• Increased flexibility – Applications built with reusable, scalable, and maintainable code are easier to modify and adapt to changing business requirements or user needs, making them more flexible and responsive.
• Improved reliability – Applications built with reusable, scalable, and maintainable code are often more reliable and stable, resulting in fewer bugs, errors, and downtime.

6. Easy-to-understand code

Incorporating coding standards and conventions into a Ruby on Rails application yields numerous advantages in understanding the code.

When code is clear and concise, it becomes easier for team members to collaborate. This facilitates smoother communication and efficient code reviews and promotes teamwork. With code that is easy to understand, debugging, troubleshooting, and making updates becomes less time-consuming and error-prone. It allows for more effective maintenance, reduces technical debt, and increases the longevity of the codebase.

7. Cost efficiency

In order to be cost-effective in the long run, your Ruby on Rails application must have high code quality. Below mentioned are a few points on how maintaining your application’s code in high quality can help you in making your overall application development process cost-efficient.

• Reduced debugging and issue-fixing time – High-quality code plays a crucial role in minimising the occurrence of bugs and issues in software development. By following best practices, adhering to coding standards, and writing clean and well-structured code, developers can significantly reduce the chances of introducing errors. This, in turn, saves valuable time and resources that would otherwise be spent on debugging and fixing problems.
• Enhanced developer productivity – Clean, reusable and well-structured code improves developer understanding and collaboration, leading to increased productivity and reduced development time.
• Streamlined integration and scalability – High-quality code facilitates seamless integration of new features and scalability, minimising the risk of compatibility issues and reducing development efforts for future expansions.

How do I measure the code quality of my Ruby on Rails application?

Merely performing your tasks routinely will not differentiate you from your competitors. You need to make your application stand out in performance to outperform your competitors. Following the best practices and staying updated is one such important way to reach the business goal you are aiming at.

Now that you understand why it’s essential to validate the code quality of your Ruby on Rails application, you would be curious about the specific methods and tools for conducting such a validation.

Check out our blog How to measure the code quality of my Ruby on Rails application? to learn more about how you can measure your application’s code quality and how following some best practices for your application’s code can solve your everyday efficiency-related problems in your application.

Want to upgrade or attend maintenance works for your existing Ruby on Rails application? Or is there something you feel we can help you with? Reach out to our team for any support and clarifications.