Hire Pre-vetted Ruby Developers

What is a Ruby Developer?

A Ruby Developer is a software engineer specializing in building web applications, APIs, and systems using Ruby—a dynamic, expressive language known for developer productivity and elegant code. Ruby Developers leverage frameworks like Rails to ship features rapidly without sacrificing code quality. They do more than write code—they design scalable web applications, build robust APIs, architect microservices, and mentor teams on clean code practices. Whether you need someone to build an MVP quickly, scale a Rails application, or migrate legacy systems to modern Ruby practices, a skilled Ruby Developer brings both speed and architectural maturity.

What makes Ruby Developers valuable is their ability to move fast while writing maintainable code. Ruby's elegant syntax and Rails' "convention over configuration" philosophy enable developers to focus on business logic rather than boilerplate. This is why startups and established companies alike trust Ruby for rapid product development. When you hire through Torc, you're getting someone who ships quality features quickly while building systems that remain maintainable as they grow.

Technology Stack

Core Ruby & Frameworks

• Ruby 2.7+, Ruby 3.0+

• Rails 6, Rails 7, Rails 8

• Sinatra, Hanami, Roda

• Object-oriented programming & metaprogramming

Backend Development

• ActiveRecord & ORM patterns

• REST API design & GraphQL

• Authentication & authorization

• Background jobs (Sidekiq, Delayed Job)

Frontend & Full Stack

• JavaScript/TypeScript with Rails

• React/Vue integration with Rails

• ERB templates & ViewComponent

• CSS frameworks (Tailwind, Bootstrap)

Infrastructure & DevOps

• Docker & containerization

• Heroku, AWS, or self-hosted deployment

• CI/CD with GitHub Actions

• PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis optimization

Testing & Quality

• RSpec, Minitest

• Test-driven development practices

• Factory Bot, Faker for fixtures

• Code coverage & linting

Key Qualities to Look For on a Ruby Developer

Pragmatic Problem Solver — They focus on shipping working code that solves business problems. They know when to use Rails conventions versus when to break them. They balance "perfect architecture" with "done and deployed."

Rails Mastery — They know Rails deeply—not just MVC basics but migrations, ActiveRecord associations, caching, background jobs, and performance optimization. They understand why Rails conventions exist and when to work with or against them.

Clean Code Advocate — Ruby culture emphasizes readable, elegant code. The best Ruby developers write code that tells a story—clear variable names, small focused methods, and consistent style. They treat refactoring as ongoing.

Full Stack Thinking — They understand databases, APIs, caching, and frontend interactions. They can troubleshoot end-to-end issues and make architecture decisions that work across the entire stack.

Testing Discipline — They write tests as part of normal development. They understand unit tests, integration tests, and system tests. They can balance test coverage with practical development speed.

Collaborative & Mentoring — They work well in teams, review code constructively, and help teammates improve. They document decisions and can explain architectural choices clearly.

Project Types Your Ruby Developers Handle

Web Application Development — Building complete web applications from scratch or extending existing Rails apps. Real scenarios: Building a SaaS platform, creating admin dashboards, adding new features to existing applications.

API & Microservices — Designing and building robust APIs and microservices. Real scenarios: Building REST APIs for mobile apps, creating internal APIs for system integration, extracting services from monoliths.

MVP Development — Rapidly building minimum viable products to validate business ideas. Real scenarios: Launching a new product in weeks, rapid iteration based on user feedback, proof-of-concept implementations.

Rails Scaling & Performance — Optimizing and scaling Rails applications for growth. Real scenarios: Caching strategy implementation, database query optimization, background job optimization.

Legacy Rails Modernization — Updating older Rails applications to modern versions and practices. Real scenarios: Rails version upgrades, introducing modern frontend practices, improving test coverage in legacy code.

Background Jobs & Automation — Building systems for async processing and automation. Real scenarios: Email delivery systems, data processing pipelines, scheduled reports.

API Integration & Data Synchronization — Connecting Rails apps with external services and data sources. Real scenarios: Payment gateway integration, third-party API consumption, data sync jobs.

Interview questions

Question 1: "Walk me through how you'd structure a new Rails application from scratch. What gems would you use, how would you organize code, and what testing approach would you take?"

Why this matters: Tests Rails mastery and code organization philosophy. Reveals whether they follow Rails conventions or fight them, understand the Rails ecosystem, and write maintainable code from the start. Shows practical experience shipping production Rails apps.

Question 2: "Tell me about a time you had to optimize a slow Rails application. What was slow, how did you diagnose it, and what was the result?"

Why this matters: Tests real-world optimization experience and debugging methodology. Reveals whether they understand Rails performance characteristics, use profiling tools, and focus on actual bottlenecks versus premature optimization. Shows practical performance tuning skills.

Question 3: "Describe a Rails project where you dealt with complex business logic or workflows. How did you structure the code and ensure it stayed maintainable?"

Why this matters: Tests ability to manage complexity without letting Rails conventions become a crutch. Reveals whether they extract business logic appropriately, use service objects or similar patterns, and keep controllers and models focused. Shows maturity in larger Rails projects.