Ruby on Rails vs Phoenix Framework: Best Web Framework for MVP Development in 2024

While Elixir/Phoenix has gained significant traction in recent years for its excellent performance and scalability, Ruby on Rails continues to be the superior choice for MVP (Minimum Viable Product) development in 2024.

This article explores the key advantages that make Rails the preferred framework for rapid prototyping and early-stage product development.

1. Developer Productivity and Convention over Configuration

The principle of "Convention over Configuration" remains one of Rails' strongest suits.

While Phoenix has adopted many similar conventions, Rails' maturity in this area provides unmatched developer productivity.

Example 1: Creating a Basic CRUD Application

In Rails, creating a fully functional CRUD application requires minimal code:

# Rails
# Generate the scaffold
rails generate scaffold Product name:string description:text price:decimal

# The generated model
class Product < ApplicationRecord
  validates :name, presence: true
  validates :price, numericality: { greater_than_or_equal_to: 0 }
end

# The generated controller with all CRUD actions
class ProductsController < ApplicationController
  def index
    @products = Product.all
  end

  def show
    @product = Product.find(params[:id])
  end

  # Other CRUD actions are automatically generated
end

The equivalent in Phoenix requires more manual setup:

# Phoenix
# Generate the schema
mix phx.gen.schema Product products name:string description:text price:decimal

# The schema
defmodule MyApp.Product do
  use Ecto.Schema
  import Ecto.Changeset

  schema "products" do
    field :name, :string
    field :description, :text
    field :price, :decimal

    timestamps()
  end

  def changeset(product, attrs) do
    product
    |> cast(attrs, [:name, :description, :price])
    |> validate_required([:name])
    |> validate_number(:price, greater_than_or_equal_to: 0)
  end
end

# The controller needs more manual implementation
defmodule MyAppWeb.ProductController do
  use MyAppWeb, :controller
  alias MyApp.Product

  def index(conn, _params) do
    products = Repo.all(Product)
    render(conn, "index.html", products: products)
  end

  def show(conn, %{"id" => id}) do
    product = Repo.get!(Product, id)
    render(conn, "show.html", product: product)
  end

  # Other actions need manual implementation
end

2. Rich Ecosystem and Gem Availability

Rails' ecosystem is significantly more mature, with gems available for almost any functionality you might need in an MVP.

Example 2: Adding Authentication

In Rails, using Devise (the most popular authentication solution):

# Gemfile
gem 'devise'

# Run setup
rails generate devise:install
rails generate devise User
rails db:migrate

# Add to routes.rb
Rails.application.routes.draw do
  devise_for :users
end

# Protect controllers
class ProductsController < ApplicationController
  before_action :authenticate_user!

  # Your actions here
end

In Phoenix, you'll often need to implement authentication from scratch or use less mature solutions:

# mix.exs
defp deps do
  [
    {:bcrypt_elixir, "~> 3.0"},
    {:guardian, "~> 2.0"}
  ]
end

# lib/my_app/accounts/user.ex
defmodule MyApp.Accounts.User do
  use Ecto.Schema
  import Ecto.Changeset

  schema "users" do
    field :email, :string
    field :password_hash, :string
    field :password, :string, virtual: true

    timestamps()
  end

  def changeset(user, attrs) do
    user
    |> cast(attrs, [:email, :password])
    |> validate_required([:email, :password])
    |> unique_constraint(:email)
    |> put_password_hash()
  end

  defp put_password_hash(changeset) do
    case changeset do
      %Ecto.Changeset{valid?: true, changes: %{password: pass}} ->
        put_change(changeset, :password_hash, Bcrypt.hash_pwd_salt(pass))
      _ ->
        changeset
    end
  end
end

3. Active Record and Intuitive Database Interactions

Rails' Active Record pattern provides a more intuitive and productive way to work with databases, especially for MVP development where rapid iteration is crucial.

Example 3: Complex Database Queries

Rails:

class Order < ApplicationRecord
  belongs_to :user
  has_many :order_items
  has_many :products, through: :order_items

  scope :recent, -> { where('created_at > ?', 30.days.ago) }
  scope :with_high_value, -> { where('total_amount > ?', 1000) }

  def self.analysis
    recent
      .with_high_value
      .includes(:user, :products)
      .group('users.country')
      .select('users.country, COUNT(*) as orders_count, AVG(total_amount) as avg_amount')
      .joins(:user)
  end
end

# Usage
Order.analysis.each do |result|
  puts "#{result.country}: #{result.orders_count} orders, avg: #{result.avg_amount}"
end

Phoenix/Ecto:

defmodule MyApp.Orders do
  import Ecto.Query

  def analysis do
    thirty_days_ago = DateTime.utc_now() |> DateTime.add(-30, :day)

    from(o in Order,
      join: u in assoc(o, :user),
      where: o.created_at > ^thirty_days_ago,
      where: o.total_amount > 1000,
      group_by: u.country,
      select: %{
        country: u.country,
        orders_count: count(o.id),
        avg_amount: avg(o.total_amount)
      },
      preload: [:user, :products]
    )
    |> Repo.all()
  end
end

# Usage
MyApp.Orders.analysis()
|> Enum.each(fn %{country: country, orders_count: count, avg_amount: avg} ->
  IO.puts("#{country}: #{count} orders, avg: #{avg}")
end)

4. Frontend Integration and Asset Pipeline

Rails' asset pipeline and frontend integration capabilities make it easier to build complete MVPs with rich user interfaces.

Example 4: Using Hotwire for Dynamic Updates

Rails with Hotwire:

# app/controllers/comments_controller.rb
class CommentsController < ApplicationController
  def create
    @post = Post.find(params[:post_id])
    @comment = @post.comments.create!(comment_params)

    respond_to do |format|
      format.turbo_stream
      format.html { redirect_to @post }
    end
  end
end

# app/views/comments/create.turbo_stream.erb
<%= turbo_stream.append "comments" do %>
  <%= render partial: "comments/comment", locals: { comment: @comment } %>
<% end %>

# app/views/posts/show.html.erb
<div id="comments">
  <%= render @post.comments %>
</div>

<%= turbo_frame_tag "new_comment" do %>
  <%= form_with(model: [@post, Comment.new]) do |f| %>
    <%= f.text_area :content %>
    <%= f.submit %>
  <% end %>
<% end %>

Phoenix LiveView equivalent:

# lib/my_app_web/live/post_live/show.ex
defmodule MyAppWeb.PostLive.Show do
  use MyAppWeb, :live_view
  alias MyApp.Blog

  def mount(%{"id" => id}, _session, socket) do
    post = Blog.get_post!(id)
    changeset = Blog.change_comment(%Comment{})

    {:ok,
     assign(socket,
       post: post,
       comments: Blog.list_comments(post),
       changeset: changeset
     )}
  end

  def handle_event("save", %{"comment" => comment_params}, socket) do
    case Blog.create_comment(socket.assigns.post, comment_params) do
      {:ok, comment} ->
        {:noreply,
         socket
         |> update(:comments, fn comments -> [comment | comments] end)
         |> put_flash(:info, "Comment created successfully")}

      {:error, %Ecto.Changeset{} = changeset} ->
        {:noreply, assign(socket, changeset: changeset)}
    end
  end
end

# lib/my_app_web/live/post_live/show.html.heex
<div id="comments">
  <%= for comment <- @comments do %>
    <div class="comment">
      <%= comment.content %>
    </div>
  <% end %>
</div>

<.form let={f} for={@changeset} phx-submit="save">
  <%= textarea f, :content %>
  <%= submit "Post" %>
</.form>

5. Testing and Development Tools

Rails provides a more comprehensive testing framework out of the box, which is crucial for maintaining quality while developing rapidly.

Example 5: Testing Setup

Rails:

# spec/models/user_spec.rb
require 'rails_helper'

RSpec.describe User, type: :model do
  let(:user) { build(:user) }

  describe 'validations' do
    it 'is valid with valid attributes' do
      expect(user).to be_valid
    end

    it 'is not valid without an email' do
      user.email = nil
      expect(user).not_to be_valid
    end
  end

  describe '#full_name' do
    it 'returns the combined first and last name' do
      user.first_name = 'John'
      user.last_name = 'Doe'
      expect(user.full_name).to eq('John Doe')
    end
  end
end

# spec/requests/products_spec.rb
RSpec.describe 'Products', type: :request do
  describe 'GET /products' do
    it 'returns a successful response' do
      get products_path
      expect(response).to be_successful
    end

    it 'includes the product name' do
      product = create(:product, name: 'Test Product')
      get products_path
      expect(response.body).to include('Test Product')
    end
  end
end

Phoenix:

# test/my_app/accounts/user_test.exs
defmodule MyApp.Accounts.UserTest do
  use MyApp.DataCase

  alias MyApp.Accounts.User

  describe "validations" do
    test "valid user" do
      attrs = %{email: "user@example.com", password: "password123"}
      changeset = User.changeset(%User{}, attrs)
      assert changeset.valid?
    end

    test "requires email" do
      attrs = %{password: "password123"}
      changeset = User.changeset(%User{}, attrs)
      assert %{email: ["can't be blank"]} = errors_on(changeset)
    end
  end

  test "full_name/1" do
    user = %User{first_name: "John", last_name: "Doe"}
    assert User.full_name(user) == "John Doe"
  end
end

# test/my_app_web/controllers/product_controller_test.exs
defmodule MyAppWeb.ProductControllerTest do
  use MyAppWeb.ConnCase

  test "GET /products", %{conn: conn} do
    conn = get(conn, Routes.product_path(conn, :index))
    assert html_response(conn, 200)
  end

  test "shows product name", %{conn: conn} do
    product = insert(:product, name: "Test Product")
    conn = get(conn, Routes.product_path(conn, :index))
    assert html_response(conn, 200) =~ "Test Product"
  end
end

Conclusion

While Elixir/Phoenix offers superior performance and scalability, Ruby on Rails remains the better choice for MVP development in 2024 due to:

1. Faster development cycles through Convention over Configuration

2. A more mature and comprehensive ecosystem

3. More intuitive database interactions with Active Record

4. Better integrated frontend tooling

5. More robust testing and development tools

6. Larger community and easier hiring

For most startups and new projects where time-to-market is crucial, these advantages of Ruby on Rails outweigh the potential performance benefits of Phoenix.

The productivity gains and extensive ecosystem of Rails make it possible to validate business ideas and iterate on product features more quickly, which is essential in the early stages of product development.

Remember that you can always migrate to a more scalable solution like Phoenix once your MVP has proven successful and performance becomes a genuine bottleneck.

However, for most applications, Rails' performance is more than adequate, and the framework's recent improvements have made it even more capable of handling significant loads.