Ruby on Rails Developer Community Survey 2026

⏰ The Rails Developer Community Survey is back.

For the ninth time since 2009, Planet Argon is taking the pulse of the Ruby on Rails community: the gems we've standardized on, the versions we're still supporting, the patterns we've quietly dropped.

Open through July 3rd, 2026. Results published shortly after.

Fair warning: it's a bit longer than it used to be. There are a lot of moving parts in our industry right now, and we'd be making a mistake not to ask about most of them. Some questions are quick. Some will ask you to stop and think for a minute. We're hoping it takes you under 12 minutes, and we don't take your time lightly.

A few questions are scoped to one Rails app. Use the project you spend the most time in.

Here's the payoff: we'll share anonymized results back with the community, so your answers show up in everyone's next planning meeting, team retro, and conference talk. That's the whole reason this exists.

Thank you for showing up. 🤗

Q.1
Which one of the following applies to you?

Q.2
How big is the software development team for your primary Rails app(s)?

Q.3
Has your development team grown or shrunk in the last two years?

🎵 You're off to a great start!

While you're here, why not put on some good music? This survey goes down much better with a solid playlist. We'll wait. 😄

Let's learn a little more about your own professional development in relation to Ruby on Rails.

Q.4
How did you learn to code?

Q.5
If you attended a bootcamp and/or school for learning to code...which one(s)?

Q.6
What was your level of web programming expertise before learning Ruby on Rails?

Q.7
How many years of experience do you have developing with Ruby on Rails?

We're trying to gauge if Rails is still attracting new developers (and what the retention is long-term)

Q.8
In the first two years of learning Ruby on Rails, what methods did you use?

Q.9
Of these methods of learning, which did you feel worked best for you?

Q.10
What type(s) of educational content helps you learn the most effectively? (select up to 3)

☕ Now would be a perfect time to refill that coffee. Or make some tea.

Seriously, go ahead. We'll be right here. And hey, while you're up, tell a coworker to take this survey too. The more voices we have from the Rails community, the better the results for everyone.

Okay, let's focus on the primary Ruby on Rails app(s) that you actively work on.

Q.11
What versions of Ruby are you using in your applications? (select all that apply) *

$ cat .ruby-version

Q.12
Which Ruby version manager are you using? (select all that apply)

Q.13
What versions of Rails are you using in your applications? (select all that apply)

Q.14
How long has your Ruby on Rails application been in development?

Q.15
What keeps you from keeping your Ruby and Rails versions up-to-date?

🙌 You're about a third of the way through!

You're doing great. The next section covers community and JavaScript, so brace yourself for some strong feelings. (We know. We know.)

Q.16
Have you been to a conference (regional or bigger) for Ruby and/or Rails in the last year?

Q.17
What conference(s) are you hoping to attend in the coming year?

Q.18
Do you participate in local in-person user groups related to Ruby/Rails development?

Q.19
Do you participate in online user groups related to Ruby/Rails development?

Q.20
What are your favorite Rails-related technical podcasts?

We'll compile a list to share the most commonly referenced ones with everyone.

Q.21
What are your favorite Rails-related newsletters and blogs?

Please list them. If you happen to remember where to find them, feel free to include a URL!

Q.22
Who are your favorite live coding streamers, especially Rails developers on YouTube or Twitch?

Share your top picks—we’ll compile a big list for everyone!

Q.23
What Rails-related books do you recommend others read?

Q.24
How often do you contribute to open source projects?

Q.25
What tool(s) do you use to manage your JavaScript libraries?

Q.26
Which JavaScript libraries or frameworks do you use with Rails? Check all that apply.

Q.27
How often do you deploy your Rails applications to production?

Q.28
What testing frameworks are you using to test your Rails app(s)? (select all that apply)

Q.29
What JavaScript testing frameworks are you using to write tests? (select all that apply)

Q.30
What is your current code to test/spec ratio?

% bin/rails stats

Q.31
What is your go-to Ruby debugger tool?

🎯 You're past the hard part.

Infra and tooling are up next, and we know you have opinions. One more cup of tea or coffee wouldn't hurt before you dive in. You've earned it.

Q.32
What are you primarily working on?

Q.33
What third-party email services do your Rails integrate with? (select all that apply)

Q.34
Where is your source code hosted? (select all that apply)

Q.35
Which automated deployment tools do you use? (select all that apply)

Q.36
Where do you host your production Rails app(s)?

Q.37
Which nosql databases do you use in production? (select all that apply)

Q.38
Which relational databases do you use in production? (select all that apply)

Q.39
Which database would you prefer to use in production?

Q.40
Which operating system do you primarily for local development on?

Q.41
How is your team currently using AI tools in your development workflow?

Q.42
How much do you agree with each of the following about your personal experience with AI coding tools?
Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree
AI coding tools are overhyped and won't fundamentally change how I build software
I feel frustrated by the growing expectation to use AI in my workflow
I intentionally limit AI to boilerplate tasks so I stay in control of the real problem-solving
The pace of AI advancement makes me anxious about the long-term value of my skills.
AI tools are here to stay and I've made peace with that, limitations and all
I've adapted how I work and AI genuinely makes me more capable

AI coding tools are overhyped and won't fundamentally change how I build software

I feel frustrated by the growing expectation to use AI in my workflow

I intentionally limit AI to boilerplate tasks so I stay in control of the real problem-solving

The pace of AI advancement makes me anxious about the long-term value of my skills.

AI tools are here to stay and I've made peace with that, limitations and all

I've adapted how I work and AI genuinely makes me more capable

Q.43
How much do you agree with each of the following about your organization's approach to AI?
Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree
Leadership largely ignores AI's impact on how we build software
Our team restricts or prohibits AI tools due to risk concerns
AI use is limited to experiments; it hasn't made it into our real workflows
Our approach to AI adoption feels reactive and poorly thought through
We're taking AI seriously and working toward a realistic, balanced stance
We have clear policies that actually empower engineers to use AI effectively

Leadership largely ignores AI's impact on how we build software

Our team restricts or prohibits AI tools due to risk concerns

AI use is limited to experiments; it hasn't made it into our real workflows

Our approach to AI adoption feels reactive and poorly thought through

We're taking AI seriously and working toward a realistic, balanced stance

We have clear policies that actually empower engineers to use AI effectively

Q.44
Which AI coding tools or assistants do you use? (select all that apply)

Q.45
Which AI models do you reach for most in your development work? List up to three.

We know this space moves fast; we're capturing a snapshot as of when you're filling this out

Q.46
Beyond coding assistance, how is your team exploring AI in relation to your Rails applications? (select all that apply)

Q.47
Are you using Docker for local development?

Q.48
What is your preferred code editor?

Q.49
Which application monitoring services do you use? (select all that apply)

Q.50
Which Rails Servers are you using in production? (select all that apply)

Q.51
Which Continuous Integration (CI) servers do you use? (select all that apply)

Q.52
What CDN(s) do you use? (select all that apply)

Q.53
What code quality tools do you use? (select all that apply)

Q.54
Who uses your application/s?

Q.55
Do any of your Rails applications have a companion native mobile app?

Q.56
IF YES -- How is your mobile app built? (select all that apply)

Q.57
Which Active Job adapters do you use to use to process background jobs?

Q.58
I feel confident security vulnerabilities are being addressed in new Rails releases.

Q.59
What tools are you using to track security vulnerabilities?

Q.60
Where does your primary Rails application feel most fragile right now? (select up to 3)

Q.61
What significant technical changes has your team completed in the last 24 months? (select all that apply)

Q.62
What significant technical changes is your team planning or evaluating in the next ~12 months? (select all that apply)

Q.63
How do you give your developers access to realistic data for local development and bug reproduction? (select all that apply)

Q.64
When new developers join your project, where do they tend to struggle most? (select up to 3)

Q.65
Which Ruby gems frustrate you the most?

...feel free to elaborate as to why! (keep to 2-3)

Q.66
Which Ruby gems do you love?

...and what makes them so special? (keep to 2-3)

🎉 You're basically done. For real this time.

Last section. Just a few questions about the framework we all love. Thanks so much for being here, and for helping make this survey better for the whole community.

Q.67
How much do you agree with the following statements..
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Ruby on Rails is my server side framework of choice
The Rails core team is shepherding the project in the right direction
I recommend that new developers learn to build Rails apps in 2026

Ruby on Rails is my server side framework of choice

The Rails core team is shepherding the project in the right direction

I recommend that new developers learn to build Rails apps in 2026

Q.68
Beyond this survey, where do you go to stay current with Ruby on Rails? Describe in your own words.

Q.69
What are some questions do you wish we had asked?

What do you wish you new about the wider community of developers that wasn't covered here?

Q.70
Would you like to be notified by email when we post the results of this survey?

(this is optional) Your email address will not be shared or published, and will only be used for the purpose of notifying you of the available results.