Ruby on Rails, we either love you or hate you. We embrace the solutions you bring or call you names, such as “hipster”. Whatever our attitude is, however, we’d be blind not to appreciate how sleek and elegant sites built in rails look, both in terms of technology and visual presentations. The latest version, 4.0, released on the 25th of June 2013 is the latest step in the development of this framework, but certainly not the last. You might not know this, but many of the most popular sites use the rails technology. Let’s take a look at a couple of them in no particular order.
twitch.tv
A site beloved by gamers worldwide, it allows streaming of live gameplay. Used by pro gamers and casual gamers alike.
ask.fm
Arguably the most famous Latvian site, ask.fm combines features of a social website with anonymity and focuses on questions and answers.
20 Creative Websites with Video Backgroundsslideshare.net
This slide hosting service lets you upload your PDF, OpenOffice or PowerPoint files and share them with everyone or just your friends.
fiverr.com
One of the biggest service marketplaces in the world (if not the biggest) with prices as low as 5$.
basecamp.com
One of the first rails sites, it’s been a leading project management tool for years.
Beautiful Digital Art and Illustration of Kelogsloopsscribd.com
A digital library available at the touch of your fingertips, and it’s quite beautiful too!
themeforest.net
One of the most comprehensive marketplace dealing in WordPress themes and website templates in general.
hulu.com
Available to Americans only (unfortunately), Hulu is one of the leading sites with TV shows episodes.
goodreads.com
Making your personal bookshelf public has never been possible, let alone such fun. Compare and recommend.
yellowpages.com
The good old yellow pages, but in a digital version. Delivered directly to your computer, not your doorstep.
crunchbase.com
The definitive people, technology and business database that everyone can edit.
cookpad.com
Yes, it’s in Japanese. Still it’s a great example of a successful cooking website that has dominated this niche of the Japanese net.
funnyordie.com
One of the funniest satirical websites out there, if you’re a fan of Will Ferrell and his humor.
weheartit.com
A social photo sharing website, nothing too innovative but in a very nice packing.
zendesk.com
A great customer service platform designed with simplicity in mind.
medhelp.com
Combining the power of a social network with medical expertise has given surprisingly good results.
letsfreckle.com
Losing control over time is something everyone working online has had a problem with – but not anymore, with Freckle!
43things.com
A community of over 3 million people, supporting each other’s life goals.
chow.com
A superb cooking website that combines a social element with a sleek design.
jobster.com
Looking for a job? Maybe you’re looking for employees? Try jobster!
bleacherreport.com
A great sports news website that focuses on user-created content.
getsatisfaction.com
A portal that lets you create and manage customer communities.
crazyegg.com
This handy online tool lets you analyze the “heat map” of your website, showing the places where users have clicked the most
fanpop.com
Website for fans of anything pop culture related, it allows fanclubs to connect and communicate.
penny-arcade.com
One of the best and most recognizable webcomics out there, funny and witty.
These are just examples as there are tons of rails websites out there, delivering everything a web developer might want. If you want to use a ruby on rails website, make sure you have the correct rails hosting site chosen. You can find a list of certified ones on the rails website. Unfortunately, not all widely-known hosting services are compatible.
