backend.md

Back-end

1. Technologies
   • Development OS
   • IDE
   • HTTP Server
   • Database Server
   • Cloud Hosting Platform
2. Preferred Gems
3. Coding Conventions
4. Test-Driven Development
5. .gitignore
6. Best Practices
   • Databases
   • Security
   • Code Analysis And Metrics
7. Deployment
8. Load Balancing
9. Load Testing
10. Useful Links

Technologies

• Ruby 2.2.x (latest stable)
• Ruby On Rails 4.2.x (latest stable)
• Ruby environment management: rvm

Development OS

We don’t use Windows as OS for development machines. We use latest Mac OS X or Ubuntu/Debian (long-term support releases are preferred).

IDE

• RubyMine (not required)

HTTP Server

• Use latest stable nginx

Database Server

• Prefer latest stable PostgreSQL

Cloud Hosting Platform

• Prefer Amazon Web Services

Preferred Gems

• Puma as Ruby web server
• Capistrano for deployment
• dotenv for setting shell environment variables
• exception_notification for error/exception notifications from server
• swagger-blocks for generating API documentation in Swagger format

Coding Conventions

• Ruby Style Guide
• Rails Style Guide
• RSpec Best Practices

Test-Driven Development

• Use rspec_rails ~> 3.0

Useful gems:

• shoulda-matchers
• database_cleaner
• factory_girl_rails

.gitignore

Add the following lines to default Rails-generated .gitignore file:

.DS_Store
database.yml
secrets.yml
.idea

Best practices

Databases

• Use ActiveRecord ORM (scopes, enums, where with conditions, order etc) instead of raw SQL queries
• Design the database schema with Vertabelo
• Keep your schema up-to-date with Rails ERD

Security

• Avoid common security problems following Ruby on Rails Security Guide
• Never store production data (logins, passwords etc) in source code repository
• Keep config/database.yml and config/secrets.yml outside of the source code repository. Use shell environment variables instead. More info here

Code Analysis And Metrics

Here is a list of must-have gems:

• Brakeman - A static analysis security vulnerability scanner for Ruby on Rails applications.
• SimpleCov - Code Coverage tool for Ruby
• RuboCop - A static code analyzer, based on the community Ruby style guide
• rails_best_practices - Code metric tool for Rails projects
• RailsRoady - UML diagram generation on models and controllers

These tools are to be run at the end of each development cycle (Iteration, Sprint, Milestone, Release)

Deployment

TBD

Load Testing

• Use Loader.io

Load Balancing

• Use AWS Elastic Load Balancing

Useful Links

• Ruby Weekly - subscribe to it!
• Green Ruby News
• This week in Rails
• Awesome Rails
• Awesome Ruby
• Ruby Toolbox
• The 12-factor app - a methodology for building SaaS apps