Podcasts popularity around the globe grows very rapidly. Need proof? In the United States alone within the last 13 years, the % of +12 years old Americans who at least once listened to podcasts rose from 10 to 51! It means, that by the end of 2019 around 144 million people in the USA were doing groceries, riding a bike or cleaning their houses, simultaneously getting some interesting information straight to their ears.
The type of podcast we choose depends entirely on us. There are so many available nowadays, from purely entertainment ones, through philosophical, at the industry-oriented ending. One of those types are, of course, programming podcasts. But hold on - is it even possible to learn how to code without even physically being in the same room as my computer, but taking a bath or vacuuming my apartment? Those Ruby on Rails podcasts we’ve selected will show you that yes, it is!
Table of Contents:
1. Why Ruby on Rails podcasts are so popular?
2. The list of Ruby On Rails Podcasts .
Why Ruby on Rails podcasts are so popular?
Because the main strength of this established more than 15 years ago framework is community. This is the force that constantly pushes this technology forward and makes junior programmers eager to learn RoR as their first app development framework.
READ HOW TO BECOME A BETTER JUNIOR ROR DEVELOPER HERE
We witnessed that community power while co-hosting Kraków Ruby User Group Event last year, one of the biggest RoR communities in the world. Rails developers are really passionate about the technology that they’re using, they like to discuss it and follow it’s evolution. And they are geeks who are up-to-date with all of the technology trends - so of course, they instantly loved podcasts!
Also the factor, that Ruby on Rails is a pretty mature technology works in favor of creating podcasts on that topic. It’s also controversial - how many times have you heard, that Ruby on Rails will die and some other framework (like Laravel) will replace it hm? And here we are - as some other programming frameworks popularity comes and goes, Rails remains stable and reliable, with a bunch of enthusiasts constantly expanding its functionalities.
The truth is, that despite the chosen programming language or framework - the app development world is changing really fast. That’s why we need to look for ways, to consume all of this knowledge in the most approachable and efficient way. For some, it will be blogs, for other books, and for you - it can be podcasts! Also, a little bit of diversification is always appreciated - you can’t read a book while vacuuming (or it would be pretty difficult!), but with podcasts, you don’t have that limitation.
Below you will find the most up-to-date Ruby on Rails podcasts list, including only still operating and regularly recording sources. Let us know in the comments section, which one did you like the most. If you know any RoR podcasts that we’ve missed, deserving a spot in here - definitely write to us about them as well. Enjoy!
The list of Ruby On Rails Podcasts
1. The Bike Shed
This podcast has been named by one of our Senior RoR developers as “an endless abyss of knowledge”. So even though we could end our efforts to convince you to give it a shot here, we want to briefly explain to you its value.
The Bike Shed podcast is one of the most popular Ruby on Rails podcasts because of its charismatic hosts. Chris Toomey & Steph Viccari from Thoughtbot discuss their development experience and challenges they encounter during work with Ruby, Rails, JavaScript, and whatever else is drawing their attention, admiration, or ire this week. If you want to know, how the software development looked like in ancient Rome or what kind of feelings do the authors share for the refactoring - you should definitely check them out!
2. Ruby Rogues
This podcast is the most popular one among the Ruby on Rails community. Published on devchat.tv, a conglomerate of various programming podcasts, Ruby Rogues has aired over 450 episodes already! So if you are a RoR developer looking for a source of knowledge dedicated to Rails - you’ve come to the right place.
When it comes to topics covered by the authors, they vary from discussing Rails 6 update (with the guest David Heinemeier Hansson), through fighting bots and trolls using RoR, at the automating your crowdsourcing with the Amazon Mechanical Turk ending.
3. Rework FM
This podcast as well is not strictly Ruby on Rails themed BUT - we couldn't just NOT mention something run by a RoR creator itself right? David Heinemeier Hansson podcast REWORK focuses on the concept of running a successful business by working efficiently. So if you are thinking about developing your own Ruby on Rails app OR working as a freelancer - you should definitely listen to some of his episodes.
Lately, he is focusing a lot on the remote work concept and how to make it as convenient as possible, even for total beginners. Precious knowledge from a guy, who invented one of the most anticipated web frameworks ever - guess you don’t need further convincing.
4. Syntax FM
This podcast is not ONLY Ruby on Rails related - it’s about programming in general. Syntax FM is hosted by two guys, Wes Bos (Full Stack JavaScript Developer) and Scott Tolinski (Web Developer, Creator of Level Up Tuts).
With more than 200 episodes already aired, they discuss topics like comparing Rails to other web development technologies, the idea of Serverless and cloud providers or, from a much more psychological point of view, the mental issues that programmers might struggle with and how to deal with them. You should definitely give this podcast a shot and propose some topics in the Potluck Question section!
Interested about video RoR tutorials as well?
5. Ruby on Rails Podcast
This podcast (as the name itself suggests) is purely about RoR. Hosted by Brittany Martin, a Lead Web Developer Ruby on Rails Podcast is a weekly conversation about RoR, open-source software, and the programming profession. Brittany invited to her podcasts guest, whom she discusses not only technological but also the product or business side of the programming.
With Philip Poots, the VP of Engineering at ClubCollect, a FinTech startup in Amsterdam she was looking for an answer to what the Pareto Product Programming is and together with Alexey Chernov, a Ruby on Rails consultant at JetThoughts, she figured out the legacy code best practices.
6. Remote Ruby
Three Rubyists having conversations and interviewing others about Ruby and web development. - this is how Remote Ruby authors introduce themselves to the world! This podcast has been born out of a failed online Ruby meetup and is hosted by Chris Oliver, Jason Charnes and Andrew Mason. Join them on their journey as Ruby developers who love building things!
In their episodes, they’ve already discussed the Alpine.js and embedding videos in ActionText and how does upgrading your app to the latest Rails 6 looks like, based on their own experience. Give them a subscribe now - they deserve it!
7. Running in Production
Another podcast that is not entirely focused around Ruby on Rails. Yet - that’s good! Sometimes it’s really healthy to see how other frameworks and technologies do the job, that you have usually been getting done with Rails. The idea behind Running in Production Podcast is, as explained by its host Nick Janetakis own words, hearing about how other folks and companies are successfully using the same web framework or tech stack as me to power their site and business. It really helps boost your confidence levels.
An especially interesting episode, that should catch your attention, is the one with Julien Blanchard, Smart Music owner. His web app has roughly half a million users and it’s all hosted on AWS with EKS, ECS and Elastic Beanstalk. It’s been up and running since 2016, using a combination of Rails, Phoenix and .NET Core. Hear the whole story here!
Looking for some other ways to learn RoR than podcasts? We have something for you! An ultimate guide into the Ruby on Rails development world - with the most interesting sources, recommended by 5 experienced developers.
8. The Ruby Blend Podcast
This one is a rising star among the Ruby on Rails Podcasts. The Ruby Blend is a new Ruby focused podcast bringing you panel discussions, guest interviews, and much more to keep you up to date on what’s happening in the Ruby development community mixed with sprinkles from other developer communities.
Despite only 8 episodes available by far, it’s definitely worth checking out. Especially as they tackle not only technological subjects but also working remotely or your personal productivity management.
BONUS The Yak Shave
As this specific podcast is not fulfilling our “being up-to-date and regularly recorded” criteria, we couldn’t have it on our list. BUT - we couldn’t help it to mention it, as nevertheless being very short (only 14 episodes) it may interest many of you.
The Yak Shave podcast is strictly connected to the Bike Shed, as it is run by one of its former lead editors Sean Griffin. Alongside with Penelope Phippen (formerly known as Sam Phippen), former maintainer of one of the most famous RSpec testing frameworks (she recently abandoned that, to focus on rubyfmt development) they are discussing Ruby, Rust, Go, and anything else that has drawn their interest this week. You can hear their work here!
Conclusion
When it comes to Ruby on Rails podcasts - the key here is to find the one, that suits the most to YOUR needs. Whether you are a beginner Ruby on Rails developer or an experienced one, looking for some more business advice - on this list, you will find a podcast that fulfills that need. And who knows - maybe you will decide to start one on your own? One thing is sure - podcasts have huge potential now and are definitely one of the most convenient and exciting ways, to absorb knowledge whenever you are!
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