In modern web development, choosing the right technology stack is crucial for building scalable and high-performance applications. React and Ruby on Rails (RoR) form a powerful combination that brings together a dynamic frontend framework with a robust backend framework. While React.js provides a fast and interactive user interface, Ruby on Rails simplifies backend development with its convention-over-configuration approach. This combination enables developers to build full-stack applications with enhanced efficiency, maintainability, and scalability.

In this blog, we’ll explore why React with Ruby on Rails is a great choice, its benefits, companies using this stack, and how to integrate React into a Rails project.

Benefits of Using React with Ruby on Rails for Web Development

1. Scalability & Performance

React is known for its virtual DOM and component-based architecture, which improves the performance of frontend applications by reducing unnecessary re-renders. When combined with Ruby on Rails, which follows the MVC (Model-View-Controller) pattern, the result is a highly scalable and organized codebase. This allows for better separation of concerns, making the application easier to maintain and scale.

2. Rapid Development

Ruby on Rails is famous for its convention-over-configuration philosophy, which speeds up backend development. It comes with built-in features like Active Record (ORM), automated testing, and scaffolding, reducing the need for boilerplate code. On the frontend, React’s component-based UI and reusable components enable faster UI development. Together, they streamline the entire development process.

3. RESTful API Integration

React and Ruby on Rails work seamlessly when connected via a RESTful API. Rails provides a powerful API backend, while React consumes the API to render dynamic user interfaces. This separation of concerns ensures better code organization and makes it easier to switch frontend frameworks if needed in the future.

4. Better User Experience with React

React’s one-way data binding and efficient state management (via Redux or Context API) make applications more responsive and user-friendly. The ability to create single-page applications (SPAs) with React further enhances the user experience by reducing page reloads and improving navigation.

5. Active Community & Rich Ecosystem

Both React and Ruby on Rails have large developer communities and extensive documentation. The availability of open-source libraries, plugins, and third-party tools accelerates development and allows developers to implement features without reinventing the wheel.

Why Choose React with Ruby on Rails?

• Strong Backend with Rails: Rails provides a solid backend structure with easy database management, authentication, and security features.
• Highly Interactive UI with React: React’s component-based design allows developers to build dynamic and reusable UI components.
• Easy API Communication: Rails can serve data as a RESTful API or via GraphQL, making it easy for React to fetch and display data asynchronously.
• Faster Prototyping & MVP Development: Startups and enterprises prefer this stack for its rapid development cycle, making it an ideal choice for MVPs (Minimum Viable Products).

Top Companies Using React with Ruby on Rails

Many well-known companies have successfully implemented React with Ruby on Rails to build scalable and high-performance applications. Some notable examples include:

• Airbnb – Uses Rails for backend development and React for an interactive frontend experience.
• Shopify – One of the largest e-commerce platforms leveraging React and Rails for scalability.
• GitHub – Implements Ruby on Rails for backend functionalities while using React components for a dynamic user interface.
• Twitch – Uses React for frontend user interactions while handling data processing with Ruby on Rails.
• Dribbble – A design-sharing platform that utilizes Rails and React to provide a smooth and visually appealing experience.

How to Use React with Rails?

1. Setting Up a New Rails API with React

You can integrate React with Rails in two ways:

1. Using Rails as a full-stack framework with Webpacker to bundle React.
2. Using Rails as a backend API with React as a separate frontend application.

Step 1: Create a New Rails API

bash

rails new myapp --api -T --database=postgresql

cd myapp

bundle install

rails db:create

This creates a Rails API-only project with PostgreSQL as the database.

Step 2: Add React to the Project

If using Rails as a full-stack app, install Webpacker:

bash

bundle exec rails webpacker:install

bundle exec rails webpacker:install:react

For a separate React frontend, create a new React app:

bash

npx create-react-app myapp-frontend

cd myapp-frontend

npm install

2. Creating a Rails API Controller

Generate a new controller for managing data:

bash

rails generate controller Products index show create update destroy

Define routes in config/routes.rb:

ruby

Rails.application.routes.draw do

  namespace :api do

    resources :products

  end

end

This sets up RESTful API endpoints.

3. Creating a React Frontend

Inside the React app, create an API call to fetch data from Rails:

javascript

import React, { useEffect, useState } from "react";

const Products = () => {

  const [products, setProducts] = useState([]);

  useEffect(() => {

    fetch("http://localhost:3000/api/products")

      .then((response) => response.json())

      .then((data) => setProducts(data));

  }, []);

  return (

    <div>

      <h1>Products</h1>

      <ul>

        {products.map((product) => (

          <li key={product.id}>{product.name}</li>

        ))}

      </ul>

    </div>

  );

};

export default Products;

This fetches product data from Rails API and displays it on the React frontend.

4. CORS Configuration in Rails

To allow React to access the Rails API, add the rack-cors gem:

ruby

gem 'rack-cors', require: 'rack/cors'

Then configure CORS in config/initializers/cors.rb:

ruby

Rails.application.config.middleware.insert_before 0, Rack::Cors do

  allow do

    origins 'http://localhost:3000'

    resource '*', headers: :any, methods: [:get, :post, :patch, :delete, :options]

  end

end

5. Running the Application

Start the Rails server:

bash

rails s

Run the React app:

bash

npm start

Now, you have a working React frontend communicating with a Rails API backend.

Conclusion

The combination of React with Ruby on Rails offers a powerful, scalable, and efficient approach to modern web application development. React’s dynamic UI capabilities paired with Rails’ robust backend and API functionalities make this stack ideal for startups, enterprises, and large-scale applications.

By leveraging Rails’ convention-over-configuration approach and React’s component-driven architecture, developers can create applications that are fast, user-friendly, and maintainable. Whether you are building an MVP, a SaaS product, or a complex enterprise solution, React with Rails remains a strong contender in the web development landscape.

If you’re looking for a combination that balances speed, flexibility, and performance, React and Ruby on Rails are a perfect match for your next project.