Episodes

  • Nate Berkopec
    Dec 4 2025

    In this episode, Nate Berkopec, the proprietor of Speedshop, a Ruby on Rails performance consultancy, author of several books including the Complete Guide to Rails Performance, and a maintainer of Puma, joins the podcast. Nate discusses his journey into Rails performance optimization, starting from his early career at startups and his breakthrough talk at the Gotham Ruby Conference. He outlines his 'Three S' framework—Speed, Scalability, and Stability—for tackling performance issues. The discussion includes practical advice for Heroku users on optimizing 'dynos' for better request queuing and performance, as well as insights on using tools like JudoScale and PG Analyze for better Sidekiq job management and database optimization. Nate also touches on the importance of setting proper performance thresholds to balance system efficiency and operational costs.

    00:00 Introduction to Nate Berkopec and Speedshop
    00:45 Nate's Early Career and Interest in Performance
    03:36 The Impact of Nate's Conference Talk and Book
    04:40 Challenges in Diagnosing Performance Issues
    10:22 Framework for Tackling Performance Problems
    17:27 Understanding Heroku's Load Balancing
    27:39 Understanding TCP Open Failures
    28:10 Optimizing Dynos on Heroku
    29:16 Setting Performance Thresholds
    31:12 The Importance of Monitoring and Automation
    34:25 Challenges with Sidekiq and Data Processing
    36:24 Best Practices for Sidekiq Queues
    44:48 Ensuring Job Idempotency and Efficiency
    49:26 Rapid Fire Tips for Indies
    52:41 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

    LINKS

    - Speedshop

    - Nate's X/Twitter

    - The Complete Guide to Rails Performance Book

    - Sidekiq in Practice Book

    - High Availabillity Wikipedia Article

    - Ryan's Website

    - Brendan's X/Twitter

    - Brendan's Bluesky

    Questions or comments, email us at railsbusinesspod@gmail.com

    Send us a text

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    53 mins
  • Communicating Project Requirements
    Nov 21 2025

    In this episode, we tackle the nuances of communicating project requirements within development teams. From managing user stories and acceptance criteria to balancing control and flexibility, we explore best practices for ensuring clarity and efficiency. We share real-world experiences, including the effectiveness of detailed videos and spikes in guiding team members.

    01:24 Communicating with Different Levels of Expertise
    06:06 The Role of Videos in Communication
    14:45 Challenges in Estimating and Scoping Projects
    30:52 Using AI to Assist in Writing Tickets

    LINKS

    - Ryan's Website

    - Brendan's X/Twitter

    - Brendan's Bluesky

    Questions or comments, email us at railsbusinesspod@gmail.com

    Send us a text

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    32 mins
  • Stephen Anderson
    Nov 6 2025

    In this episode, we welcome Stephen Anderson, founder and owner of Bendyworks, a Madison, Wisconsin based Ruby on Rails consultancy. Stephen shares his journey from corporate Java consulting to building a values-driven software shop, discussing his philosophy of constantly seeking 10x productivity improvements and the pivotal moments that led him to entrepreneurship.

    LINKS

    - Bendyworks

    - Ryan's Website

    - Brendan's X/Twitter

    - Brendan's Bluesky

    Questions or comments, email us at railsbusinesspod@gmail.com

    Send us a text

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    48 mins
  • Scott Werner
    Oct 23 2025

    In this episode, we welcome Scott Werner, CEO of Sublayer, to discuss the future of software development and how AI is transforming the industry. Scott shares his experiences and insights on how AI is changing the way startups build and maintain software products, including Sublayer’s AI-driven tools like APM, Augmentations, and Artificial Ruby. They explore practical applications of AI in software engineering, the concept of MCP, and the fast-evolving landscape of AI technology, offering valuable takeaways for developers and tech entrepreneurs.

    00:20 Overview of Sublayer's AI Focus
    01:20 Main Products and Innovations
    03:29 AI in Software Development
    07:00 Triggers and AI Automation
    08:58 MCP and Structured Outputs
    17:53 Open Source and AI Agents
    20:05 The Future of AI in Development
    21:15 Journey to Sublayer: A Winding Road
    23:10 Challenges and Innovations in AI Product Development
    28:09 The Fast Fashion Era of Software
    33:14 The Future of AI and Business Models
    40:17 Concluding Thoughts and Future Plans

    LINKS

    - Sublayer Website

    - Scott's Blog (Works on My Machine)

    - Ryan's Website

    - Brendan's X/Twitter

    - Brendan's Bluesky

    Questions or comments, email us at railsbusinesspod@gmail.com

    Send us a text

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    41 mins
  • Chris Gaffney
    Oct 9 2025

    This week, Chris Gaffney, owner of Dead Man's Snitch, a niche monitoring service for CRON jobs and service heartbeats joined us. Discover the origins of the company, its growth journey, and the challenges faced in achieving uptime and scalability. Chris also shares insights on the tech stack used, the role of Rails in their development, and the impact of market strategies like Heroku integration.

    00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
    00:21 Overview of Dead Man's Snitch
    03:03 Challenges and Achievements
    03:49 Current Focus and Full-Time Commitment
    04:12 Product Use Cases and Platforms
    10:02 Heroku Integration Experience
    16:09 Marketing Strategies and Developer Challenges
    19:26 Future Plans and Dreams
    20:08 Balancing Business and Family
    23:56 The Value of Personal Touch in Business
    25:40 Technical Challenges and Solutions
    31:38 Data Management Strategies
    37:19 The Role of Rails in Business Success
    39:37 Conclusion and Contact Information

    Questions or comments, email us at railsbusinesspod@gmail.com

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    40 mins
  • Leveraging AI to Enhance User Productivity
    Sep 25 2025

    In this episode, we explore how AI can be leveraged to build engaging features in our applications. We discuss the development of a 'guided blogging' feature using AI, its benefits for users, and the challenges faced in implementing conversational interfaces. We also discuss a bit about the future of AI in SaaS, the role of AI in content curation, and how to balance automation with human oversight.


    00:00 Introduction and Catching Up
    00:41 Discussing AI feature Ryan is building
    02:35 Technical Challenges and Solutions
    05:49 Exploring AI Integration
    14:41 Future of AI in SaaS
    25:13 Human Element in AI
    31:42 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

    LINKS

    - Ryan's Website

    - Brendan's X/Twitter

    - Brendan's Bluesky

    Questions or comments, email us at railsbusinesspod@gmail.com

    Send us a text

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    33 mins
  • Challenges of Performance Monitoring in Rails
    Sep 12 2025

    In this episode, we dive into the complexities of performance monitoring in Rails applications. Our discussion revolves around popular tools like Honey Badger, New Relic, Skylight, and App Signal, and the challenges of effectively using them. We explore specific pain points such as queue times, slow endpoints, and memory usage, and contemplate whether rolling your own solution is viable. Listen in for insights, tips, and relatable struggles in maintaining and optimizing Rails apps, especially for smaller teams and solo developers.

    00:31 Challenges with Performance Monitoring Tools
    01:17 Specific Tools and Their Limitations
    02:07 The Cost and Complexity of Monitoring
    04:02 Seeking Solutions and Alternatives
    09:13 Database Monitoring and Additional Tools
    14:18 Considering Building Custom Solutions
    16:23 Seeking Help from App Signal
    17:01 Discussing Nate Berkopec's Speed Book
    19:10 Challenges with Performance Monitoring
    22:12 Complexity of Building Web Apps
    25:00 Prioritizing Development Tasks
    29:16 Concluding Thoughts

    LINKS

    - Ryan's Website

    - Brendan's X/Twitter

    - Brendan's Bluesky

    Send us a text

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    31 mins
  • Chris Oliver
    Aug 28 2025

    In this episode, the hosts welcome Chris Oliver, a prominent figure in the Rails community, known for his work on numerous projects including GoRails, Hatchbox, and Jumpstart Pro to name a few. Chris shares his programming origin story, his academic journey and numerous early projects, explaining how he transitioned from Python to Rails. He recounts his experiences starting GoRails, managing multiple projects, and the challenges faced with Hatchbox. Chris elaborates on the impact of AI on the programming landscape and its potential risks and benefits. He offers advice to aspiring developers and reflects on his journey of self-driven learning and continuous improvement.

    LINKS

    - Chris's X/Twitter

    - GoRails

    - Ryan's Website

    - Brendan's X/Twitter

    - Brendan's Bluesky

    Send us feedback or questions to railsbusinesspod@gmail.com

    Send us a text

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    59 mins