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

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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

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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

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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

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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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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

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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

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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

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