Why “Just Add More Servers” is Ruining Your Rails Budget

If your business’ app starts going slow, the temptation is to throw more resources at it. And by “resources”, most people mean servers. It seems an obvious solution if your pages are taking longer to load. But that’s not necessarily the case.

While increasing server capacity can sometimes help, it’s also often expensive. And if you’re working on a relatively tight budget, you really don’t need the expense. Especially if you’re running a Ruby on Rails web application, because adding more infrastructure can often end up costing far more than fixing the underlying issues.

Sometimes Adding More Servers Doesn’t Help

Why adding more servers isn’t always the answer

For most people, more servers equates to more computing power. So, when an app is struggling, increasing your servers looks like the easy solution. And sometimes it is. But only if you understand what’s really going on with your system. If there’s actually a problem with your code, or a glitch in your database, increasing your servers is going to achieve precisely nothing… Other than increasing your overheads.

The hidden cost of an inefficient database

One of the biggest causes of performance problems in Ruby on Rails applications is database inefficiency. Because apps evolve over time, they become incrementally more complicated, which impacts the way that information is retrieved. So, unless you’re directly managing this, internal processes slow, and you end up with N+1 query problems, where an app makes multiple database requests instead of retrieving the same information directly.

In scenarios like this, adding extra servers can’t help. It increases the app’s memory and gives it more power. But it can’t help the fact that your database needs to be optimised, and your internal processes refined.

When your codebase needs attention

Database performance is only part of the picture. Sometimes the problem lies in the application itself. As a Ruby on Rails web application develops, its codebase can become increasingly complex. Features get added, older functionality remains in place, and temporary fixes can gradually become permanent parts of the system. This isn’t unusual. But without regular Ruby on Rails maintenance, these issues slowly accumulate, making apps run less and less efficiently

Codebase refactoring helps address this. By reviewing existing code and simplifying unnecessarily complicated processes, it can improve how the app performs.  

Fix the problem before increasing the budget

Of course, infrastructure does matter. There are situations where additional servers, increased capacity or a different hosting configuration are exactly what’s needed. The important thing is understanding why an application is struggling before committing to higher ongoing costs.

That’s where a proper performance review should come in. It will look at database queries, application code, background jobs, caching, and infrastructure to identify where problems exist. That way, you can target any issues and deal with individual problems without unnecessary expense.

Make your Rails application work smarter

Your software should support your business as it grows, not become an increasingly expensive problem to manage.

At Foxsoft, we understand that maintaining a business-critical application is about more than keeping it running. It’s about making sure it continues to perform, remains maintainable and provides the foundations your business needs for the future.

Our Ruby on Rails maintenance services help businesses identify and address performance issues, improve existing codebases and get more from the applications they already have.

Because sometimes the best way to make your software faster isn’t to give it more servers. It’s to make better use of the ones you’ve already got.

Get in touch with Foxsoft to find out how we can help improve the performance, reliability and long-term value of your Ruby on Rails application.