Category: Web Development

Lessons I Learned Working From Home

Lessons I Learned Working From Home

We live in interesting times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More and more companies are being forced to adopt a remote working setup (or working from home) for its employees. I have been working remotely full-time since 2012. This article discusses some of the lessons and tricks I learned throughout the years.

I understand that working from home does not apply to all industries. It is mostly applicable to jobs that involve working in front of a computer. My career is in software development which fits this set up comfortably. However it can also apply to other industries such as business process operations, accounting, and company administration. Continue Reading

Slightly off Rails

Slightly off Rails

I use Rails both professionally and personally for more than a decade now. Through the years, my usage of Rails also evolved together with new concepts and trends in web development. Here are some of the personal changes I am applying moving forwards on how I work with the framework.

Authentication using JWT

JWT.io
https://jwt.io/

JSON Web Tokens (JWT) provides a way to effectively secure API endpoints. As web applications move more to the front-end with the popularity of Javascript frameworks like React and Angular, JWT ensures that the connection between the front-end and the back-end remains secure. Continue Reading

Hello Rails 6!

Hello Rails 6!

Rails 6 was just released last month (August 2019). I have been using Rails professionally for more than a decade now, starting from Rails 2. Having worked on version 2 up to 5, this latest release is an exciting moment for me.

The full release notes are available here, but we will touch on some of the more notable changes and improvements that make Rails 6 a nice major version upgrade. Continue Reading

Rubyist’s intro to Python web development

I have been using Ruby professionally for more than a decade now. Until recently, I haven’t explored much outside of the Ruby and Rails community. That changed however after I completed a course in Foundations of Data Science. This made me curious about Python and how to build applications using it.

Python and Ruby have many similarities. Both are interpreted, high-level programming languages. Python also has support for Object-Oriented Programming and Functional Programming. In terms of syntax, they have a similar look and feel, aside from some fundamental differences such as Python being indent-driven. Continue Reading

Rubocop + vim

Rubocop + vim

Code linters such as Rubocop ensure consistent, clean code throughout your application. If all developers are using the same linter configuration, then you can be sure that any code that you encounter is organized in the same way regardless of the author.

One challenge in using linters is that it should have immediate feedback, or else it may disrupt the coding flow of the user. For example, you can run the linter manually after you make your changes, but as this is a manual process it can be easily forgotten. Continue Reading