439: Async Ruby & Rails with Trevor Turk

How can asynchronous programming transform your Ruby on Rails applications? Today, Stephanie sits down with Hello Weather co-creator Trevor Turk to unpack asynchronous programming in Ruby on Rails. Trevor Turk is a seasoned software developer known for his work on Hello Weather, a minimalist weather app that delivers essential weather data quickly and precisely. He’s also the creator of Weather Machine, an advanced weather data platform designed to serve reliable and highly accurate forecasts via API. With a background that includes work at innovative tech companies, Trevor brings years of experience in developing intuitive, user-friendly digital tools. Trevor talks about the focus of his API work, the complexity of web-based apps, and what makes Hello Weather unique. He explains the fundamentals of asynchronous programming within the Ruby on Rails framework and why it is an approach all programmers should consider. Explore the nuances of programming for different data sources, how he leverages fibers and threads for the Hello Weather platform, and why asynchronous programming is not a silver bullet for application development. Discover how to start using asynchronous methods, the various asynchronous tools available in Ruby, and why experimenting with concurrent programming is essential. Join us to gain insights into why including asynchronous tools is vital for the Ruby on Rails ecosystem, improving platforms through open-source development, how to help improve the adoption of asynchronous tools in Ruby, and more. Tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

Introduction to Turk and his background in Ruby on Rails.
Details about his companies Hello Weather and Weather Machine.
The innovative features that the Hello Weather platform offers.
Hear how Hello Weather transitioned from a web-based to an application.
Why he needed to alter his programming approach to scale the company.
How he came across the concept of asynchronous programming.
Discover how using fibers is different from using threads in Ruby.
Find out about the different use cases of asynchronous programming.
Learn about the benefits of implementing concurrent programming.
Trevor shares the challenges of working with different versions of Ruby.
His role in enhancing asynchronous methods within the Ruby framework.
Common misconceptions of working with Ruby on Rails.
Final takeaways for those interested in asynchronous programming.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Trevor Turk on LinkedIn
Trevor Turk on X
Trevor Turk on Threads
Hello Weather
Weather Machine
GitHub | async gem
GitHub | falcon gem
'Async Ruby on Rails'
load_async
Episode 437: Contributing to Open Source in the Midst of Daily Work with Steve Polito
GitHub | Action Cable server adapter
ActiveRecord connection checkout caching
Ruby on Rails
The Bike Shed
The Bike Shed
Joël Quenneville on LinkedIn
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