30 Ruby Developers You Should Follow in 2021

Created in 1995, Ruby is a programming language that is open source and dynamic. Developed by Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto in Japan, he wanted to create a language that he enjoyed using and was simple to use. By 2004 the Rails framework was released, and while Ruby was popular in Japan, this release shot its popularity to the world over. Today, Ruby is a go-to language in many tech companies. 

Ruby supports multi-program paradigms. This would include paradigms such as procedural, functional programming, and object-oriented. Central to its development and design is the need for the language to support programmers’ productivity and enjoyment. Matsumoto stresses that the design must focus on the human needs and less on the machine. This philosophy is the impetus behind the simplicity of this language. 

If you are a Ruby developer or someone who has just dipped their toes into Ruby development, this comprehensive list is for you to keep up to date. Here you will follow the top Ruby developer and the best blogs, online communities, toolkits, podcasts, and websites that bring you up-to-date information about what’s going on in its world.

1. Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto

This list would not be complete if it did not have the one who started it all: Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto. He is the undisputed leader and founder of the Ruby community. Based in Japan, Matsumoto developed the language to make it enjoyable and straightforward for programmers to use. If you want to get better at Ruby, we highly recommend following the man behind its creation. You’re going to need a translator to read what he has to say, but it is worth getting information straight from the source. 

You can find him online here:

Twitter: @yukihiro_matz 

Github: Matz

Official website: matz.rubyist.net 

2. Ruby

Ruby is the website to go to for all your downloads and basic Ruby resources. This simple website hosts a plethora of links connecting you to other Ruby libraries, blogs, training and even keeps you up to date on your Ruby releases. 

Twitter: @rubylangorg

Official website: ruby-lang.org

3. Sarah Allen

Founder and CEO of Bridge Foundry, Sarah Allen is dedicated to making coding accessible to the most underrepresented communities worldwide. She also co-founded RailsBridge. She strongly believes that coding is a life skill. It is a belief that pushes her to volunteer time teaching children to learn to code as well. Diversity is key to finding solutions in our society. Sarah works through her company in providing education and networking to bridge the gaps in diversity present in the tech world.

Twitter: @ultrasaurus 

Github: Ultrasaurus 

Official website: The Evolving Ultrasaurus 

4. Riding Rails

This is the official Ruby on Rails blog. This is one place to find all the news about Ruby on Rails; it’s specifically for developing web applications technology. This covers all the news and releases related to Ruby on Rails, and it would be a good idea to keep up with it because new updates are posted every week.

Twitter: @rails

Official website: Ruby on Rails

5. The Ruby Toolbox 

The Ruby Toolbox is an actively maintained open-source library specifically catered to Ruby. The website has grouped projects based on common problems into categories that you can easily navigate through. You can find popularity-based ranks of various projects available and provide status updates on the projects you are following up on.

Twitter: @rubytoolbox 

Github: rubytoolbox 

Official website: The Ruby Toolbox

6. David Heinemeier Hansson

After Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto, if you want to look up another source, this is him. Ruby on Rails was developed by David Heinemeier Hansson, which projected Ruby into the world. This multi-talented developer is not just into programming but also a race car driver and an author. He is a partner at Basecamp, a web-based software developing company. He has co-written Agile Web Development with Rails and Getting Real, Rework, Remote, and It Doesn’t Have to be Crazy at Work.

Twitter: @dhh

Github: dhh

Official Website: David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH)

7. Sandi Metz

Programmer first, everything else second. Sandi Metz may primarily call herself a programmer, but she wears more hats than she says. She is also a teacher, writer, and consultant. She spreads the word of programming further with her work. In her career spanning three decades, she has written many applications. She is a proponent of simplicity, object orientation, and knowledge sharing. Most of her talks are on Youtube, Vimeo, and Confreaks, and has been on many podcasts about programming and productivity. Her books, 99 Bottles of OOP and Practical Object-Oriented Design, are available online. She was also the Ruby Hero Awards recipient in 2013. 

Twitter: @sandimetz 

Github: skmetz

Official Website: Sandi Metz 

8. Drifting Ruby

This screencast and blog website is a great tool for developers who want to keep up with their learning. It’s even better for those who learn things visually through its collection of videos. Run, by Rubyist Dave Kimura, is a community-driven library website that supports learning for developers at any level. Drifting Ruby also has a podcast that is released once a month, so you should check that out too!

Twitter: @driftingruby

Github: DriftingRuby

Youtube: Drifting Ruby

Official Website: Drifting Ruby

9. Dave Kimura

Dave Kimura is a Rubyist and the founder of Drifting Ruby, Pingverse, and Rubidium.io as well as a panelist at Ruby Rogues podcast. He is an experienced principal software engineer and has a long history of working in the software industry. Dave is a busy man. He regularly screencasts on Drifting Ruby and the Ruby Rogues podcast. 

Twitter: @kobaltz

Github: Kobaltz

Official Website: Drifting Ruby

10. Avdi Grimm

Avdi Grimm has been a developer for over two decades. Apart from his software development stints, he is also an author of many books about Ruby programming. He is a consulting pair-programmer. He is a recipient of the Ruby Hero award for his work for the Ruby community, a main reason why you should follow him. As dynamic as the language, Avdi’s work can be found not just in his software but also in writing, podcasting, screencasting, and consulting. He also screencasts for Ruby Tapas. His books are Confident Ruby and Exceptional Ruby.  

Twitter: @avdi

Github: avdi

Official Website: Avdi.Codes

11. Ruby Tapas

If we spoke about Avdi Grimm, we would have to talk about Ruby Tapas. This is a screencast and podcast site full to the brim of resources for Ruby Developers to improve on their skills. It caters to developers on any level of the learning curve. It has over 660 short episodes curated by Avdi. These videos are concise, sharp and to the point, directing the learner towards what they are looking for.  What is amazing about this is that it has a very cool theme of a little tapas restaurant, making learning fun. 

Twitter: @rubytapas

Official Website: Ruby Tapas

12. Terrence Lee

Ruby Task Force Member at Heroku, Terrence Lee curates the Ruby experience on the Heroku platform. He is busy working on various OSS projects related to Ruby and extensively contributes to helping out the Rails Girls Movement, and enjoys a little bit of Ruby Karaoke once in a while. 

Twitter: @hone02

Github: hone

Official blog: Heroku Blog

13. RubyLand.news

RubyLand is a great place to find all things Ruby, as it is an aggregator site. Created by Jonathan Rochkind, this site updates regularly and can have many updates within the day. It is worth checking out if you want to really stay up to date on who is who and what is going on in the Ruby world. You can find Ruby news, Ruby opinions, and Ruby tutorials, and more on this website. 

Twitter: @rubylandnews

Official Website: RubyLand.news 

14. Jonathan Rochkind

Creator of the Rubyland, Jonathan Rochkind is also a systems librarian. He is a big fan of Ruby On Rails, but his focus is on making sure he gets to help internet users find their way through the wilderness of information that is out there. On his blog, he often writes about cataloging the information wilderness and also programming and software development. While he helps aggregate information on RubyLand, he writes on Bibliographic Wilderness as well, cataloging information for those who seek it. 

Github: jrochkind 

Official Website: Bibliographic Wilderness

15. Awesome Ruby

Imagine having tools but not having a toolbox. Chaotic right? Awesome Ruby can be considered the toolbox for Ruby developers where it houses a collection of all the gems, tools, frameworks, and software that you will require for your Ruby journey. They call themselves a toolbox, but we can safely call this a one-stop-shop for everything Ruby. It is organized into different categories, and you can neatly get all the information you need when you get on the link. It also has a newsletter that you can sign up for to get all the updates to your inbox without regularly checking the website and Twitter account. 

Twitter: @RubyLibHunt

Official Website: Awesome Ruby

16. Koichi Sasada

Tokyo-based Koichi Sasada is the director of the Ruby Association. Ruby Association is devoted to advancing the programming language and regularly posts reports and grants towards the cause. Koichi Sasada’s current work revolves around developing Ruby interpreter while working at Cookpad. He was also responsible and integral for developing YARV, with the sole purpose of reducing execution time for Ruby programs. 

Twitter: @koichisasada

Github: ko1

Official Website: Homepage of Koichi Sasada

17. Linda Liukas

Linda Liukas is another Ruby programmer who is multi-talented and works towards advancing coding. Apart from a programmer, she is also a storyteller and illustrator. She has written Hello Ruby, a children’s storybook that uses a whimsical way of teaching children about the amazing world of technology, computing, and coding. Linda is also a co-founder of Rails Girls. The organization organizes workshops all over the world to increase awareness and indulging girls in coding. Her work helps introduce and inspire a younger generation of coders to make the world a better place. She was also the Ruby Hero Awards recipient in 2013. 

Twitter: @lindaliukas

Github: lindaliukas

Official Website: Linda Liukas

Other Websites: Rails Girls & Hello Ruby  

18. Sarah Mei

Sarah Mei founded RailsBridge and Bridge Foundry with Sarah Allen (mentioned above) back in 2009. She is a Ruby and JavaScript developer, Ruby mentor, and currently a Chief Consultant at DevMynd Software. She’s also working on a book with another developer on the list, Sandi Metz, on how to refactor Rails applications towards happiness. She also works towards advancing and strengthening the language, acknowledging how the public invisibly depends on it. She is also the director of Ruby Central, another non-profit that runs Ruby conferences. Her contribution to the world of Ruby is massive, so following her will give you a headstart in knowing what is going on in the Ruby world as well. 

Twitter: @sarahmei

Github: sarahmei

Official Website: Sarah Mei

19. Aaron Patterson

Yes, his Twitter handle is @tenderlove, and his avatar might throw you off. It may seem irrelevant, and you might think he is a comedian, but he is a very highly accomplished Rubyist. One of his most important jobs is to maintain the Ruby and Rails repository on GitHub regularly. If you do not believe us, he is also a very early Ruby Hero Award recipient from back in 2010. He is known for his public speaking and is considered one of the most influential Ruby on Rails experts. 

Twitter: @tenderlove

Github: tenderlove

Official Website: Tenderlove Making

20. Mike Perham

2013 Ruby Hero Award recipient Mike Perham is an independent open-source software developer. He is the CEO and the founder of Contributed Systems, a company dedicated to the development of and strengthening the support for open-source-based applications. He is the author of Sidekiq and Faktory. 

Twitter: @mperham

Github: mperham

Official Website: Mike Perham

21. Go Rails

Go Rails is a Youtube channel that is updated on a regular weekly basis. It is developed by Chris Oliver, who is another avid Ruby Developer you need to look out for.  If you want to learn about the latest techniques used by Ruby developers, this is a go-to place for you to do so. The tutorials, guides, and screencasts can provide a visual learning experience for anyone who wants to learn or just keep up with the ever-evolving methodologies available. 

Twitter: @GoRails

Github: GoRails.com 

Official Website: Go Rails 

22. Rails with Jason Podcast

Rails with Jason is a podcast featured on Code with Jason. Hosted by Jason Swett, the Rails with Jason Podcast has over 80 episodes as of writing this article. The podcast features discussions with other Ruby on Rails developers. They talk about how they work using the language and how effective it is. The episodes are released weekly, and it has been up since May 2019. The podcast does not have its own social media, but you can follow Jason Swett on his Twitter and Github. 

Twitter: @JasonSwett 

Github: jasonswett

Official Website: The Rails with Jason Podcast

23. /r/ruby

Everybody knows that they can find anything and everything on Reddit. If you are not on Reddit, what are you doing? This r/ruby is a great place for every Rubyist to be. With almost 70 thousand members and started in 2008, it is a good place to find your bearings in the Ruby Development community. You can start a conversation, ask questions, and know that the information you are getting is coming straight from other Rubyists. 

Website: /r/ruby

24. Charlie Somerville

Software tinkerer Charlie Somerville works at Github as a systems engineer. However, he does contribute to other Ruby and open source projects. Do not be fooled by his website as it may be frustrating or amusing depending on however you would like to view it; he is active on his Twitter.  

Twitter: @charliesome

Github: charliesome

Official Website: charlie.bz

25. Ruby Rogues

Ruby Rogues is a podcast that releases a new episode every week. The show is hosted by Charles Max Wood, Dave Kimura, John Epperson, and Luke Stutters. The podcasts feature panelists so each episode provides various perspectives towards a particular topic. It is an excellent place for Rubyists to hear about updates and how other Rubyists are working and what works for them, and what does not. It can be found on devchat.tv where you can find other technology-related podcasts that help any programmer stay in the game. 

Twitter: @rubyrogues

Facebook: Ruby Rogues

Official Website: Ruby Rogues

26. RailsCasts

Here’s another screencast collection. This is really good for people who are just starting out—produced by Ryan Bates. While it has a free video uploaded once a week, it also has a pro/paid option of watching more screencasts for a certain fee. 

Twitter: @RailsCasts

Facebook: Rails Casts

Official Website: RailsCasts

27. Ruby on Rails Podcast with Brittany Martin

Brittany Martin brings Ruby on Rails on 5 by 5 every week to talk about Ruby on Rails. The conversations revolve around open source software and all things programming. The host is a developer, podcaster, and skater. Her work on Ruby on Rails Podcast is to bring unheard voices to have a platform. 

Twitter: @5by5 

Official Website: Ruby on Rails Podcast

28. Remote Ruby

Remote Ruby is a weekly podcast. The podcast’s origin story includes a failed online meeting. It is hosted by three Rubyists, Chris Oliver, Andrew Mason, and Jason Charnes. They regularly talk about web development, the programming language Ruby.

Twitter: @remote_ruby

Youtube: Remote Ruby Podcasts Playlist

Official Website: Remote Ruby

29. Karol Galanciak

Karol is a distributed systems architect and an expert at Ruby on Rails and the vacation rental industry, working with BookingSync. He is passionate about giving back to the communities and contributes to many open-source projects. Sharing knowledge is something that he enjoys, and so he also guest writes for blogs to spread what he knows to other fellow developers. He is keen on building microservices, optimizing performances in Ruby, and creating payment processing platforms that are compliant. He will soon be releasing a book for free for everyone to access. 

Twitter: @Azdaroth

Github: Azdaroth

Official Website: Karol Galanciak 

30. Maciej Mensfeld & Running with Ruby

Maciej Mensfeld blogs about Ruby on Rails and running with Ruby. Maciej is a software developer based in Poland. He is the creator of diffend.io and Karafka, a framework created to simplify the development of Ruby applications that depend on Apache Kafka. Follow Maciej via the following links.

Twitter: @maciejmensfeld

Github: mensfeld

Official Website: Running with Ruby  

This exhaustive list is full of current developers, up-to-date blogs, resources, ongoing podcasts that will help you along your Ruby journey.