Rescue & Modernize
Stop fighting your Rails app. Make it fast, secure, and maintainable again.
The Challenge
Your Rails application used to be your competitive advantage. Now it's holding you back. Pages load slowly. Every deploy breaks something. Hosting costs keep climbing. Your original developer is long gone, and the new team is afraid to touch anything.
Sound familiar? You're not alone. Most startups I work with have inherited technical debt or outgrown their initial MVP architecture.
Outdated Rails Version
Running Rails 5.x or older. Security vulnerabilities piling up. Can't use modern gems.
Slow & Getting Slower
Page loads taking 3-5 seconds. Database queries timing out. Users complaining.
Expensive Hosting
Spending $2-5K/month on Heroku for infrastructure that should cost $200-500.
Brittle Codebase
Every change breaks something else. No tests. Deployment takes hours. Fear of shipping.
My Rescue & Modernization Process
I don't rewrite from scratch. We incrementally modernize your app with zero downtime, focusing on quick wins first.
Technical Health Check (Free)
I audit your Rails app to identify the biggest problems and opportunities. What's slow? What's vulnerable? What's costing you money? We prioritize fixes by impact and risk.
- Current Rails version and upgrade path
- Performance bottlenecks (N+1 queries, missing indexes, slow endpoints)
- Security vulnerabilities and outdated dependencies
- Hosting cost optimization opportunities
- Technical debt prioritization
Deliverable: Written report with prioritized recommendations
Quick Wins Sprint (1-2 weeks)
Before major work, I implement high-impact, low-risk improvements. Fix the slowest endpoints. Add missing database indexes. Optimize N+1 queries. Set up proper monitoring.
Typical Results: 2-5x performance improvement, immediate user experience gains
Incremental Modernization (3-8 weeks)
Phased Rails version upgrades with zero downtime. I add comprehensive test coverage (if missing), upgrade incrementally (e.g., 5.2 → 6.0 → 6.1 → 7.0 → 7.1), update dependencies, and modernize code patterns.
Deliverable: Modern Rails 7+ application, comprehensive test suite, documentation
Performance & Cost Optimization (1-2 weeks)
Make your app fast and affordable. Database query optimization, caching strategy implementation, background job optimization, and hosting migration (we often reduce costs 40-60%).
Deliverable: Faster app, lower hosting bills, monitoring dashboards
Knowledge Transfer
I don't want you dependent onme. Documentation of all changes, recorded walkthrough of new setup, training for your team (if you have one), and optional ongoing support.
What You Get
Modern Rails 7+
Latest framework with 5+ years of security support ahead
3-5x Performance Improvement
Average measured improvement across client apps
40-60% Hosting Cost Reduction
Modern deployment strategies dramatically cut cloud spend
Comprehensive Test Coverage
Confidence to ship without breaking things
Zero Downtime
Incremental upgrades keep your app running throughout
Full Documentation
Knowledge transfer so you're not dependent on us
Recent Results
FinTech SaaS Platform
Rails 5.2 running on expensive Heroku infrastructure. Pages loading in 3+ seconds. Hosting costs out of control.
What I did:
- Upgraded Rails 5.2 → 7.1 (4-week phased approach)
- Migrated from Heroku to modern Kamal deployment
- Optimized 15 slowest database queries
- Added comprehensive test coverage
"My app feels brand new. We can actually ship features now without fear." — CTO
B2B Marketplace
Performance rescue needed. Homepage taking 3.2 seconds to load. Background jobs backing up for hours.
What I did:
- Fixed 23 N+1 query problems
- Added strategic database indexes
- Implemented fragment caching
- Optimized background job processing
- Upgraded Rails 6.1 → 7.1
"Axium found bottlenecks my previous team missed for months." — Founder
Technologies Technologies & Tools We Use Tools I Use
Rails Ecosystem
- Rails 7+ (latest stable)
- Hotwire (Turbo + Stimulus)
- Modern deployment (Kamal, Docker)
- Background jobs (Sidekiq, GoodJob)
Performance Tools
- Bullet (N+1 detection)
- rack-mini-profiler
- Redis caching
- Scout APM / Honeybadger
Testing & CI/CD
- RSpec or Minitest
- System tests (Capybara)
- GitHub Actions
- Automated deployments
Common Questions
How long does a Rails upgrade typically take?
Depends on your current version and app size. Rails 6.x → 7.1: 1-2 weeks. Rails 5.x → 7.1: 3-4 weeks. Rails 4.x or older → 7.1: 6-8 weeks. I always start with a free health check to give you an accurate estimate.
Will there be downtime?
No. I do incremental upgrades with comprehensive testing at each step. Your app stays live throughout the process. I deploy during low-traffic windows and monitor closely.
What if we don't have any tests?
Common situation. I add test coverage as part of the upgrade process, focusing on critical paths first. This actually makes the upgrade safer and gives you confidence for future changes.
Can we keep using Heroku?
Absolutely. I'm platform-agnostic. That said, I often save clients 40-60% by moving to modern deployment strategies (Kamal + any cloud provider). I'll recommend what's actually best for your situation, not what's easiest for me.
What happens after the upgrade?
You own all the code and have full documentation. We offer optional ongoing support retainers if you want me available for questions or continued development, but there's zero obligation.
Ready to Modernize Your Rails App?
Get a free technical health check. I'll identify quick wins and give you a clear upgrade roadmap—no obligation.
Get Your Free Health Check →