- How do Rails developers learn?
- High Performance PostgreSQL for Rails Ranked #12
- Win a signed copy of the book
84% of surveyed Rails developers use PostgreSQL in production
While PostgreSQL is less popular than Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server today, the gap is narrowing
Win a signed copy of High Performance PostgreSQL for Rails, see below for details
The 2026 version of the Ruby on Rails Community Survey results are now live.
Two things caught my eye: just how much PostgreSQL is in production for Rails apps, and the learning resources Rails developers use.
The survey has responses from nearly 1,800 developers.
Among relational SQL databases, 84% of respondents use PostgreSQL in production. That’s wild! The next one is MySQL at 23%.
84% of nearly 1,800 surveyed Ruby on Rails developers use PostgreSQL in production
This reflects a multi-year trend not only in the Ruby on Rails community but also in the broader industry among relational databases.
According to the DB-Engines Ranking Trend, Oracle, MySQL, and Microsoft SQL Server are all still more popular than PostgreSQL, but declining. In the graph below we can see the growing popularity of PostgreSQL and this trend line implies it may surpass Microsoft SQL Server. MySQL could be next.
Popularity of Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL per DB-Engines
How do Rails developers learn?
How do developers learn? Books hold a smaller but steady percentage among learning resources. 37% of respondents in their first two years of learning felt reading whole books was most helpful, while 10% have read parts of a book and found that best.
What worked best among respondents was building and deploying their own applications. This makes sense! That’s how it’s always been for me too, nothing beats building something yourself and becoming an owner and operator. Documentation, learning videos, podcasts, books, and blog posts all help support developers looking to improve their skills.
High Performance PostgreSQL for Rails Ranked #12
I was happy to see High Performance PostgreSQL for Rails ranked #12 among recommended books. Thank you!
The book has been published for 2 years now and I’m not as actively promoting it these days. I’m grateful to occasionally hear from developers at events like Rails at Scale Summit that they found the book helpful. Seeing that reflected in the survey results is very fulfilling.
High Performance PostgreSQL for Rails ranked #12 among recommended books
Win a signed copy of the book
To celebrate the survey results and the book having been published for 2 years, I’d like to sign and give away a couple of copies.
If you’re in the contiguous U.S. and would like to enter, please send me a message through my site in the next couple of weeks. That’s it. I’ll draw two winners at random and ship them their copies. Good luck!
Please check out the full 2026 Ruby on Rails Community Survey Results.
