Systems | Development | Analytics | API | Testing

Rails 8 is finally here, and it's shaking things up in a pretty exciting way. If you're already active in the Rails community, you might have heard the tagline: "No PaaS Required." This is an unusual (but not surprising) mission—the release is all about making it easier to deploy your Rails apps without needing a fully-featured platform-as-a-service (PaaS).

In the process of developing software, designing and performing testing is a critical aspect of ensuring high software reliability, improving software quality, and deploying strong fit and function. The shift-right testing approach moves testing to later in your production cycle as a way of doing this with more accurate user data and post-production testing practices. Also known as “testing in production,” with shift-right, you test software after it has been deployed.

In the process of developing software, designing and performing testing is a critical aspect of ensuring high software reliability, improving software quality, and deploying strong fit and function. The shift-right testing approach moves testing to later in your production cycle as a way of doing this with more accurate user data and post-production testing practices. Also known as “testing in production,” with shift-right, you test software after it has been deployed.

We often hear from customers that they’re excited about what they could do with data and AI but are not sure how to do it. Or that the tech teams are “all in” but they can’t convince the powers that be to move forward. It’s not that they don’t know what to do — they could list a number of initiatives or use cases that would benefit from insights from their data or to which they could apply AI. But many organizations seem to suffer from institutional paralysis.

Let’s explore software breakages through the lens of impact: If software is everywhere, what does that mean when software breaks?

On Black Friday 2024, Zipcar faced a severe technical issue that disrupted its app and website services, leaving countless customers stranded and frustrated. Users reported being unable to unlock cars, make reservations, or even retrieve belongings from rented vehicles. The fallout and backlash have been widespread, with many taking to social media to voice their frustrations with the platform.

In today’s fast-paced software development landscape, testing centers of excellence (TCoEs) are experiencing a revival. Once seen as artifacts of the waterfall era, modern TCoEs are emerging as indispensable hubs for driving quality, collaboration, and innovation in Agile and DevOps environments. This resurgence stems from their ability to centralize standards and unify distributed teams while supporting the rapid iteration that modern delivery demands.