Is your Ruby on Rails application stuck on an old version? Are you afraid to deploy because things might break? You don't need a rewrite—you need a Legacy Support Specialist.
Common Problems I Solve
- Stuck on Old Versions: Rails 3, 4, or 5 apps that are security risks.
- Slow Performance: Database queries taking forever, pages timing out.
- Broken Dependencies: Gems that are no longer supported or compatible.
- Fear of Deployment: No CI/CD, manual deployments, fragility.
- Missing Source Code: Recovering apps from Heroku slugs or server files.
My Approach to Legacy Rescue
Audit & Stabilize
I audit your codebase to identify critical security flaws and stability issues. We fix the bleeding first.
Test Coverage
Before changing code, I ensure there are tests. If there aren't any, I write high-level integration tests to prevent regressions.
Incremental Upgrade
We upgrade Ruby and Rails versions step-by-step (e.g., 4.2 → 5.0 → 5.1), fixing deprecations along the way.
Modernize Infrastructure
Finally, we move your app to modern infrastructure (Docker, CI/CD) to make future development easy.
Case Study: From "No Code" to Fully Operational
I recently worked with a client who had a Rails app running on Heroku but lost access to their source code repository. The previous developer had vanished.
- I downloaded the compiled slug from Heroku.
- Reverse-engineered the codebase.
- Reconstructed the git repository.
- Upgraded critical dependencies.
- Redeployed the app safely.
Result: The client regained control of their business asset without paying for a complete rewrite (saving tens of thousands of dollars).