When you’re launching a SaaS product, few decisions are as critical or polarizing as your choice of tech stack. It sets the tone for how fast you can build, how secure your app will be, and whether you’ll sleep at night when scaling up.
On a recent episode of SaaS That App, Damon Altamore, Founder and CEO of ThisWay Development, joined Aaron Marchbanks, Justin Edwards, and Daniel Cannon to tackle the age-old debate: .NET or Ruby on Rails? They dove into tech stack selection for startups and growing SaaS companies, with perspectives from both enterprise and open-source angles.
So what’s the verdict? Let’s break down the conversation and uncover how each framework can serve (or sabotage) your next big idea.
Rails: The Startup Speed Demon
Daniel Cannon, Chief Innovation Officer at Delta Systems and a Rails veteran, kicked things off by championing Ruby on Rails. His take? Rails is all about convention over configuration and that’s a superpower for early-stage startups.
With Rails, you get rapid prototyping, a massive library ecosystem, and a robust community that helps catch bugs, improve security, and build better tools. According to Daniel, Rails is a fantastic fit for:
- SaaS founders launching v1 fast
- Startups that need to pivot quickly
- Teams with limited engineering resources
- Web-first applications with moderate performance demands
Security concerns? Daniel argues that open-source frameworks are more secure thanks to constant community auditing. And while Rails might hit a ceiling at X-level scale, that’s a problem for Future You.
.NET: The Enterprise Fortress
Next, Damon made the case for Microsoft’s .NET framework, especially when dealing with large teams, sensitive data, and strict compliance requirements.
With built-in support for role-based authentication, encryption libraries, and Azure integrations,.NET is an obvious fit for:
- Enterprises managing sensitive or regulated data
- Companies with existing Microsoft infrastructure
- Projects with long-term maintenance and complex architecture
- Teams needing strong abstractions and code organization
Damon highlighted .NET’s strengths in structured code, modular design, and strong typing. While it may be slower to get off the ground, the payoff comes later in the form of easier scaling, better maintainability, and clearer separation of concerns.
Developer Hiring and Team Dynamics
One of the most practical parts of the discussion centered on hiring. Whether you go with Rails or .NET, your choice will directly affect the talent pool you can hire from and the kind of team culture you create.
Rails leans toward senior developers who thrive on flexibility and convention. One bad hire in a Rails app can introduce a lot of chaos, which is why Daniel prefers smaller, more senior teams who know the conventions and stick to them.
On the .NET side, Damon highlighted how the structure of the framework supports teams with mixed skill levels. Junior developers can be productive more quickly because the architecture encourages uniformity and enforceable patterns. There’s less room to go rogue.
Code Quality vs. Speed
While .NET might seem a heavyweight choice for startups, Damon cautioned against thinking only in terms of speed. If you’re not thinking about code quality from day one, you may be signing up for technical debt that will come back to haunt you.
Still, as Daniel pointed out, the reality for startups is that time-to-market often trumps everything else. If you don’t have users yet, you don’t need a fortress: you need feedback. That’s where Rails shines.
Ecosystem and Tooling
Rails developers enjoy a world where “there’s a gem for that.”
Authentication? Use Devise.
Authorization? Use Pundit.
Need to scaffold CRUD for a model? One command. Done.
On the .NET side, much of that functionality is baked in, especially if you’re using Visual Studio or deploying on Azure. Damon pointed out that while .NET doesn’t “scaffold as fast,” it encourages intentional architecture. You’re building with guardrails, which is great for stability, not always for speed.
Final Thoughts from Damon
So, Rails or .NET? The answer, of course, is that it depends.
Go Rails if:
- You’re an early-stage startup
- You need to launch fast and iterate faster
- You have experienced developers who follow convention
- Your app is primarily web-based and doesn’t require heavy compliance
Go .NET if:
- You’re working with large teams or legacy Microsoft systems
- You have strict security/compliance needs
- You value structured code and long-term maintainability
- You’re building something complex that will need to scale over time
Ultimately, the best tech stack is the one that fits your team, your goals, and your stage of growth.
Damon’s Background
Damon is the Founder and CEO of ThisWay Development and a .NET expert with over 20 years of experience in enterprise-level software development. He specializes in building secure, scalable applications and has particular expertise working with insurance companies and financial institutions who need complex compliance solutions. His deep understanding of Microsoft technologies and emphasis on robust system design makes him a valuable voice on enterprise software architecture.
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