Are you familiar with the Rails based plugin Exception Notification?
If you are not a software programmer, then the phrase “Exception Notification” might make your mind wonder and your eyes glaze over. But, if your business is performing on the web applications, then it is advisable to muscle past the jargon. As exception is the most common terminology for errors and it hit and meet your users with an error page before anyone from the development team realize there is a problem.
Let me make you understand with two different scenarios.
First Scenario,
One of your valued customers is trying to place an order on your website, as the website has just released a new feature. The user is getting an error message and he decided to notify the development team and send a complaint email to customer support team.
Second scenario,
The development team receives a detailed message about the error from the user, along with the breaking code section detail. The software development team, simply repairs the problem and then releases a patch. So the support team responds to the user that the problem is already solved and asks him to try again. That second scenario is possible because of exception notifications.
“Exception” is a new technical terminology for errors that break an application. It is generally a result of a bug or happens because of unexpected user input. Exceptions can be “handled,” but it’s impossible to completely safeguard against all possible errors. So even a strong codebase, sometimes an unhandled exception throws a wrench in the works.
In a website or web application, generally an unexpected exceptions usually causes the user to see some version of the error page, even if it is a default Rails error page…
…or how about this:
Obviously, you do not want your users to see the error without the developers knowing about it. A vigilant team can easily repair exceptions before the user even has a chance to report the complaint, or at least have a head start on repairs.
Gem vs. Paid Services
Exception Notifier is a Rails plugin, which let your web application, send email to the development team when there an unexpected exception occur. However, Exception Notifier has been steadily dropping off. The rise of paid exception notification services is because of the rise of Airbrake and BugSnag.
Do you think, you should at all pay for a notification service is freely available, just similar to the gem like Exception Notifier. The paid services provide detailed nuanced control over who receives notifications and under what conditions. As it let the exception notifications be snoozed till the time developer resolves it.
Nothing? Are You Sure?
Why do you think you should try a deaf ear to the significant part of your application’s health?
Most of the programmers are depending on exception logs instead of active exception notification. I think the most dangerous reason for not considering the exception notification is new or unstable applications. An exception notification can be a noisy proposition, and the sheer volume can make it difficult to resolve problems. Specifically for software engineers who lack the budget for a paid notification service, it may be tempting to turn down the volume completely so that the team is swamped by notifications. Any application that’s throwing a lot of exceptions is at risk, and it’s better to clean things up now than to wait for a real crisis to hit.
Epilogue
If you’re a stakeholder and you don’t have an intentional strategy for handling exceptions, then it’s time to get in gear. Whether it’s a free gem or a paid service if you wish to make things easier, the Rails ecosystem is undoubtedly a solution for you. Hire as your next ruby on rails development company to deal with unexpected exceptions and other problems. So, became curious about the process, and looking for a pre advanced solution to solve the problem before anyone notice them, you have landed on the right page. Hire our Ruby on Rails Development service and let us delight your users and take that weight off your shoulders.
