AppFog Adds Support for Ruby and Node.js

Cloud-based platform-as-a-service provider AppFog (formerly PHP Fog) recently announced that it has added support for the Ruby and Node.js programming languages. The company’s platform already supported developers using PHP.

The expansion is part of AppFog’s ongoing strategy to broaden the applicability of its platform to as broad of a developer audience as possible while focusing on top-notch user experience, said Lucas Carlson, CEO of AppFog.

“PHP only was a limitation because we weren’t reaching all the developers,” Carlson said. “We’ve been trying to build the best user experience and platform-as-a-service. It took more than a year and a lot of experimentation, but I think we got it just right.”

Carlson’s own background is in Ruby, so expanding to that developer community was particularly important. “Having accessibility in that community is an important piece of the puzzle,” he said.

AppFog’s platform includes infrastructure that automates scalability and makes deployment and management of applications easier, enabling system administrators and application developers to create and scale apps on PHP, Ruby and Node.js based applications. The service now supports 20,000 application developers who have collectively created and deployed approximately 10,000 applications.

The company plans to expand to additional programming languages, always focused on user experience, Carlson said.

“At one time, a lot of people wondered if they would need different services per language. I think the market is shifting,” he said. “The people who have the best user experience will determine the platforms they use.”