Layer 3 Development
Free Audit
Ruby on Rails Upgrade & Security Specialists

Upgrade Your Rails App to the Latest Secure Version

Running on an outdated, unsupported version of Ruby on Rails? We bring legacy apps up to the latest stable release, detect every known vulnerability, and patch it — with zero downtime and no freeze on your roadmap.

No commitment · Written assessment · Fixed-scope estimate

20+
Years in production Rails
Rails 8
Upgrades to the latest stable
Zero
Downtime dual-boot upgrades
CVE
Detection & patching built in
The Cost of Falling Behind

An outdated Rails version is a liability

Once your Rails version reaches end-of-life, the official security patches stop. Every month you stay behind, the risk and the cost of catching up grow.

⚠ Unpatched security vulnerabilities (CVEs) with no official fixes
⚠ Failed compliance audits — SOC 2, PCI, HIPAA
⚠ Gems that no longer install or receive updates
⚠ Slower performance and rising hosting costs
⚠ Difficulty hiring developers willing to work on an old stack
⚠ Every new feature takes longer and costs more to ship
What We Do

Rails upgrade & security services

End-to-end modernization for Ruby on Rails applications — from version upgrades to vulnerability patching.

Rails Version Upgrades

Move from any legacy version — Rails 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 — up to the latest stable, secure release. Incremental, dual-boot upgrades that never block your team.

Security Audit & Patching

A full vulnerability scan of your application and every dependency. We surface known CVEs, unpatched gems, and insecure patterns — then patch them.

Gem & Dependency Modernization

Update, replace, or remove outdated and abandoned gems. We resolve version conflicts and shrink your dependency surface area.

Ruby Version Upgrades

Upgrade the underlying Ruby runtime for speed, security, and long-term support — fully tested against your suite before it ships.

Test Coverage & CI

We shore up the test suite before and during the upgrade so every change is verified, then stand up CI so you stay current going forward.

Performance & Stability

Capitalize on modern Rails internals — faster boot, lower memory, better concurrency — once you're on a current, supported version.

Security Audit

Find every vulnerability. Patch it.

We run a deep security audit across your application and its entire dependency tree, then fix what we find. You get a prioritized report and a hardened, patched codebase.

  • Known CVEs in Rails and Ruby itself
  • Vulnerable gems via bundler-audit & advisory databases
  • Static analysis with Brakeman
  • Insecure defaults & deprecated, removed APIs
  • Exposed secrets and misconfigurations
  • SQL injection, XSS, and CSRF exposure
$ bundle exec bundler-audit check
⚠ CVE-2024-xxxx rack < 2.2.9 — patched → 2.2.9
$ brakeman -q
scanning models, controllers, views…
SQL injection — resolved
XSS / CSRF — resolved
$ bundle update rails --conservative
✓ All checks passing — Rails 8.0, 0 advisories
How It Works

A proven, low-risk upgrade process

Incremental, test-driven, and transparent at every step — so your business keeps moving while we modernize.

01

Audit & Assessment

We analyze your codebase, Rails and Ruby versions, dependencies, and test coverage — then deliver a written report of risks and a clear upgrade path.

02

Roadmap & Estimate

A prioritized, milestone-based plan with fixed checkpoints, so you know the scope, sequence, and cost before we write a single line of code.

03

Incremental Upgrade

Using a dual-boot strategy, we upgrade one version at a time behind the scenes — your team keeps shipping features the whole way through.

04

Test & Verify

Every step is validated against an expanded test suite and CI, so nothing regresses when it reaches production.

05

Deploy & Harden

We ship the upgrade with zero (or near-zero) downtime, patch outstanding vulnerabilities, and leave you with a maintainable, current stack.

Why Layer 3 Development

Senior engineers who've shipped Rails for 20+ years

We've built, scaled, and secured production systems across fintech, legal tech, healthcare, and hospitality.

20+ years building and operating production Rails systems
Security-first — HIPAA and SOC 2 experience baked in
Forward-deployed: we embed with your team, not throw code over the wall
Incremental, dual-boot upgrades that never freeze your roadmap
Fixed-scope checkpoints — no open-ended hourly surprises
Senior engineers only, no offshore handoffs
Questions

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about upgrading and securing your Rails app.

How long does a Rails upgrade take?

It depends on how many versions you're behind, the size of your codebase, and your existing test coverage. Most upgrades run from a few weeks to a couple of months. The free audit gives you a concrete timeline before you commit to anything.

Will the upgrade break my application?

No. We use an incremental, dual-boot approach and lean heavily on automated tests and CI, so each version jump is verified before it ships. Your app keeps running the entire time.

Can you upgrade a very old Rails app (Rails 2, 3, or 4)?

Yes. We routinely bring legacy applications from Rails 2, 3, and 4 all the way up to the latest stable release, one major version at a time.

What does the security audit cover?

We scan Rails and Ruby for known CVEs, check every gem against vulnerability advisory databases with bundler-audit, run static analysis with Brakeman, and review your app for insecure defaults, exposed secrets, and OWASP-class issues. You get a prioritized report and we patch what we find.

Do we have to stop feature work during the upgrade?

No. The dual-boot strategy lets your team keep developing and deploying features while the upgrade proceeds in parallel.

How much does it cost?

Every application is different, so we scope each engagement from the initial audit. You get a fixed, milestone-based estimate up front — no open-ended hourly billing.

Ready to modernize your Rails app?

Get a free, no-obligation audit of your Rails application. We'll assess your version, dependencies, and security exposure — and give you a clear, fixed-scope plan to get current.