# Ruby on Rails — Full-Stack Web Framework That Started It All

> Ruby on Rails is a full-stack web framework optimized for programmer happiness. Convention over configuration, MVC architecture, ActiveRecord ORM, migrations, and scaffolding. Created by DHH in 2004 and still powering GitHub, Shopify, Basecamp, and Airbnb.

## Install

Save the content below to `.claude/skills/` or append to your `CLAUDE.md`:

## Quick Use

```bash
# Install Ruby and Rails
gem install rails
rails new myapp --database=postgresql
cd myapp
rails db:create
rails server
# Visit http://localhost:3000
```

Scaffold a resource:
```bash
rails generate scaffold Asset repo:string stars:integer description:text
rails db:migrate
# Visit http://localhost:3000/assets
# Full CRUD ready: index, show, new, create, edit, update, destroy
```

Model with validations:
```ruby
# app/models/asset.rb
class Asset < ApplicationRecord
  validates :repo, presence: true, uniqueness: true
  validates :stars, numericality: { greater_than_or_equal_to: 0 }

  scope :popular, -> { where("stars >= ?", 10000).order(stars: :desc) }
end
```

```ruby
# Rails console
rails console
> Asset.create(repo: "react", stars: 230000)
> Asset.popular.limit(5)
> Asset.where("stars > ?", 100000).count
```

## Intro

Ruby on Rails (often just "Rails") is a full-stack web application framework written in Ruby. Created by David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) while building Basecamp, open-sourced in 2004. Rails popularized Convention over Configuration (CoC) and Don"t Repeat Yourself (DRY) — ideas that influenced every web framework since. Powers GitHub, Shopify, Basecamp, Airbnb, Hulu, and many others.

- **Repo**: https://github.com/rails/rails
- **Stars**: 58K+
- **Language**: Ruby
- **License**: MIT

## What Rails Does

- **MVC** — Model, View, Controller architecture
- **ActiveRecord** — ORM with migrations, validations, associations
- **Scaffold** — one-command CRUD generation
- **Routing** — RESTful resource routing
- **Action View** — ERB/Haml templates
- **Action Cable** — WebSocket framework
- **Active Job** — background job abstraction
- **Action Mailer** — email sending with templates
- **Active Storage** — file uploads to S3/GCS/Azure
- **Turbo + Stimulus** — Hotwire for HTML-over-the-wire
- **Kamal** — deploy Rails anywhere with Docker
- **Solid Queue/Cache/Cable** — database-backed infrastructure

## Architecture

Full MVC with an opinionated project structure. Convention over Configuration means file names, directory layouts, and naming patterns determine behavior. Asset pipeline (Propshaft/Dartsass in Rails 7+) for CSS/JS. Rails 8 introduces Solid trifecta for database-backed queues, caches, and WebSockets.

## Self-Hosting

```bash
# Production (Rails 8)
KAMAL_REGISTRY_PASSWORD=xxx kamal setup
kamal deploy

# Traditional
bundle exec puma -C config/puma.rb
# Behind Nginx reverse proxy
```

## Key Features

- Convention over Configuration
- ActiveRecord ORM
- Scaffold generators
- RESTful routing
- Hotwire (Turbo + Stimulus)
- Action Cable (WebSocket)
- Active Job (background)
- Active Storage (uploads)
- Kamal deployer
- Rails 8 Solid trifecta
- Mature gem ecosystem

## Comparison

| Framework | Language | Philosophy | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rails | Ruby | Convention > config | OK |
| Django | Python | Batteries-included | OK |
| Laravel | PHP | Elegant syntax | OK |
| Phoenix | Elixir | Convention + speed | Fast |
| Spring Boot | Java | Enterprise auto-config | OK |
| Next.js | TypeScript | Full-stack React | Fast |

## FAQ

**Q: Rails performance?**
A: Ruby 3.3 + YJIT makes Rails 3x faster than Ruby 2.x. Shopify runs a million global merchants on Rails. Performance bottlenecks are usually in the database, not the framework.

**Q: Rails 7 vs 8?**
A: Rails 8 introduces Solid Queue (DB-backed queue, no Redis needed), Solid Cache, and Solid Cable, simplifying deployment. Combined with the Kamal deployer, the goal is that even solo full-stack developers can deploy anywhere.

**Q: What is Hotwire?**
A: Turbo (HTML-over-the-wire, replacing SPAs) + Stimulus (lightweight JS sprinkles) + Strada (mobile bridge). Use Rails to build full-stack apps without React or a frontend/backend split.

## Sources

- Docs: https://guides.rubyonrails.org
- GitHub: https://github.com/rails/rails
- License: MIT

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/ruby-rails-full-stack-web-framework-started-all-cc16545d
Author: AI Open Source