September 27th, 2024

Rails 8.0 Beta 1: No PaaS Required

Rails 8.0 Beta 1 simplifies web application deployment without PaaS, introducing tools like Kamal 2 and Thruster, reducing dependencies, enhancing asset management with Propshaft, and improving security with an authentication generator.

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Rails 8.0 Beta 1: No PaaS Required

Rails 8.0 Beta 1 has been released, aiming to simplify the deployment of modern web applications without relying on platform-as-a-service (PaaS) solutions. The new version introduces Kamal 2, a tool that allows developers to deploy applications quickly on various servers with minimal setup. It includes a new Dockerfile optimized for production, along with Thruster, a proxy that enhances performance by providing asset caching and compression. Additionally, Rails 8 features Solid Cache, Solid Queue, and Solid Cable, which reduce dependencies by enabling SQLite to handle tasks previously requiring Redis or other services. The new asset pipeline, Propshaft, replaces the outdated Sprockets system, streamlining asset management. Rails 8 also enhances security with a complete authentication system generator, making it easier for developers to implement secure user authentication. Overall, Rails 8 focuses on reducing complexity and improving deployment efficiency, making it an attractive option for developers looking to streamline their workflow.

- Rails 8.0 Beta 1 aims to simplify web app deployment without PaaS.

- New tools like Kamal 2 and Thruster enhance deployment speed and performance.

- Solid Cache, Solid Queue, and Solid Cable reduce dependencies on external services.

- Propshaft replaces Sprockets as the new asset pipeline for better asset management.

- A complete authentication system generator simplifies secure user authentication setup.

Link Icon 3 comments
By @nickjj - 3 months
It's good to see more folks getting exposed to this style of hosting.

For ~9 years I've been comboing Ansible, Docker Compose and git to deploy web apps to a VPS or more generally any Debian based host. Roughly 10-15 lines of YAML and 1 command to get everything up and running in a production ready way. It really does work, I've deployed about 60 or 70 different apps this way for clients over the years.

By @mooreds - 3 months
Hmmm. They suggest running SQLite in production rather than PG or MySQL. As a long time RDBMS fan, I'm not sure how I feel about that.
By @evjan - 3 months
I’m so excited about all of this. I was about to start creating an Expo mobile app but maybe I’ll just go with Rails 8 and Hotwire Native for now. I know Rails way better and I enjoy it so much.