rails

rails

MVC framework prioritizing conventions over configuration for rapid web development.

Core Concepts

• MVC architecture: Models handle data, Views render templates, Controllers manage request flow
• ActiveRecord ORM: convention-based object-relational mapping, auto-generates queries from associations
• Migrations: version-controlled schema changes, rollback support, Ruby DSL instead of raw SQL
• RESTful routes: resources :posts generates 8 standard CRUD routes automatically

Common Patterns

• Hotwire/Stimulus/Turbo: server-rendered HTML with minimal JavaScript, Turbo Streams for live updates
• Action Cable WebSockets: real-time features via pub/sub channels integrated with Active Job
• Service objects: extract complex business logic from controllers/models into dedicated classes
• Concern modules: share behavior across models/controllers via ActiveSupport::Concern

Best Practices

• Fat model, thin controller: keep business logic in models/services, controllers stay lean
• RSpec over MiniTest: domain-specific language with readable expectations and context blocks
• Database-level constraints: add unique indexes and foreign keys beyond ActiveRecord validations
• Environment-specific configs: use credentials.yml.enc for secrets, dotenv for local dev

Common Code Patterns

• before_action :require_login for controller-level authentication guards
• has_many :through for many-to-many relationships with join models