Ruby on Rails

Description #

Ruby on Rails, often just called Rails, is a full-stack web application framework written in Ruby. It follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture and emphasizes convention over configuration, making it fast to build and maintain database-backed web applications.

History #

Rails was created by David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) in 2004 while working on Basecamp. It popularized many modern web development practices, including migrations, RESTful routing, and scaffolding. Rails became a leading framework in the mid-2000s and is still widely used in startups and legacy systems.

Hello World Code #

# app/controllers/application_controller.rb
class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
  def hello
    render html: "Hello, World!"
  end
end

# config/routes.rb
Rails.application.routes.draw do
  root "application#hello"
end

How to Run #

Option 1: Online

• Replit – Ruby on Rails Template
• Gitpod Rails Starter

Option 2: Local

Install Rails (Ruby must be installed):

gem install rails

Create a new app:

rails new hello_world
cd hello_world

Replace controller and routes as shown above

Run the server:

rails server

Visit: http://localhost:3000

Key Concepts #

1. MVC architecture
2. Convention over configuration
3. RESTful routing
4. Database migrations
5. ActiveRecord ORM
6. Scaffolding for fast prototyping
7. Built-in testing tools
8. Gem ecosystem (RubyGems)
9. Emphasis on developer happiness
10. Default SQLite or PostgreSQL support

Try It Online #

• Replit – Rails Template
• Gitpod Rails Project

Fun Facts #

• GitHub, Shopify, and Basecamp were built with Rails.
• The phrase “convention over configuration” became popular through Rails.
• Rails inspired the creation of Django (Python) and Laravel (PHP).

Resources #

• Ruby on Rails Official Site
• Rails Guides
• Rails GitHub Repo
• GoRails Tutorials
• Michael Hartl’s Rails Tutorial