View source for Software:Ruby on Rails

{{Short description|Server-side open source web application framework}}

{{Infobox software
| name                 = Ruby on Rails
| logo                 = Ruby On Rails Logo.svg
| screenshot           =
| caption              =
| author               = David Heinemeier Hansson
| developer            =
| discontinued         =
| released             = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2004|8}}<ref name=initial10announce>{{cite web
 | url        = http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2005/12/13/rails-1-0-party-like-its-one-oh-oh/
 | website    = weblog.rubyonrails.org
 | access-date = 2017-03-01
 | title      = Rails 1.0: Party like it's one oh oh!| date = 13 December 2005
 }}</ref>
| latest_release_version = {{wikidata|property|reference|edit|Q190478|P348}}
| latest_release_date = {{start date and age|{{wikidata|qualifier|Q190478|P348|P577}}}}
| operating system     =
| platform             =
| language             =
| programming language = [[Ruby (programming language)|Ruby]]
| genre                = Web application framework
| license              = [[Software:MIT License|MIT License]]
| size                 = 57.8 [[Megabyte|MB]]<ref>{{cite web
 | title      = Release v6.0.3.4 · rails/rails · GitHub
 | website = [[GitHub]]
 | url        = https://github.com/rails/rails/releases/tag/v6.0.3.4
 | access-date = 16 December 2019}}</ref>
}}

'''Ruby on Rails''' (simplified as '''Rails''') is a [[Server-side|server-side]] web application framework written in [[Ruby (programming language)|Ruby]] under the [[Software:MIT License|MIT License]]. Rails is a [[Model–view–controller|model–view–controller]] (MVC) framework, providing default structures for a [[Database|database]], a web service, and [[Web page|web page]]s. It encourages and facilitates the use of [[Web standards|web standards]] such as [[JSON]] or [[XML]] for data transfer and [[HTML]], [[CSS]] and [[JavaScript]] for user interfacing. In addition to MVC, Rails emphasizes the use of other well-known [[Software engineering|software engineering]] [[Software design pattern|patterns]] and paradigms, including [[Convention over configuration|convention over configuration]] (CoC), [[Don't repeat yourself|don't repeat yourself]] (DRY), and the [[Active record pattern|active record pattern]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Getting Started with Rails: What Is Rails?|url=http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started.html#what-is-rails-questionmark|website=guides.rubyonrails.org|access-date=10 August 2014}}</ref>

Ruby on Rails' emergence in 2005 greatly influenced web app development, through innovative features such as seamless database [[Software:Table (database)|table]] creations, [[Schema migration|migrations]], and [[Scaffold (programming)|scaffolding]] of views to enable rapid application development. Ruby on Rails' influence on other web frameworks remains apparent today, with many frameworks in other languages borrowing its ideas, including [[Software:Django (web framework)|Django]] in [[Python (programming language)|Python]]; [[Software:Catalyst|Catalyst]] in [[Perl]]; [[Software:Laravel|Laravel]], [[Software:CakePHP|CakePHP]] and [[Software:Yii|Yii]]  in [[Organization:PHP|PHP]]; [[Software:Grails (framework)|Grails]] in [[Apache Groovy|Groovy]]; [[Software:Phoenix (web framework)|Phoenix]] in [[Elixir (programming language)|Elixir]]; [[Software:Play Framework|Play]] in [[Scala (programming language)|Scala]]; and [[Software:Sails.js|Sails.js]] in [[Software:Node.js|Node.js]].

Well-known sites that use Ruby on Rails include [[Company:Airbnb|Airbnb]], [[Crunchbase]], Dribbble,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Goswami |first1=Shubham |title=Django vs Ruby on Rails – The Choice for Mobile App Development |url=https://appsearch.org/blog/django-vs-ruby-on-rails/ |website=appsearch.org |access-date=28 November 2020}}</ref> [[GitHub]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.se-radio.net/2021/08/episode-471-jason-meller-on-choosing-the-right-tech-stack-for-a-greenfield-project/|title=Episode 471: Jason Meller on Choosing the Right Tech Stack for a Greenfield Project|last=Conrad|first=Adam|date=August 3, 2021|website=SE-Radio.net|publisher=IEEE|access-date=2021-11-09}}</ref> [[Company:Twitch (service)|Twitch]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://blog.twitch.tv/en/2022/03/30/breaking-the-monolith-at-twitch/#:~:text=Twitch.tv%20launched%20on%20June,initially%20worked%20well%20for%20Twitch. | title=Breaking the Monolith at Twitch: Part One }}</ref> and [[Company:Shopify|Shopify]].

==History==
David Heinemeier Hansson extracted Ruby on Rails from his work on the project management tool Basecamp at the [[Web application|web application]] company [[Company:Basecamp|37signals]].<ref name="interview-davidhh">{{cite web|first=Lenz−− |last=Grimmer |date=February 2006 |title=Interview with David Heinemeier Hansson from Ruby on Rails |url=http://dev.mysql.com/tech-resources/interviews/david-heinemeier-hansson-rails.html |publisher=[[Company:MySQL AB|MySQL AB]] |access-date=2008-06-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225091835/http://dev.mysql.com/tech-resources/interviews/david-heinemeier-hansson-rails.html |archive-date=February 25, 2013 }}</ref> Hansson first released Rails as open source in July 2004, but did not share [[Commit (data management)|commit]] rights to the project until February 2005. {{Citation needed|date=September 2016}} In August 2006, the framework reached a milestone when [[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple]] announced that it would ship Ruby on Rails with [[Software:Mac OS X Leopard|Mac OS X v10.5 "Leopard"]],<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2006/8/7/ruby-on-rails-will-ship-with-os-x-10-5-leopard |website=weblog.rubyonrails.org
 | title      = Ruby on Rails will ship with OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
 | access-date = 2008-06-08
 | last       = Hansson
 | first      = David
 | date       = August 7, 2006}}</ref> which was released in October 2007.

Rails version 2.3 was released on March 15, 2009, with major new developments in templates, engines, Rack and nested model forms. Templates enable the developer to generate a skeleton application with custom [[Software:RubyGems|gems]] and configurations. Engines give developers the ability to reuse application pieces complete with routes, view paths and models. The Rack web server interface and Metal allow one to write optimized pieces of code that route around Action Controller.<ref name="Rails 2.3: Templates, Engines, Rack, Metal, much more!">{{cite web
 | first   = David
 | last    = Hansson
 | date    = March 16, 2009
 | title   = Rails 2.3: Templates, Engines, Rack, Metal, much more!
 | url     = http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2009/3/16/rails-2-3-templates-engines-rack-metal-much-more
 | website = weblog.rubyonrails.org}}</ref>

On December 23, 2008, [[Software:Merb|Merb]], another web application framework, was launched, and Ruby on Rails announced it would work with the Merb project to bring "the best ideas of Merb" into Rails 3, ending the "unnecessary duplication" across both communities.<ref name="The day Merb joined Rails">{{cite web|date=2008-12-27|title=The day Merb joined Rails|url=http://rubyonrails.org/merb|website=rubyonrails.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130209055716/http://rubyonrails.org/merb|archive-date=2013-02-09}}</ref> Merb was merged with Rails as part of the Rails 3.0 release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edgeguides.rubyonrails.org/3_0_release_notes.html |title=Ruby on Rails 3.0 Release Notes — Ruby on Rails Guides |website=edgeguides.rubyonrails.org |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|publisher=sdtimes.com|date=2010-02-10|title=Ruby on Rails 3.0 goes modular|url=http://www.sdtimes.com/link/34122| access-date=2010-08-06}}</ref>

Rails 3.1 was released on August 31, 2011, featuring Reversible Database Migrations, Asset Pipeline, Streaming, [[Software:JQuery|jQuery]] as default [[JavaScript]] library and newly introduced [[CoffeeScript]] and [[Sass (stylesheet language)|Sass]] into the stack.<ref name="Ruby on Rails 3.1 Release Notes">{{cite web|date=2012-09-01|title=Ruby on Rails 3.1 Release Notes|url=http://guides.rubyonrails.org/3_1_release_notes.html|website=guides.rubyonrails.org}}</ref>

Rails 3.2 was released on January 20, 2012 with a faster development mode and routing engine (also known as Journey engine), Automatic Query Explain and Tagged Logging.<ref name="Ruby on Rails 3.2 Release Notes">{{cite web|date=2012-09-01|title=Ruby on Rails 3.2 Release Notes|url=http://guides.rubyonrails.org/3_2_release_notes.html|website=guides.rubyonrails.org}}</ref> Rails 3.2.x is the last version that supports Ruby 1.8.7.<ref name="Rails/master is now 4.0.0.beta">{{cite web|date=2012-09-01|title=Rails/master is now 4.0.0.beta|url=http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2011/12/20/rails-master-is-now-4-0-0-beta/|website=weblog.rubyonrails.org}}</ref> Rails 3.2.12 supports Ruby 2.0.<ref>[https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/9406 Rails 3.2.x is now compatible with Ruby 2.0.0 by sikachu · Pull Request #9406 · rails/rails · GitHub]. Github.com. Retrieved on 2014-05-30.</ref>

Rails 4.0 was released on June 25, 2013, introducing Russian Doll Caching, Turbolinks, Live Streaming as well as making Active Resource, Active Record Observer and other components optional by splitting them as gems.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2013/6/25/Rails-4-0-final/ |title=Rails 4.0: Final version released! |website=weblog.rubyonrails.org |date=2013-06-25 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref>

Rails 4.1 was released on April 8, 2014, introducing Spring, Variants, Enums, Mailer previews, and secrets.yml.<ref name=41announce>{{cite web|url=http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2014/4/8/Rails-4-1/|title=Rails 4.1.0: Spring, Variants, Enums, Mailer previews, secrets.yml|website=weblog.rubyonrails.org|date=8 April 2014}}</ref>

Rails 4.2 was released on December 19, 2014, introducing Active Job, asynchronous emails, Adequate Record, Web Console, and [[Foreign key|foreign key]]s.<ref name=42announce>{{cite web |url=http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2014/12/19/Rails-4-2-final/|title=Rails 4.2: Active Job, Asynchronous Mails, Adequate Record, Web Console, Foreign Keys|website=weblog.rubyonrails.org|date=19 December 2014|access-date=5 Dec 2015}}</ref>

Rails 5.0 was released on June 30, 2016, introducing Action Cable, API mode, and Turbolinks 5.<ref name=50announce>{{cite web | url=http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2016/6/30/Rails-5-0-final/|title=Rails 5.0: Action Cable, API mode, and so much more|website=weblog.rubyonrails.org|date=30 June 2016|access-date=19 Nov 2016}}</ref>

Rails 5.0.0.1 was released on August 10, 2016, with Exclusive use of rails CLI over Rake and support for Ruby version 2.2.2 and above.

Rails 5.1 was released on April 27, 2017, introducing [[JavaScript]] integration changes (management of JavaScript dependencies from NPM via Yarn, optional compilation of JavaScript using Webpack, and a rewrite of Rails UJS to use vanilla JavaScript instead of depending on jQuery), system tests using [[Software:Capybara|Capybara]], encrypted secrets, parameterized mailers, direct & resolved routes, and a unified form_with helper replacing the form_tag/form_for helpers.<ref name=51announce>{{cite web | url=http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2017/4/27/Rails-5-1-final/|title=Rails 5.1: Loving JavaScript, System Tests, Encrypted Secrets, and more|website=weblog.rubyonrails.org|date=27 April 2017|access-date=10 May 2017}}</ref>

Rails 5.2 was released on April 9, 2018, introducing new features that include ActiveStorage, built-in Redis Cache Store, updated Rails Credentials and a new DSL that allows for configuring a Content Security Policy for an application.<ref name=52announce>{{cite web | url=https://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2018/4/9/Rails-5-2-0-final/|title=Rails 5.2.0 FINAL: Active Storage, Redis Cache Store, HTTP/2 Early Hints, CSP, Credentials |website=weblog.rubyonrails.org|date=9 April 2018 |access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref>

Rails 5.2.2 was released on December 4, 2018, introducing numerous bug fixes and several logic improvements.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2018/12/4/Rails-5-2-2-has-been-released/|title=Rails 5.2.2 has been released!|last=rafaelfranca|date=2018-12-04|website=weblog.rubyonrails.org|access-date=2019-01-04}}</ref>

Rails 6.0 was released on August 16, 2019, making Webpack default, adding mailbox routing, a default [[Software:Online rich-text editor|online rich-text editor]], parallel testing, multiple database support, mailer routing and a new autoloader.<ref name=60announce>{{Cite web|url=https://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2019/8/15/Rails-6-0-final-release/|title=Rails 6.0: Action Mailbox, Action Text, Multiple DBs, Parallel Testing, Webpacker by default, and Zeitwerk |last=dhh|date=2019-08-19|website=weblog.rubyonrails.org|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref>

Rails 6.1 was released on December 9, 2020, adding per-database connection switching, [[Shard (database architecture)|horizontal database sharding]], eager loading of all associations, Delegated Types as an alternative to single-table inheritance, asynchronous deletion of associations, error objects, and other improvements and bug fixes.<ref name=61announce>{{Cite web|url=https://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2020/12/9/Rails-6-1-0-release/|title=Rails 6.1: Horizontal Sharding, Multi-DB Improvements, Strict Loading, Destroy Associations in Background, Error Objects, and more!|last=eileencodes|date=2020-12-09|website=weblog.rubyonrails.org|access-date=2020-12-28}}</ref>

Rails 7.0 was released on December 15, 2021, replacing [[Software:Node.js|Node.js]] and Webpack with import maps for JavaScript management by default, replacing Turbolinks with a combination of Turbo and Stimulus, adding at-work encryption into Active Record, using Zeitwerk exclusively for code loading, and more.<ref name=70announce>{{Cite web|url=https://rubyonrails.org/2021/12/15/Rails-7-fulfilling-a-vision|title=Rails 7.0: Fulfilling a vision|last=dhh|date=2021-12-15|website=weblog.rubyonrails.org|access-date=2021-12-16}}</ref>

Rails 7.1 was released on October 5, 2023, Dockerfiles support using Kamal in order to deploy your application, authentication improvements, and now including support for [[Software:Bun|bun]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rails 7.1: Dockerfiles, BYO Authentication, More Async Queries, and more! |url=https://rubyonrails.org/2023/10/5/Rails-7-1-0-has-been-released |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=Ruby on Rails |language=en}}</ref>

<!-- Template:Version is for version and release history. Documentation and examples: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Version -->
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="float:left;"
|+ Version History
|-
! Version !! Release Date !! Compatible Ruby Version(s)<ref name="2012rubyonrailscompat">{{cite web |title=Ruby/Rails Compatibility Matrix |url=https://devalot.com/articles/2012/03/ror-compatibility |website=devalot.com |access-date=5 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="railsguidesupgrading">{{cite web |title=Upgrading Ruby on Rails |url=https://guides.rubyonrails.org/upgrading_ruby_on_rails.html#ruby-versions |website=guides.rubyonrails.org |access-date=5 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="railsedgeguidesupgrading">{{cite web |title=Upgrading Ruby on Rails |url=https://edgeguides.rubyonrails.org/upgrading_ruby_on_rails.html#ruby-versions |website=edgeguides.rubyonrails.org |access-date=5 March 2021}}</ref>
|-
| {{Version |o |1.0}}<ref>[http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2005/12/13/rails-1-0-party-like-its-one-oh-oh/ "Rails 1.0: Party like it's one oh oh!"]. ''weblog.rubyonrails.org''. Retrieved June 9, 2010.</ref> || {{dts|2005|12|13}} || 1.8.6
|-
| {{Version |o |1.2}}<ref>[http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2007/1/19/rails-1-2-rest-admiration-http-lovefest-and-utf-8-celebrations "Rails 1.2: REST admiration, HTTP lovefest, and UTF-8 celebrations"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102040417/http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2007/1/18/rails-1-2-rest-admiration-http-lovefest-and-utf-8-celebrations/ |date=2012-11-02 }}. ''weblog.rubyonrails.org''. Retrieved June 9, 2010.</ref> || {{dts|2007|1|19}} || 1.8.6
|-
| {{Version |o |2.0}}<ref>[http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2007/12/7/rails-2-0-it-s-done "Rails 2.0: It's done!"]. ''weblog.rubyonrails.org''. Retrieved June 9, 2010.</ref> || {{dts|2007|12|7}} || 1.8.6
|-
| {{Version |o |2.1}}<ref>[http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2008/5/31/rails-2-1-time-zones-dirty-caching-gem-dependencies-caching-etc Rails 2.1: Time zones, dirty, caching, gem dependencies, caching, etc] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102040223/http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2008/5/31/rails-2-1-time-zones-dirty-caching-gem-dependencies-caching-etc/ |date=2012-11-02 }}. ''weblog.rubyonrails.org''. Retrieved June 9, 2010.</ref> || {{dts|2008|6|1}} || 1.8.6
|-
| {{Version |o |2.2}}<ref>[http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2008/11/21/rails-2-2-i18n-http-validators-thread-safety-jruby-1-9-compatibility-docs "Rails 2.2: i18n, HTTP validators, thread safety, JRuby/1.9 compatibility, docs"]. ''weblog.rubyonrails.org''. Retrieved June 9, 2010.</ref> || {{dts|2008|11|21}} || 1.8.7 recommended; 1.8.6 possible
|-
| {{Version |o | 2.3}}<ref>[http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2009/3/16/rails-2-3-templates-engines-rack-metal-much-more "Rails 2.3: Templates, Engines, Rack, Metal, much more!"]. ''weblog.rubyonrails.org''. Retrieved June 9, 2010.</ref> || {{dts|2009|3|16}} || 1.8.7 recommended; 1.8.6 and 1.9.1 possible
|-
| {{Version |o |3.0}}<ref>[http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2010/8/29/rails-3-0-it-s-done "Rails 3.0: It's ready!"]. ''weblog.rubyonrails.org''. Retrieved August 30, 2010.</ref> || {{dts|2010|8|29}} || 1.9.3 recommended; 1.8.7 and 1.9.2 possible
|-
| {{Version |o |3.1}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/rails/rails/commit/505e84599aff6abf719484636b0515e1ce2e2220|title=bumping to 3.1.0|website=Github.com}}</ref> || {{dts|2011|8|31}} || 1.9.3 recommended; 1.8.7 and 1.9.2 possible
|-
| {{Version |o |3.2}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://github.com/rails/rails/commit/f36dcaf488b4357a52f43e3912628428956d351f|title=Preparing for 3.2.0 release|website=Github.com}}</ref> || {{dts|2012|1|20}} || 1.9.3 recommended; 1.8.7 and 1.9.2 possible
|-
| {{Version |o |4.0}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.wyeworks.com/2012/10/29/rails-4-in-30-minutes/|title=Rails 4 in 30'|website=blog.wyeworks.com|access-date=15 December 2012|archive-date=4 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204083513/http://blog.wyeworks.com/2012/10/29/rails-4-in-30-minutes/|url-status=dead}}</ref> || {{dts|2013|6|25}} || 2.0 preferred; 1.9.3 or newer required
|-
| {{Version |o |4.1}}<ref name=41announce/> || {{dts|2014|4|8}} || 2.0 preferred; 1.9.3 or newer required
|-
| {{Version |o |4.2}}<ref name=42announce/> || {{dts|2014|12|19}} || 2.0 preferred; 1.9.3 or newer required
|-
| {{Version|o|5.0}}<ref name=50announce/> || {{dts|2016|06|30}} || 2.2.2 or newer
|-
| {{Version|o|5.1}}<ref name=51announce/> || {{dts|2017|05|10}} || 2.2.2 or newer
|-
| {{Version |o|5.2}}<ref name="52announce" /> || {{dts|2018|04|09}} || 2.2.2 or newer
|-
| {{Version |o|6.0}}<ref name="60announce" /> || {{dts|2019|08|16}} || 2.5.0 or newer
|-
| {{Version |co|6.1}}<ref name="61announce" /> || {{dts|2020|12|9}} || 2.5.0 or newer
|-
| {{Version|co|7.0}}<ref name=70announce /> || {{dts|2021|12|15}} || 2.7.0 or newer
|-
| {{Version|c|7.1}}<ref name="71announce">{{cite web |last1=França |first1=Rafael |title=Rails 7.1: Dockerfiles, BYO Authentication, More Async Queries, and more! |url=https://rubyonrails.org/2023/10/5/Rails-7-1-0-has-been-released |website=rubyonrails.org |access-date=5 October 2023}}</ref> || {{dts|2023|10|05}} || 2.7.0 or newer
|-
| {{Version|p|7.2}}<ref name="72announce">{{cite web |last1=França |first1=Rafael |title=Development of Rails 7.2 starts now |url=https://github.com/rails/rails/commit/fb6c6007d02114f272c506cb837fff1e7534f413 |website=GitHub |access-date=26 September 2023}}</ref> || 2024<ref name="7280date">{{cite web |last1=Heinemeier Hansson |first1=David |title=7.2.0 Milestones |url=https://github.com/rails/rails/milestone/83 |website=GitHub |access-date=26 December 2023}}</ref> || 3.1.0 or newer<ref name="72rubyver">{{cite web |last1=Boussier |first1=Jean |title=Bump the required Ruby version to 3.1.0 |url=https://github.com/rails/rails/pull/50491 |website=GitHub |access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref>
|-
| {{Version|p|8.0}}<ref name="80announce">{{cite web |last1=Heinemeier Hansson |first1=David |title=8.0.0 Milestones |url=https://github.com/rails/rails/milestone/87 |website=GitHub |access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref> || 2024<ref name="80announce">{{cite web |last1=Heinemeier Hansson |first1=David |title=8.0.0 Milestones |url=https://github.com/rails/rails/milestone/87 |website=GitHub |access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref> || 3.3.0 or newer<ref name="80rubyver">{{cite web |last1=Heinemeier Hansson |first1=David |title=Make Ruby 3.3. the new minimum version|url=https://github.com/rails/rails/issues/50447 |website=GitHub |access-date=26 December 2023}}</ref>
|-
| colspan="3" | {{Version |l |show=011101}}
|}

<!-- MAJOR RELEASES ONLY PLEASE -->

{{Clear}}

==Technical overview==
Ruby on Rails evolves radically from release to release exploring the use of new technologies and adopting new standards on the Internet. Some features are very stable in Ruby on Rails while some are replaced in favour of new techniques.

===Model-view-controller pattern===
The [[Model–view–controller|model–view–controller]] (MVC) pattern is the fundamental structure to organize application programming.

In a default configuration, a ''model'' in the Ruby on Rails framework maps to a table in a database and to a Ruby file. For example, a model class ''User'' will usually be defined in the file 'user.rb' in the app/models directory, and linked to the table 'users' in the database. While developers are free to ignore this convention and choose differing names for their models, files, and database table, this is not common practice and is usually discouraged in accordance with the "[[Convention over configuration|convention-over-configuration]]" philosophy.

A ''controller'' is a server-side component of Rails that responds to external requests from the web server to the application, by determining which view file to render. The controller may also have to query one or more models for information and pass these on to the view. For example, in an airline reservation system, a controller implementing a flight-search function would need to query a model representing individual flights to find flights matching the search, and might also need to query models representing airports and airlines to find related secondary data. The controller might then pass some subset of the flight data to the corresponding view, which would contain a mixture of static HTML and logic that use the flight data to create an HTML document containing a table with one row per flight. A controller may provide one or more actions. In Ruby on Rails, an action is typically a basic unit that describes how to respond to a specific external web-browser request. Also, note that the controller/action will be accessible for external web requests only if a corresponding route is mapped to it. Rails encourages developers to use [[Representational state transfer|REST]]ful routes, which include actions such as create, new, edit, update, destroy, show, and index. These mappings of incoming requests/routes to controller actions can be easily set up in the routes.rb configuration file.

A ''view'' in the default configuration of Rails is an erb file, which is evaluated and converted to [[HTML]] at run-time. Alternatively, many other templating systems can be used for views.

Ruby on Rails includes tools that make common development tasks easier "out-of-the-box", such as [[Scaffold (programming)|scaffolding]] that can automatically construct some of the models and views needed for a basic website.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sean Lynch |url=http://fairleads.blogspot.com/2007/12/rails-20-and-scaffolding-step-by-step.html |title=fairleads: Rails 2.0 and Scaffolding Step by Step |website=Fairleads.blogspot.com |date=2007-12-15 |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref> Also included are [[Software:WEBrick|WEBrick]], a simple Ruby web server that is distributed with Ruby, and [[Software:Rake|Rake]], a build system, distributed as a [[Software:RubyGems|gem]]. Together with Ruby on Rails, these tools provide a basic development environment.

===HTTP Servers===
Ruby on Rails is most commonly not connected to the Internet directly, but through some front-end [[Web server|web server]]. [[Software:Mongrel (web server)|Mongrel]] was generally preferred{{By whom|date=February 2015}} over WEBrick in the early days,{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} but it can also run on [[Software:Lighttpd|Lighttpd]], Apache, Cherokee, [[Software:Hiawatha (web server)|Hiawatha]], [[Software:Nginx|Nginx]] (either as a module – [[Software:Phusion Passenger|Phusion Passenger]] for example – or via [[Common Gateway Interface|CGI]], [[FastCGI]] or [[Software:Mod ruby|mod ruby]]), and many others. From 2008 onward, Passenger replaced Mongrel as the most-used web server for Ruby on Rails.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rubyonrails.org/deploy |title=Ruby on Rails: Deploy|website=rubyonrails.org |access-date=2012-12-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090707080544/http://rubyonrails.org/deploy |archive-date=2009-07-07 }}</ref> Ruby is also supported natively on [[Software:IBM i|IBM i]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Maxcer|first=Chris|title=PowerRuby Brings Enterprise Ruby on Rails Support to IBM i|url=http://iprodeveloper.com/application-development/powerruby-brings-enterprise-ruby-rails-support-ibm-i|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009010101/http://iprodeveloper.com/application%2Ddevelopment/powerruby%2Dbrings%2Denterprise%2Druby%2Drails%2Dsupport%2Dibm%2Di|publisher=iPro Developer|access-date=9 May 2014|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 October 2013}}</ref>

===JavaScript===
Ruby on Rails is also noteworthy for its extensive use of the [[JavaScript]] libraries [[Software:Prototype JavaScript Framework|Prototype]] and [[Software:Script.aculo.us|Script.aculo.us]] for scripting [[Ajax (programming)|Ajax]] actions.<ref>{{cite web|author=Js_Escape_Map |url=http://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActionView/Helpers/JavaScriptHelper.html |title=ActionView::Helpers::JavaScriptHelper |website=Api.rubyonrails.org |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref> Ruby on Rails initially utilized lightweight [[SOAP]] for web services; this was later replaced by RESTful web services. Ruby on Rails 3.0 separates the markup of the page (which defines the structure of the page) from scripting (which determines functionality or logic of the page).

===Web Services===
Since version 2.0, Ruby on Rails offers both HTML and XML as standard output formats. The latter is the facility for RESTful web services.

===CSS===
Rails 3.1 introduced [[Sass (stylesheet language)|Sass]] as standard [[CSS]] templating.

===Template===
By default, the server uses [[Software:ERuby|Embedded Ruby]] in the HTML views, with files having an html.erb extension.  Rails supports swapping-in alternative templating languages, such as HAML and [[Software:Mustache (template system)|Mustache]].

===Ruby versions===
Ruby on Rails 3.0 has been designed to work with Ruby 1.8.7, Ruby 1.9.2, and [[Software:JRuby|JRuby]] 1.5.2+; earlier versions are not supported.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2010/8/29/rails-3-0-it-s-done|title=Rails 3.0: It's ready!|website=weblog.rubyonrails.org|date=29 August 2010|quote=Rails 3.0 has been designed to work with Ruby 1.8.7, Ruby 1.9.2, and JRuby 1.5.2+.|access-date=2010-08-30}}</ref>

Ruby on Rails 3.2 is the last series of releases that support Ruby 1.8.7.

===Framework structure===
Ruby on Rails is separated into various packages, namely [[Active record pattern|ActiveRecord]] (an [[Object-relational mapping|object-relational mapping]] system for database access), Action Pack, Active Support and Action Mailer. Prior to version 2.0, Ruby on Rails also included the Action Web Service package that is now replaced by Active Resource. Apart from standard packages, developers can make [[Plug-in (computing)|plugins]] to extend existing packages. Earlier Rails supported plugins within their own custom framework; version 3.2 deprecates these in favor of standard Ruby "gems".<ref name="Rails 3.2.0.rc2 has been released!">{{cite web|date=2012-09-01|title=Rails 3.2.0.rc2 has been released!|url=http://weblog.rubyonrails.org/2012/1/4/rails-3-2-0-rc2-has-been-released/|website=weblog.rubyonrails.org}}</ref>

===Deployment===
Ruby on Rails is often installed using [[Software:RubyGems|RubyGems]], a package manager<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rubyonrails.org/download|title=Ruby on Rails: Download|website=rubyonrails.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212173926/http://rubyonrails.org/download|archive-date=2009-12-12}}</ref> which is included with current versions of Ruby. Many free Unix-like systems also support installation of Ruby on Rails and its dependencies through their native package management system.

Ruby on Rails is typically deployed with a database server such as [[Software:MySQL|MySQL]] or [[Software:PostgreSQL|PostgreSQL]], and a web server such as [[Software:Apache HTTP Server|Apache]] running the [[Software:Phusion Passenger|Phusion Passenger]] module.

==Philosophy and design==
Ruby on Rails is intended to emphasize ''Convention over Configuration'' (CoC), and the ''Don't Repeat Yourself'' (DRY) principle.

[https://rubyonrails.org/doctrine/ The Rails Doctrine] is an enduring enabler that guides the philosophy, design, and implementation of the Ruby on Rails framework.

"Convention over Configuration" means a developer only needs to specify unconventional aspects of the application. For example, if there is a class ''Sale'' in the model, the corresponding table in the database is called ''sales'' by default. It is only if one deviates from this convention, such as calling the table "products sold", that the developer needs to write code regarding these names. Generally, Ruby on Rails conventions lead to less code and less repetition.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started.html | title = Getting Started with Rails |website=guides.rubyonrails.org | access-date = 2014-03-10}}</ref>

"Don't repeat yourself" means that information is located in a single, unambiguous place. For example, using the [[Active record pattern|ActiveRecord]] module of Rails, the developer does not need to specify database column names in class definitions. Instead, Ruby on Rails can retrieve this information from the database based on the class name.

"Fat models, skinny controllers" means that most of the application logic should be placed within the model while leaving the controller as light as possible. 

HTML Over The Wire (Hotwire),<ref name= hotwire> David Heinemeier Hansson  [https://world.hey.com/dhh/the-time-is-right-for-hotwire-ecdb9b33 (7 Dec 2021) The time is right for Hotwire]</ref><ref name= ror7JsAnswers > David Heinemeier Hansson  [https://world.hey.com/dhh/rails-7-will-have-three-great-answers-to-javascript-in-2021-8d68191b (September 6, 2021) Rails 7 will have three great answers to JavaScript in 2021+]</ref>
Conceptual compression,<ref name= conceptualCompression> David Heinemeier Hansson [https://m.signalvnoise.com/conceptual-compression-means-beginners-dont-need-to-know-sql-hallelujah/ (19 April 2018) Conceptual compression means beginners don’t need to know SQL — hallelujah!]</ref><ref  name= fixme> David Heinemeier Hansson [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKyv-IGvgGE (May 15, 2018) RailsConf 2018: Opening Keynote: FIXME by David Heinemeier Hansson] Conceptual compression</ref> and robust security<ref name= heySecurity>David Heinemeier Hansson  [https://www.hey.com/security/ (31 Aug 2020) Serious security]</ref> mark Rails 7.0's approach to the One person framework.{{efn|name= dhhBlog|Ruby on Rails version 7.0 allows the One-Person Framework (of which the Single page application is one approach) <ref name= rorSeven> David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Ruby on Rails and hey.com  [https://developers.slashdot.org/story/21/12/19/2043226/ruby-on-rails-creator-touts-70-as-one-person-framework-the-way-it-used-to-be  (19 Dec 2021) Ruby on Rails Creator Touts 7.0 as One-Person Framework, 'The Way It Used To Be']</ref>}}

==Trademarks==
In March 2007, David Heinemeier Hansson applied to register three Ruby on Rails-related  [[Social:Trademark#Registration|trademarks]] with the USPTO. These applications concern the phrase "RUBY ON RAILS",<ref name="Trademark 77119206">{{cite web | title = "Ruby on Rails" Trademark Status | url = http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=77119206 | publisher = USPTO | access-date = 2021-12-15}}</ref> the word "RAILS",<ref name="Trademark 77119210">{{cite web | title = "Rails" Trademark Status | url = http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=77119210 | publisher = USPTO | access-date = 2021-12-15}}</ref> and the official Rails logo.<ref name="Trademark 77119208">{{cite web | title = Rails Logo Trademark Status | url = http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=77119208 | publisher = USPTO | access-date = 2021-12-15}}</ref> In the summer of 2007, Hansson denied the publisher Apress permission to use the Ruby on Rails logo on the cover of a new Ruby on Rails book written by some authoritative community members. The episode gave rise to a polite protest in the Ruby on Rails community.<ref name="Community criticism">{{cite web|first=Pete |last=Forde |date=2007-07-23 |title=Beginning Rails: From Novice to Professional |url=http://rethink.unspace.ca/2007/7/23/beginning-rails-from-novice-to-professional |access-date=2007-08-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070805232643/http://rethink.unspace.ca/2007/7/23/beginning-rails-from-novice-to-professional |archive-date=August 5, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="community-criticism-2">{{cite web | first = Peter | last = Cooper | date = 2007-07-24 | title = David Heinemeier Hansson says No to Use of Rails Logo | url = http://www.rubyinside.com/david-heinemeier-hansson-says-no-to-use-of-rails-logo-567.html | access-date = 2007-08-01}}</ref> In response to this criticism, Hansson replied:
<blockquote>I only grant promotional use [of the Rails logo] for products I'm directly involved with. Such as books that I've been part of the development process for or conferences where I have a say in the execution. I would most definitely seek to enforce all the trademarks of Rails.<ref name="Community criticism" /></blockquote>
The trademark of the logo was cancelled on October 25, 2019.<ref name="Trademark 77119208"/>

==Reception==

===Scalability===
In earlier days, Rails running on [[Software:Ruby MRI|Matz's Ruby Interpreter]] (the ''de facto'' reference interpreter for Ruby) had been criticized for issues with scalability.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=radicalbehavior.com |date=2007-03-29 |title=5 Question Interview with Twitter Developer Alex Payne |quote=''By various metrics Twitter is the biggest Rails site on the net right now. Running on Rails has forced us to deal with scaling issues - issues that any growing site eventually contends with – far sooner than I think we would on another framework.'' |url=http://www.radicalbehavior.com/5-question-interview-with-twitter-developer-alex-payne/? |access-date=2014-11-04 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090423002030/http://www.radicalbehavior.com/5-question-interview-with-twitter-developer-alex-payne/ |archive-date=April 23, 2009 }}</ref> These critics often mentioned various [[Company:Twitter|Twitter]] outages in 2007 and 2008, which spurred Twitter's partial transition to [[Scala (programming language)|Scala]] (which runs on the Java Virtual Machine) for their [[Message queue|queueing system]] and other [[Middleware|middleware]].<ref>{{cite web
 | publisher       = artima.com
 | author1         = Steve Jenson
 | author2         = Alex Payne
 | author3         = Robey Pointer interview
 | name-list-style = amp
 | date            = 2009-04-03
 | title           = Twitter on Scala
 | url             = http://www.artima.com/scalazine/articles/twitter_on_scala.html
 | quote           = ''We had a Ruby-based queuing system that we used for communicating between the Rails front ends and the daemons, and we ended up replacing that with one written in Scala. The Ruby one actually worked pretty decently in a normal steady state, but the startup time and the crash behavior were undesirable.''
 | access-date      = 2009-07-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
 | publisher  = theregister.co.uk
 | date       = 2009-04-01
 | title      = Twitter jilts Ruby for Scala
 | url        = https://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/01/twitter_on_scala/
 | quote      = ''By the end of this year, Payne said, Twitter hopes to have its entire middleware infrastructure and its APIs ported to the new language. Ruby will remain, but only on the front end. "We're still happy with Rails for building user facing features... performance-wise, it's fine for people clicking around web pages. It's the heavy lifting, asynchronous processing type of stuff that we've moved away from."''
 | access-date = 2009-07-18}}</ref> The user interface aspects of the site continued to run Ruby on Rails<ref>{{cite web
 | publisher  = Evan Weaver
 | author     = Ryan King
 | date       = 2009-09-25
 | title      = Twitter on Ruby
 | url        = http://blog.evanweaver.com/articles/2009/09/24/ree/
 | quote      = ''We use Scala for a few things at Twitter, but the majority of the site is Ruby.''
 | access-date = 2009-09-29}}</ref> until 2011 when it was replaced due to concerns over performance.<ref>{{cite web
 | url        = https://blog.twitter.com/2011/twitter-search-now-3x-faster
 | title      = Twitter Search is Now 3x Faster
 | publisher  = Twitter
 | access-date = June 6, 2014}}</ref> On the other hand, many Rails business application developers relied on system architecture design, including choices of database engine, cache configuration, and servers, to tackle scalability issues. The original author of Rails, David Heinemeier Hansson, criticized Twitter, saying that their problems scaling were the consequences of their own poor architectural decisions and not the fault of Rails. According to Hansson, blaming Rails for their troubles while making no contributions to the framework is ungrateful and unjust.<ref name="dhh-20211213">{{cite web|url=https://world.hey.com/dhh/i-won-t-let-you-pay-me-for-my-open-source-d7cf4568|title=I won't let you pay me for my open source|access-date=2021-12-15}}</ref>

In 2011, [[Company:Gartner|Gartner Research]] noted that despite criticisms and comparisons to Java, many high-profile consumer web firms are using Ruby on Rails to build scalable web applications. Some of the largest sites running Ruby on Rails include [[Company:Airbnb|Airbnb]], Cookpad, [[GitHub]], [[Software:GitLab|GitLab]],<ref>{{Cite news |title=Why we're sticking with Ruby on Rails |url=https://about.gitlab.com/blog/2022/07/06/why-were-sticking-with-ruby-on-rails/ |access-date=2022-08-29 |website=GitLab |language=en}}</ref> [[Company:Scribd|Scribd]], [[Company:Shopify|Shopify]], and Basecamp.<ref name="bi20110511">{{cite web | url=http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-05-11/tech/30035869_1_ruby-rails-custom-software | title=Here's Why Ruby On Rails Is Hot | publisher=Business Insider | access-date=February 10, 2012 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111221011816/http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-05-11/tech/30035869_1_ruby-rails-custom-software | archive-date=December 21, 2011 }}</ref> As of January 2016, it is estimated that more than 1.2 million web sites are running Ruby on Rails.<ref>{{cite web|title = Ruby on Rails Usage Statistics|url = http://trends.builtwith.com/framework/Ruby-on-Rails|website = trends.builtwith.com|access-date = 2016-01-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title = Ruby on Rails Token Usage Statistics|url = http://trends.builtwith.com/framework/Ruby-on-Rails-Token|website = trends.builtwith.com|access-date = 2016-01-04}}</ref>

===Security===
In March 2012, security researcher Egor Homakov discovered a [[Mass assignment vulnerability|mass assignment vulnerability]] that allowed certain Rails applications to be remotely exploited, and demonstrated it by non-maliciously hacking [[GitHub]] after his earlier attempts at responsible disclosure were dismissed.<ref>{{cite web|last=Protalinski |first=Emil |url=http://www.zdnet.com/article/how-github-handled-getting-hacked/ |title=How GitHub handled getting hacked |website=Zdnet.com |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref>

On September 24, 2013, a session cookie persistence security flaw was reported in Ruby on Rails. In a default configuration, the entire session hash is stored within a session cookie known as ''CookieStore'', allowing any authenticated session possessing the session cookie to log in as the target user at any time in the future. As a workaround, administrators are advised to configure cookies to be stored on the server using mechanisms such as ''ActiveRecordStore''.<ref name="Threatpost1">{{cite news |last=Brook |first=Chris |url=http://threatpost.com/security-issue-in-ruby-on-rails-could-expose-cookies/102413 |title=Security Issue in Ruby on Rails Could Expose Cookies |work=Threat Post |publisher= The Kaspersky Lab Security News Service |date=2013-09-25 |access-date=2014-06-04 }}</ref>

Researchers Daniel Jackson and Joseph Near developed a data debugger they called "Space" that can analyze the data access of a Rails program and determine if the program properly adheres to rules regarding access restrictions. On April 15, 2016, Near reported that an analysis of 50 popular Web applications using Space uncovered 23 previously unknown security flaws.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.mit.edu/2016/patching-web-applications-0415|title=Patching up Web applications|website=MIT News|access-date=2016-04-21}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book
 |first1     = Sam
 |last1      = Ruby
 |first2     = Dave
 |last2      = Thomas
 |first3     = David
 |last3      = Hansson
 |date       = March 28, 2009
 |title      = Agile Web Development with Rails
 |edition    = Third
 |publisher  = Pragmatic Bookshelf
 |page       = 850
 |isbn       = 978-1-934356-16-6
 |url        = https://archive.org/details/agilewebdevelopm0000unse
 |url-access = registration
}}
* {{Cite book
 |first1     = Simon St.
 |last1      = Laurent
 |first2     = Edd
 |last2      = Dumbill
 |date       = November 28, 2008
 |title      = Learning Rails
 |edition    = First
 |publisher  = O'Reilly Media
 |page       = 442
 |isbn       = 978-0-596-51877-6
 |url        = https://archive.org/details/learningrails00simo
 |url-access = registration
}}
* {{Cite book
 |first1     = Patrick
 |last1      = Lenz
 |date       = May 1, 2008
 |title      = Simply Rails 2
 |edition    = Second
 |publisher  = SitePoint
 |page       = [https://archive.org/details/simplyrails2000patr/page/450 450]
 |isbn       = 978-0-9804552-0-5
 |url        = https://archive.org/details/simplyrails2000patr
 |url-access = registration
}}
* {{Cite book
 |first1    = Bruce
 |last1     = Tate
 |first2    = Curt
 |last2     = Hibbs
 |date      = August 22, 2006
 |title     = Ruby on Rails: Up and Running
 |edition   = First
 |publisher = O'Reilly Media
 |page      = 182
 |isbn      = 0-596-10132-5
 |url       = http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596101329/
}}
* {{Cite book
 |first1       = Steve
 |last1        = Holzner
 |date         = November 29, 2006
 |title        = Beginning Ruby on Rails
 |edition      = First
 |publisher    = Wrox
 |page         = 380
 |isbn         = 0-470-06915-5
 |url          = http://www.wrox.com/WileyCDA/WroxTitle/Beginning-Ruby-on-Rails.productCd-0470069155.html
 |access-date  = 12 July 2009
 |archive-date = 23 April 2012
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120423022010/http://www.wrox.com/WileyCDA/WroxTitle/Beginning-Ruby-on-Rails.productCd-0470069155.html
 |url-status   = dead
}}
* {{Cite book
 |first1       = Jeffrey
 |last1        = Allan Hardy
 |first2       = Cloves
 |last2        = Carneiro Jr
 |first3       = Hampton
 |last3        = Catlin
 |date         = July 20, 2007
 |title        = Beginning Ruby on Rails E-Commerce: From Novice to Professional
 |edition      = First
 |publisher    = Wrox
 |page         = 361
 |isbn         = 978-1-59059-686-9
 |url          = http://www.apress.com/book/view/9781590597361
 |access-date  = 12 July 2009
 |archive-date = 17 September 2010
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20100917191031/http://apress.com/book/view/9781590597361
 |url-status   = dead
}}
* {{Cite book
 |first1     = Mike
 |last1      = Clark
 |date       = May 15, 2008
 |title      = Advanced Rails Recipes
 |edition    = First
 |publisher  = Pragmatic Bookshelf
 |page       = 464
 |isbn       = 978-0-9787392-2-5
 |url        = https://archive.org/details/advancedrailsrec0000clar
 |url-access = registration
}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
** [http://guides.rubyonrails.org/ Guides]
** [http://api.rubyonrails.org/ API]
* {{github|rails/rails}}

{{Ruby programming language}}
{{Application frameworks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruby On Rails}}
[[Category:Free computer libraries]]
[[Category:Web frameworks]]

{{Sourceattribution|Ruby on Rails}}