rails

When building a React SPA, I configure Rails in API-only mode to skip view rendering, asset pipeline, and session cookies. The --api flag generates a lean Rails app focused on JSON responses. I enable CORS to allow the React dev server on localhost:51

For controller-level confidence, I add a request spec that sets Accept: text/vnd.turbo-stream.html and asserts the response includes a turbo stream action. This is faster than a system test and catches accidental template name changes (create.turbo_st

Understanding query execution plans is essential for optimizing slow queries. Rails provides explain method on ActiveRecord relations to show PostgreSQL's query planner output. I look for sequential scans on large tables (indicating missing indexes),

Flash messages provide one-time notifications across requests, perfect for confirming actions or showing errors. I use flash[:notice] for success messages and flash[:alert] for errors. Flash persists in session storage for one request, then auto-delet

Tabs often turn into a mini-SPA. Instead, I treat each tab as a URL and load its content into a turbo_frame_tag named tab_content. Clicking a tab link targets that frame. This gives you browser history, deep linking, and sharable URLs, while keeping t

When I’m on Rails 7+, I like broadcasts_to because it makes realtime behavior obvious in the model. Instead of writing explicit after_create_commit hooks, I declare that a model broadcasts to its parent or to a scope. Then Turbo uses conventional part

API versioning is critical for maintaining backward compatibility while evolving your endpoints. I use Rails namespace routing to organize versions cleanly within the app/controllers structure. Each version lives in its own module like Api::V1 or Api:

Turbo stream re-renders can drop focus, which is rough for accessibility. Use turbo:render to focus the first invalid field inside a specific container. This feels “native” and reduces user friction.

Even in a Hotwire-first app, I keep HTML fallbacks because it makes features robust and keeps endpoints usable for bots and scripts. In controllers, I almost always include format.html alongside format.turbo_stream. For example, on create I return tur

Multi-step forms traditionally require complex JavaScript state management, but Hotwire makes them simple. Each step is a separate controller action that renders a Turbo Frame containing the current step's fields. Navigation between steps updates only

Rack middleware sits between the web server and Rails application, providing a hook for cross-cutting concerns like request logging, metrics collection, or custom authentication. I use middleware to inject request IDs, track response times, or enforce

Long-running jobs can hit stale connections. Wrap work in with_connection and consider verify! before heavy DB usage. This reduces “PG::ConnectionBad” noise during long maintenance tasks.