How To Host Ruby On Rails Website

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by

Vector Linux
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Hosting a Ruby on Rails website can be a complex task, but with the right tools and knowledge, it is definitely achievable. As a web developer who has hosted multiple Ruby on Rails websites, I can share my personal experiences and provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to host your own Ruby on Rails website.

Choosing a Hosting Provider

Before diving into the technical aspects of hosting a Ruby on Rails website, it’s important to choose a reliable hosting provider. As a Ruby on Rails developer, you need a hosting provider that supports the necessary server requirements for running Ruby on Rails applications.

One hosting provider that I highly recommend is Heroku. Heroku is a cloud-based platform that specializes in hosting Ruby on Rails applications. It offers a free tier for small projects and a scalable infrastructure for larger applications.

To get started with Heroku, simply sign up for an account and follow their documentation to set up your application. Heroku provides a command-line interface (CLI) tool called Heroku CLI which you can use to deploy and manage your Ruby on Rails application.

Preparing Your Application

Now that you have a hosting provider, it’s time to prepare your Ruby on Rails application for deployment. Here are the steps you need to follow:

  1. Make sure your application is using the latest stable version of Ruby on Rails. You can check the version by running the command rails -v in your terminal.
  2. Remove any unnecessary gems or dependencies from your Gemfile to keep your application lightweight.
  3. Update your database configuration in config/database.yml to use the correct database credentials for your hosting environment.
  4. Make sure your application is using a secure secret key base. You can generate a new secret key base by running the command rails secret in your terminal and updating it in config/secrets.yml.
  5. Test your application locally to ensure everything is working as expected before deploying it. You can use the command rails server to start a local server and access your application in your web browser.

Deploying Your Application

With your application prepared, it’s time to deploy it to your hosting provider. Here are the general steps to deploy a Ruby on Rails application using Heroku:

  1. Initialize a Git repository in your application’s root directory by running the command git init in your terminal.
  2. Add your application files to the Git repository by running the command git add . in your terminal.
  3. Commit your changes to the Git repository by running the command git commit -m "Initial commit" in your terminal.
  4. Create a new Heroku application by running the command heroku create in your terminal.
  5. Push your application to Heroku by running the command git push heroku master in your terminal.
  6. Run your application’s database migrations on Heroku by running the command heroku run rails db:migrate in your terminal.
  7. Visit your deployed application by running the command heroku open in your terminal.

Conclusion

Hosting a Ruby on Rails website may seem daunting at first, but by following the steps outlined in this article, you can successfully host your own website. Remember to choose a reliable hosting provider like Heroku, prepare your application for deployment, and deploy it using Git and the Heroku CLI. With practice and experience, you’ll become more comfortable with hosting Ruby on Rails websites.