Rails 6 Features Explained: Speed, Security & Scalability

Quick Summary

Rails 6 is a significant version of the evolution of Ruby on Rails, introducing modern features tailored to meet the demand of the latest applications. These include real-time interactivity, seamless content editing, better testing performance, and multi-database support. From developer experience to app scalability, Rails 6 is packed with tools designed to future-proof web applications. Let’s explore what Rails 6 brings to the table.

Introduction

Ruby on Rails, which brings new evolution in web development, has become a mandate in every latest version update. With each release, Rails ensures that it matches modern application requirements, and Rails 6 is no exception.

Rails 6 delivers a more powerful, secure, and scalable experience by introducing key features like Action Mailbox, Action Text, Parallel Testing, Webpacker by default, and improved support for multiple databases. Whether you are building from scratch or upgrading into an existing one, Rails 6 provides the framework and flexibility to develop innovative web applications with ease.

Let’s take a closer look at what makes Rails 6 a major milestone in the framework’s history.

What’s New in Ruby on Rails 6.0?

Rails 6 comes up with helpful updates that assist you in developing modern web applications that are smoother and more efficient. Let’s walk you through some of the significant additions and features enhancements for your project:

1. Action Mailbox

Rails 6 introduces Action Mailbox, a built-in way to route and process inbound emails. This feature allows you to handle scenarios like turning emails into support tickets, blog comments, or task updates directly within the app.

Key Benefits of Action MailBox

Routes incoming emails to mailboxes based on address patterns.
Supports email services like SendGrid, Mailgun, and Postmark.
Stores and processes email asynchronously for reliability.

Example:

# app/mailboxes/support_mailbox.rb
class SupportMailbox < ApplicationMailbox
  def process
    SupportTicket.create!(
      subject: mail.subject,
      body: mail.body.decoded,
      sender: mail.from[0]
    )
  end

With Action Mailbox, managing incoming communication becomes seamless and centralized, improving performance and speed. For instance, if you handle client email separately, the route and processes are streamlined and automated, which stores the information within the app itself.

2. Action Text

Action Text in Ruby on Rails 6 integrates the Trix editor, enabling rich text content creation, including formatting, embedded images, and file uploads. It stores content in HTML and links seamlessly with Active Storage.

Its Significant Features:

It lets you write and edit rich text like bold, and italics easily.
Automatically takes care of uploading and showing attachments.
Action text allows you to add images and files right inside your text.

Example:


<%= form_with model: @post do |form| %>
  <%= form.label :body %>
  <%= form.rich_text_area :body %>
  <%= form.submit %>
<% end %>

This feature is also ideal for blogs, CMS platforms, and any application requiring rich content management. Additionally, it saves time in HTML for consistent rendering across views.

3. Parallel Testing

Rails 6 initiated native support for Parallel Testing. This feature allows you to run test suites across multiple cores for faster feedback. As a result, it helps to speed up the development process by reducing the times it takes to function all your tests.

Highlights of Parallel Testing:

Run your tests in different processes at the same time to save time.
Automatically sets up a separate database for each test process.
It makes your test run much faster on your computer and in CI tools.

Example:

rails test:prepare
rails test:parallel

This feature is quite helpful for teams who work on large apps, as it is a massive time-saver that improves productivity and encourages frequent testing. Parallel testing helps developers respond to feedback quicker, fix issues faster, and update without long delays.

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4. Webpacker by Default

The WebPacker becomes the default JavaScript compiler in Rails 6. It replaces the older asset pipeline approach for handling JS in the development process. This feature allows you to integrate NPM packages easily, leverage modern app functionality, and take advantage of better performance.

What’s New in WebPacker:

It can easily integrate popular frameworks like React, Vue, and Angular into your Rails app.
This feature simplifies the handling of npm packages and supports ES6 modules for cleaner code.
Webpacker fully integrates with modern tools like Webpack and Babel for a more streamlined front-end development process.

Example:

rails webpacker:install
rails webpacker:install:react

Webpacker shift empowers developers to build rich, interactive interfaces with a Rails backend more easily. It enables seamless integration of modern JavaScript tools and libraries, ensuring the development process remains organized and efficient.

5. Multiple Database Support

Rails 6 adds official support for applications that use more than one database, a big step toward scaling complex apps. As a result, it will make your app more scalable, secure, and a win deal for enterprise web applications with massive data.

Prominent Features of Multiple Database:

It lets you easily separate, read, configure, and write operations to enhance performance and reliability.
Distribute data across databases to scale efficiently, especially in multi-tenant apps.
Run and track migrations separately for each database with minimal hassle.

Example:

class ApplicationRecord < ActiveRecord::Base
  connects_to database: { writing: :primary, reading: :replica }
end

This allows large-scale applications to improve performance and fault tolerance without custom setup. In addition, it is easier to separate reads and streamline ready-heavy queries while maintaining responsiveness.

6. Zeitwerk Code Loader

Rails 6 introduced Zeitwerk, a modern code loader that replaces the classic autoloader. It implements consistent file and class naming conventions, ensuring everything is loaded predictably and reliably.

Key Benefits of Zeitwerk Code Loader:

Zeitwerk enforces consistent naming and folder structure.
It is thread-safe, essential for production-grade applications and multithreaded servers.
This code loader features reduces boot time and improves code organization.

Example:

# app/services/payment_service.rb
class PaymentService

As long as you name your files and classes correctly, Zeitwerk automatically finds and loads them. This reduces manual loading code and errors, making the development experience smoother.

7. Host Authorization

Rails 6 adds Host Authorization as a built-in defense against DNS rebinding attacks. It filters incoming requests and allows only those from trusted domains to access your app. This feature also prevents attackers from tricking your app into serving malicious traffic under their control.

Configuration Example:

Cop# config/environments/production.rb
config.hosts << "myapp.com"

Host authorization ensures that your Rails app only responds to requests from known, approved domains. It is a small addition that plays a big role in securing apps in public or cloud-hosted environments.

8. Other Notable Enhancements

These additional enhancements round out Rails 6, enhance the overall developer experience, boost performance, and ensure that your applications stay compatible with modern technologies.

Active Storage Improvements: It supports direct uploads more reliably and adds better blob tracking. This improves file handling for user uploads, especially when utilizing third-party cloud storage like Amazon S3.
Action Cable Updates: Subscription identifiers are now more flexible and test-friendly, making real-time features, such as chats, notifications, or live updates easier to build and maintain.
Ruby Version Requirement: Rails 6 requires Ruby 2.5.0 or newer. This ensures compatibility with modern language features and performance improvements, keeping your app fast, secure, and future-proof. You can also collaborate with a Ruby on Rails upgrade services provider to add these enhancements to your applications.

Conclusion

Rails 6 effectively brings the efficiency and simplicity of Rails into modern projects. In simple terms, it includes all the advanced features required for today’s web applications. From rich text editing and parallel testing to improved JavaScript handling and multi-database support, it offers significant functionality enhancements to build high-performance, scalable apps.

As a trusted Ruby on Rails development company, we can help you seamlessly upgrade to Rails 6 or implement it from scratch. Our team ensures you leverage all the latest features while maintaining long-term stability, high performance, and scalability.

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