Quick Summary

In today’s competitive market, the software development arena is all about the survival of the fittest. Accepting this fact, the Ruby on Rails development team has taken a step ahead with releasing the latest beta version of Ruby on Rails 8.0. In this blog post, we will explore what’s new in Ruby on Rails v8.0 Beta and briefly examine the new features and latest updates you should look forward to transforming your software application development journey.

Table of Contents

Introduction

We often hear, “Ruby on Rails Is Dead,” but the reality is far from this fad. The latest version of Ruby on Rails 8.0 beta just dropped, and the features it brings aboard are beyond expectations simplifying your life as a developer. This year’s official release date was September 26, 2024, for Rails 8.0.0.beta1 version was scheduled in Toronto at the Rails World with over 1000 Rails developers for the 2-day event. The event included 27 speakers accompanied by 2 party nights. At the moment, it is a beta release aiming to deliver significant shifts with greater ease and flexibility.

What’s New in Ruby on Rails 8.0 Beta 1?

The Ruby on Rails 8.0 beta release marks a significant shift in how developers can build, deploy, and maintain Rails applications with greater ease and flexibility. Let’s examine these standout updates and explain how they can enhance your development experiences.

? Dropped Support For Ruby 3.1

Ruby on Rails 8.0 has officially dropped support for Ruby 3.1, making Ruby 3.2.0 or newer a requirement for running Rails applications. This move ensures developers can use the latest Ruby features and performance optimizations while phasing out older, less efficient versions.

? Native Authentication System

The most anticipated features of Rails 8.0 include introducing the native authentication system. Before this system, the developers depended highly on third-party gems like the Devise for user authentication. Though practical, these solutions are often used to add complexity and abstraction.

The Rails 8.0 beta version includes the built-in authentication generator that helps simplify handling user sessions, password resets, and database-backed authentication natively. This offers your development teams more control and transparency without depending on external libraries. The new authentication system promotes more precise and manageable code, making it easier for the developers to understand the inner workings and tweak them as needed.

? Solid Trifecta: Simplifying WebSockets, Caching, And Job Queuing

Another exciting update in Rails v8.0 is the Solid Trifecta, which brings the database-backed adapters for WebSockets, caching, and job queues. These include Solid Cable, Solid Cache, and Solid Queue.

  • Solid Cable: The Solid Cable replaces the Redis for handling the WebSocket communication in Rails’ ActionCable, enabling the WebSocket updates to be stored directly in the central database. This removes the need for a separate pub/sub server, simplifying the setup.
  • Solid Cache: This replaces Redis and Memcached in Rails’ caching mechanism. It stores cache fragments on the disk using SSDs and NVMe, enabling developers to achieve larger, longer-lasting caches without the complexity of RAM-based caching systems.
  • Solid Queue: It helps streamline job queuing by eliminating the need for separate frameworks such as Sidekiq or Resque. The new queue management system is integrated into Rails, supporting recurring jobs and robust concurrency controls while offering easy-to-configure options for different performance needs.
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? Propshaft Replaces Sprockets For Asset Management

Rails developers relied on Sprockets for asset management for over a decade, including compiling JavaScript and CSS files. With 8.0, Propshaft replaces Sprockets as the default asset pipeline.

The Propshaft is designed to be lighter and more efficient, focusing solely on fingerprinting and serving static files like images, CSS, and JavaScript. Developers are encouraged to use tools such as esbuild or bun for more complex asset pipelines to offload the compilation burden.

The change aligns with modern web development practices and keeps the Rails focused on the essentials.

? Streamlined Deployment With Kamal 2

Deployment has always been a hassle for Rails developers, requiring external tools and complex configurations. 8.0 Kamal 2 is introduced as the default deployment tool with Rails. Kamal 2 generates configuration files automatically, simplifying the deployment of Rails applications to various environments.

This deployment system supports Docker, TLS certificate management, and HTTP/2 out of the box, making it ideal for developers seeking an efficient, production-ready setup without needing to rely on PaaS platforms.

? Additional Developer Tools

The latest version of Ruby on Rails 8.0 includes many new tools to improve the overall development experience.

  • Language Server: Integrated with Rails 8.0, the language server offers improved autocompletion for ActiveRecord validations and Rails constructs in IDEs like VS Code.
  • HTTP Basic Authentication Generator: Rails version 8.0 offers a built-in code generator for developers needing simple HTTP Basic authentication, eliminating the need to use custom code or external gems.
  • Benchmarking Tool: Rails 8.0 includes a new benchmarketing tool that enables developers to measure and compare the server performance metrics, helping make an informed deployment decision.

These tools helped streamline the Rails development process, making developing, debugging, and deploying applications easier.

? Rate Limiting And Security Improvements

Another crucial addition in Rails 8.0 is the native rate limiting, enabling developers to implement the request throttling directly within their applications. This feature helps prevent abuse, improve security, and maintain application performance.

Also, rate-limiting has significantly improved security, with enhanced error handling and better safeguards for running Rails in production.

? Action Pack and Active Record Improvements

Rails 8.0 also brings improvements to the Action Pack and Active Record. For instance, Action Pack now has better support for remote forms, and Active Record introduces optimizations for handling large datasets, primarily for bulk updates and inserts. Additionally, introducing a not-null type modifier during migration generation ensures more efficient and safer database schema updates.

? Active Storage and Active Job

Rails 8.0 beta improved the Active Storage by improving the file upload performance and adding better support for encrypted file uploads. The Active Job also allows improvements, with more robust background job handling and recurring job scheduling now more seamlessly integrated.

Why Upgrade To Ruby on Rails Latest Version?

As we know, keeping your Rails application up to date is not just about having access to the latest features; it is also about improving overall security, reducing technical debt, and enhancing performance. The Rails version upgrade brings many improvements that help simplify development, minimize complexity or deployment, and simplify maintaining a production-grade application.

The Rails 8.0 update eliminates external dependencies like Redis and Memcached in favor of database-backed solutions, enabling developers to build leaner, more efficient applications with fewer moving parts. The improved asset pipeline, deployment tools, and developer-friendly enhancements make it a must-have for anyone serious about modern web development.

Conclusion

The Ruby on Rails 8.0 upgrade represents a significant leap forward in simplifying web development while maintaining the flexibility and power Rails is known for. With new built-in authentication, the Solid Trifecta, Propshaft, and Kamal deployment reduce the complexities of managing external dependencies. It gives developers the tools to deliver modern web applications faster than ever.

Upgrading your Rails version will not only future-proof your applications but also improve your deployment workflow with cleaner, more manageable code and fewer headaches. Also, as a business owner, if you are struggling with your outdated Ruby on Rails version, hire Ruby on Rails developer from us to scale your outdated application and upgrade to a Rails version that best suits your requirements. Experience unmatched performance and efficiency with minimal downtime.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Yes, while Rails 8.0 introduces the Solid Trifecta (Solid Cable, Solid Cache, and Solid Queue) to reduce reliance on Redis, Redis can still be used in specific cases, such as rate limiting or other use cases where its performance is beneficial​.

Rails 8.0 introduces Kamal as the default deployment tool, simplifying the deployment of Rails apps to metal servers or cloud environments. However, it still allows flexibility depending on your specific needs. Kamal supports Docker, HTTP/2, and automatic TLS certificates, making it ideal for production environments.

Rails 8.0 improves scalability by reducing dependencies through the Solid Trifecta, simplifying the infrastructure required for caching, WebSockets, and job queues. It also enhances security features, making handling more requests and interactions in production environments easier without compromising performance​.

Rails 8.0 offers a query log tagging feature enabled by default in development. This allows developers to trace SQL statements back to their source code more efficiently, making debugging more straightforward. A built-in benchmarking tool has also been introduced to evaluate server performance​.

Propshaft is the new default asset pipeline in Rails 8.0, designed to handle modern web application needs, such as fingerprinting assets. While it replaces Sprockets for new applications, older applications using Sprockets can still function, but developers are encouraged to migrate to Propshaft for better performance and simplicity​.

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