Quick Summary
Rails 5, the much-anticipated major release of the Ruby on Rails framework, introduced a suite of enhancements. It highlights speeding up development, enhances performance, and brings real-time functionality into mainstream Rails applications. Let’s shed light and explore what’s new in the Rails version- Rails 5.
Ruby on Rails is known for its convention-over-configuration philosophy and its ability to assist developers in building full-featured web applications with less code. Since its beginning, Rails has stood out as one of the most dynamic web frameworks in the industry.
During RailsConf in Atlanta in 2015, David Heinemerier Hansoon (DHH), the creator of Rails, introduced Rails 5, with exciting new features and architectural patterns that enhance speed and performance enhancements. Moreover, Rails 5 will reshape modern Rails development practices.
Let’s dive deep into the features that made Rails 5 a major milestone and how they can help build smarter, scalable, clean, and maintainable code.
Rails 5 brought a wave of robust features that made building modern web applications more efficient and developer-friendly. Here’s a breakdown of the key additions that made this release a big step forward:
One of the most compelling additions in Rails 5 is Action Cable. It integrates WebSockets into the Rails ecosystem, which lets you add real-time features without relying on external services like Node.js.
What Action Cable brought to the table:
Example:
# app/channels/chat_channel.rb class ChatChannel < ApplicationCable::Channel def subscribed stream_from "chat_room_#{params[:room]}" end end
With just a few lines of code, Action Cable allows you to broadcast and stream data live. It changed how Rails apps handle user engagement, offering an out-of-the-box real-time experience using familiar patterns and tools.
Rails 5 replaced the old Rake-based test command with a more intuitive CLI tool, rails test. This small but impactful change simplified test execution and debugging.
What benefits it provide:
Examples:
rails test # Runs full suite rails test test/models/user_test.rb # Runs single file rails test test/models/user_test.rb:15 # Runs test at line 15
It will streamline the process and assist developers in running tests more often, enhancing software quality and reducing the chance of regressions. It also aligns Rails’ developer experience more closely with modern practices.
Rails 5 introduced a much-needed flag to create API-only apps. With –api, developers can generate a stripped-down version of Rails optimized solely for backend services and JSON responses.
Benefits of API:
Command:
This addition was a response to modern development demands, where APIs are often decoupled from frontend codebases. Rails 5 made this transition seamless without requiring third-party API frameworks.
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With Rails 5, the framework officially moved most primary tasks from Rake commands to the more intuitive Rails CLI. It can change, promotes consistency, and simplifies the developer workflow.
What’s better:
Examples:
Although Rake tasks still exist under the hood, Rails CLI wraps them neatly for easier use. This shift emphasizes usability and speeds up common development tasks, making Rails more accessible and productive.
The Attributes API in Rails 5 enables you to explicitly declare the type of each model attribute and even define custom types. It improves clarity, type safety, and flexibility when dealing with non-standard data.
What’s new:
Example:
Custom Type:
class CurrencyType < ActiveModel::Type::Integer def cast(value) value.to_f.round(2) end ActiveRecord::Type.register(:currency, CurrencyType)
This API enhances data modeling by allowing precise control over how values are cast and handled, making domain-driven design more effective in Rails apps. Moreover, you can contact Ruby on Rails development company who will assist you to manage API better.
Turbolinks 5 brought SPA-like behavior to Rails without the complexity of frontend frameworks. It intelligently intercepts links and replaces only the < body > content, keeping the app state and layout persistent.
What’s the advancement in Turbolinks 5:
Usage:
It benefits Rails developers who want speed without building a SPA from scratch. Though newer tools like Hotwire have replaced it, Turbolinks 5 will enhance reactive Rails UIs.
Rails 5 raised the minimum Ruby version to 2.2.2, unlocking access to improved language features, performance optimizations, and better memory management.
What’s new:
Check version:
By aligning with a more modern Ruby version, Rails ensured developers benefit from performance gains and security patches. It also pushed the ecosystem forward by setting higher standards for application environments.
Rails 5 shipped with Sprockets 3, upgrading the asset pipeline for better performance and flexibility. It introduced smarter caching, improved dependency tracking, and cleaner source maps.
What’s new:
Typical Setup:
Sprockets 3 ensures simple future frontend integrations while maintaining ease. Even with newer tools like Webpacker gaining popularity, Sprockets remains a powerful and easy-to-use default for smaller apps and legacy systems.
Rails 5 marked a transformative shift in web development by combining speed, real-time capabilities, and simplicity. It empowered developers to create more efficient, scalable, and interactive applications. With powerful enhancements like Action Cable, TurboLinks 3, and API-only mode, Rails 5 accelerated development, enabling cleaner and more maintainable applications.
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