Getting Started with Rails 8: What's New and Exciting

Introduction to Rails 8

Ruby on Rails 8.0 marks another significant milestone in the framework's evolution. This release focuses on simplifying common patterns, improving performance, and enhancing the developer experience.

Key Features

• Native Authentication: Built-in authentication generator that creates a production-ready auth system
• Solid Queue: Database-backed Active Job adapter for simpler deployments
• Kamal 2: Enhanced deployment tool for containerized applications
• Performance Improvements: Faster boot times and reduced memory usage

Getting Started

To create a new Rails 8 application, simply run:

rails new myapp --main
cd myapp
bin/rails generate authentication
bin/dev

Database Setup

Rails 8 continues to use PostgreSQL as the recommended database. The setup is straightforward:

# config/database.yml
default: &default
  adapter: postgresql
  encoding: unicode
  pool: <%= ENV.fetch("RAILS_MAX_THREADS") { 5 } %>

development:
  <<: *default
  database: myapp_development

Authentication System

The new authentication generator creates everything you need:

• User model with secure password
• Session management
• Password reset functionality
• Email confirmation

"Rails 8 represents our continued commitment to making web development both powerful and enjoyable." - DHH

Conclusion

Rails 8 is a fantastic release that makes building modern web applications even more enjoyable. The combination of native authentication, Solid Queue, and Kamal 2 provides everything you need for production deployments.