The basics of the Ruby Ecosystem (rake, capistrano, mongrel, etc.?)

Question

So, I'm immersed in Ruby (and Rails) and internal web development in general, and it seems to me that there is a huge ecosystem of Ruby projects that seem absolutely necessary.

I think of projects like Rake, Rack, Mongrel, Gems, Capistrano.

Besides documentation of these applications on their respective project websites, can you recommend a good place to start diving into more details on creating a good Ruby environment?

I have many questions about starting Mongrel, deploying with capistrano, and instead of listing every single question that pops up in my head, is there a good repository of information that addresses the "Ruby world"?

Answer 1

Pragmatic Programmers have Deployment Rails , which covers some of these. One tool that I would add to your list is Phusion Passenger (aka mod_rails).

Also see my answer to Ethan's question for Rails resources.

Answer 2

I just posted a similar question , but it was about Rails resources, not Ruby.

If you're just diving, I recommend putting Rails aside now and focus solely on Ruby. Satisfy Ruby before you start learning Rails.

The Amazing Ruby Book - David Black Ruby for Rails. But note that the Rails chapters in this book are out of date. However, it is worth mentioning only the chapters of Ruby.

If you don’t want to buy a book, try _ why a sharp guide to Ruby .

Answer 3

I just used Howtos on a wiki. Most of these works you do not need to learn too much. You will naturally use them if you follow the installation instructions and basic tutorials.

Capistrano is an example of the one that you really need to dig a little more - I read this article when I installed it for the first time just recently, and it helped me a lot; it was very easy.

Answer 4

The new Rails Guides series has just been launched. Provides in-depth analysis of key principles.

I would suggest focusing on Rake and Capistrano. There is not much to talk about Gems in fact, its most basic thing is just a way to manage code packages for Ruby and you can approach them like a black box at startup.

Answer 5

You will probably want to learn the simple basics of Ruby to help you better understand rails, such as gems, databases, or third-party resources. I know TeamTreehouse is very versed in the Ruby ecosystem, and HackCasts is very similar to the cheaper cost. TeamTreehouse can teach you everything from the Rails API to simple SQL databases to MongoDB. Hackcasts can teach you how to use these skills to build robust web applications. It really depends on your needs. Thanks, hope this helped!