How to use Dev Containers with Rails

August 9, 2024

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Your Teachers

Chris Oliver

Hi, I'm Chris. I'm the creator of GoRails, Hatchbox.io and Jumpstart. I spend my time creating tutorials and tools to help Ruby on Rails developers build apps better and faster.

Collin Jilbert

Ruby on Rails Developer | Lover of Music | Skateboarder | Proud Papa | Co-editor @therubyradar | Launched @fleur_de_ruby

Kent Crutchfield

Hi, my name is Kent and in between answering Hatchbox support tickets I like to make videos.

About This Episode

Installing dependencies to develop and run your Rails applications locally can be a pain.

Notes

One of the toughest hurdles we see in Rails is just getting started. Learning how to install Ruby using a version manager, installing and running databases, as well as other dependencies for compiling gems or image processing can be quite a pain.

That's where Dev Containers come in!

Rails' Dev Container generator will analyze your Rails app for dependencies to make sure you have all the dependencies you need. Your Rails application and databases will all run as Docker Containers so you don't have to install anything on your local operating system.

You'll just need VS Code, Docker, and WSL if you're on Windows.

What's great is Dev Containers give you the same development experience with Ruby on Rails on Windows, macOS, and Linux thanks to Docker.