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We decided to take a look at the current best practices and tools for deploying a Rails app in 2024.
The developer mentioned using Dokku on a Digital Ocean Droplet for a small Rails API mode application. He successfully managed the deployment and domain configuration, which worked well for his project. However, he raised concerns about scaling this setup for a full-fledged Rails application, especially considering the potential growth to over 10,000 active users. His stack includes Rails API and React, adding another layer of complexity to the deployment strategy.
Inspired by this discussion, we decided to research the topic further – delve into various deployment strategies, compare tools like Dokku, and evaluate their scalability, ease of use, and performance. We’ll also address the question of whether Dokku can handle significant growth or if other alternatives would be more suitable for larger applications.
Join us as we uncover the best practices and tools for deploying a Rails app in 2024, ensuring your application can scale effectively and provide a robust user experience.
Now that your product development is completed, the next step is to deploy your product and ensure it works on all targeted devices. This process, known as software deployment, is crucial for both initial releases and subsequent updates. Deploying a Ruby on Rails application can be challenging due to the various tools and methods available. In this guide, we will help you understand these options better, including their features, benefits, drawbacks, and potential concerns.
The Importance of Choosing the Right Deployment Strategy
A good strategy ensures smooth, efficient, and error-free software delivery, while a poor one can cause downtime, performance issues, and a bad user experience.
Minimizing Downtime
An effective deployment strategy aims to minimize or eliminate downtime. Downtime can lead to significant business losses, especially for global or critical applications. Strategies like Blue-Green Deployment (a release model where user traffic is gradually shifted from an existing version of an app or microservice to a nearly identical new version, with both versions running in production simultaneously) or Rolling Deployment (that gradually replaces instances of the old version of an application with instances of the new version) ensure updates are available without interrupting users.
Ensuring Stability and Reliability
A reliable deployment strategy ensures the new software version is stable and performs well. Canary Deployment, for example, releases the update to a small group of users first. This allows developers to monitor for issues before a full-scale release, ensuring stability and reliability.
Facilitating Quick Rollbacks
Even with thorough testing, issues can arise post-deployment. A strategy that allows quick rollbacks, like Blue-Green Deployment, can be a lifesaver. This approach keeps two identical production environments, enabling a quick switch back to the stable version if problems occur.
Enhancing User Experience
User experience is crucial for any successful application. A seamless deployment strategy ensures users aren’t affected by background changes. Feature Toggle, for instance, lets new features be tested in production without exposing them to all users until they are ready.
Supporting Continuous Delivery and Integration
Modern development emphasizes continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD). Deployment strategies should support frequent and reliable releases. Techniques like Blue-Green Deployment and Canary Releases fit well with CI/CD, allowing regular updates without service disruption.
Risk Mitigation
Deploying a new application version comes with risks. The right strategy helps identify and mitigate these risks early. Canary Releases, for example, detect issues on a small scale, allowing fixes before wider rollout.
Cost Efficiency
A well-chosen deployment strategy can also save costs. Rolling Deployments, for example, make updates gradually, reducing the need for extensive infrastructure changes and saving costs associated with large-scale rollouts.
Deployment Tools and Methods
A good strategy requires both a well-designed plan and powerful tools to ensure successful deployment. What’s more powerful is the ability to create a development pipeline that works for your product.
Native vs Containerized Deployments
First, let’s define what encompasses native vs containerized deployments, what sets them apart, and what platforms and solutions are generally available.
Native Deployment
Native deployment involves shipping your Rails app directly to the server (which might be a VPS or even bare metal). This typically includes:
- Setting Up the Ruby Runtime Environment
This can be simplified by using a version manager such as Rbenv or ASDF. - Node or Bun Runtime
For modern Rails apps that are not using the importmap approach, you will also need a Node or Bun runtime. - Operational Dependencies
Optionally, when running on the same machine, you will also have to set up your database server, Redis server, and other operational dependencies. You can use “Infrastructure as Code” tooling such as Ansible or Puppet to streamline this. - Deployment Process
Actual deployment will take place by copying your Rails app code to the server via a secure connection and starting it. Historically, Capistrano was the go-to solution for this, although nowadays this can also be managed in your CI/CD pipeline.
Cloud 66 has a comprehensive native deployment offering to facilitate each of the steps above.
Containerized Deployment
Nowadays, a lot of application deployment happens in Docker containers. Let’s go through a few options, in increasing complexity:
- Kamal
Kamal is a recently developed tool by 37signals that helps you manage your containerized deployment on your own private servers. It is especially interesting for smaller-scale apps, both in terms of application code and operational requirements. However, it requires setting up your own container registry. - Platform as a Service (PaaS)
PaaS solutions like Fly.io and Render.com encapsulate some of the complexity behind deploying containers. They commonly expose an interface for your convenience, often in the form of a command line interface (CLI). This includes setting up the appropriate runtimes and supplying DevOps resources such as container registries. - Kubernetes
Full-fledged container cluster management solutions like Kubernetes allow you to control each aspect of a containerized deployment but entail significant DevOps complexity. You will need a dedicated Kubernetes cluster setup, which can either be provided by a cloud provider such as AWS or Azure or managed by your own ops team.
Bare Metal and Virtual Private Server (VPS) Deployment
Bare Metal and VPS deployments both provide flexible infrastructure solutions for hosting applications, using tools like iLO, DRAC, PXE Boot, and configuration management platforms such as Ansible, Chef, Puppet, and Terraform to streamline server management. Both methods allow for automation and customization, with custom scripts often employed to meet specific needs. Performance optimization, scalability, and varying degrees of customization are achievable in both environments, making them suitable for different use cases based on application requirements, available resources, and growth potential.
Cloud Providers
Cloud providers offer a streamlined approach to deploying Rails applications, leveraging pre-configured environments and managed services to simplify the deployment process. This section will cover several popular cloud deployment options.
| Render Render is emerging as a preferred choice for personal apps due to its simplicity and ease of use. Often described as the new Heroku, Render offers a seamless deployment experience. |
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| ➕ User-Friendly Render’s interface and deployment process is incredibly straightforward, making it accessible even for beginners. Cost-effective Render provides a good balance between cost and features for personal projects and small apps. | ➖ Scalability While suitable for small to medium apps, you may encounter performance issues as your app grows. Render is still maturing, and its ability to handle high-traffic loads may not match more established platforms. Feature Limitations Render may need more advanced features for large-scale enterprise applications. |
| Heroku Heroku remains a popular choice, especially for professional and enterprise-level applications. Known for its simplicity and powerful features, it’s a go-to for many developers. |
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| ➕ Ease of Use Heroku’s deployment process is remarkably simple, allowing developers to focus more on coding rather than server management. Automated Review Apps One standout feature is the automated review apps within Heroku pipelines, which facilitate efficient testing and development workflows. Cost While Heroku excels in usability, it can become expensive at scale, particularly for applications with high traffic and resource demands. | ➖ Cost Heroku can become prohibitively expensive as your app scales, especially if it handles thousands of requests per second. Vendor Lock-In Heroku's proprietary platform can make it challenging to migrate to other services without significant effort. |
| DigitalOcean with Passenger/Nginx DigitalOcean provides a flexible cloud hosting environment, and when combined with Passenger and Nginx, it becomes a powerful option for deploying Rails applications. |
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| ➕ App Platform DigitalOcean’s app platform is a near Heroku replacement, offering an optional static media CDN for free. Customization This approach provides greater control over your environment, allowing for custom configurations tailored to your app’s needs. | ➖ Complexity Setting up and maintaining Passenger and Nginx requires more expertise compared to PaaS solutions like Heroku or Render. Scalability Managing scalability manually can be challenging, especially as your user base grows significantly. |
| Puma + Nginx This traditional approach involves running your Rails application with Puma and using Nginx as a reverse proxy. |
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| ➕ Control This method gives you full control over your server environment and configurations. Performance Properly configured, Puma and Nginx can handle high loads efficiently. | ➖ Complexity Requires significant expertise in server management and configuration. Scalability Manual scaling can be challenging as your user base grows. |
| Cloud66 Cloud66 offers a robust deployment and management service, useful for those needing a managed Kubernetes environment. |
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| ➕ Flexibility Cloud66 can install, configure, and maintain mini Kubernetes or full Kubernetes clusters on your chosen cloud servers. Comprehensive Management It handles everything from firewalls and Nginx reverse proxy to TLS certificates and databases, all for a fixed cost. User Interface The UI is straightforward, making complex deployments manageable without deep Kubernetes knowledge. | ➖ Cost While Cloud66 provides a lot of value, the costs can add up, especially if you require extensive services or large-scale infrastructure. Dependency on Vendor Relying on Cloud66 for critical infrastructure components can lead to challenges if their service quality changes. |
Deployment Tools and Services
| Dokku Dokku is a powerful, self-hosted PaaS (Platform as a Service) that allows you to deploy and manage applications easily. It mimics Heroku’s simplicity and ease of use, but on your infrastructure, making it a cost-effective solution. |
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| ➕ Maturity and Documentation Dokku has matured significantly, boasting robust documentation and an active, responsive maintainer community. K3s Integration Dokku supports K3s, a lightweight Kubernetes distribution, which enhances its scalability and performance for containerized applications. SQLite with Persistent Storage Dokku supports persistent storage, allowing you to use SQLite as your database. This can be useful for smaller applications or development environments where a lightweight database is sufficient. | ➖ Scalability Dokku can handle a decent amount of traffic, but as your application scales (e.g., with more than 10k active users), you might need more support. You'll need to ensure your infrastructure can handle the increased load, which may require additional configuration and management. Maintenance As a self-hosted solution, maintaining Dokku, including backups, updates, and security patches, falls on your shoulders. |
| Kamal Kamal, a deployment tool similar to Dokku, is highly recommended for its cost-effectiveness and simplicity, particularly praised by the Basecamp team. |
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| ➕ Affordability Kamal is one of the cheapest options available, providing robust features without breaking the bank. Ease of Use Ideal for small to medium-sized applications, offering a straightforward deployment process. | ➖ Scalability Kamal may not be suitable for very large applications or those with high-performance requirements. Feature Set It might lack some advanced features available in more established platforms. |
| Capistrano Capistrano is a remote server automation and deployment tool, known for its flexibility but also its complexity. |
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| ➕ Customization Capistrano allows extensive customization, making it ideal for developers who want full control over their deployment process. Server Management The downside is the need to manually configure and update servers, which can be challenging when scaling horizontally. | ➖ Complexity Capistrano requires a good understanding of server management and deployment processes, making it less suitable for beginners. Scalability Managing multiple servers and deployments can become cumbersome as your application scales. |
| Hatchbox Hatchbox simplifies the process of deploying Rails applications by automating server setup and configuration. |
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| ➕ Ease of Use It abstracts much of the complexity involved in deployment, making it accessible for developers of all skill levels. Automation Hatchbox handles server provisioning, deployment, and maintenance tasks, streamlining the entire process. | ➖ Scalability Hatchbox is ideal for small to medium projects; larger applications might outgrow its capabilities. Vendor Dependence Relying on a third-party service for critical infrastructure tasks can be risky if the service changes or discontinues. |
| AWS Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides a comprehensive suite of cloud services that can be leveraged to deploy Rails applications. |
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| ➕ Scalability AWS offers unmatched scalability, making it suitable for applications of any size. Flexibility With a wide range of services, AWS allows you to build a custom deployment infrastructure tailored to your needs. | ➖ Complexity While AWS is highly scalable, its complexity can be a drawback. Proper management is crucial, as navigating and configuring AWS services can be challenging. However, with the right setup, AWS can be as cost-effective as other platforms like Heroku, without necessarily being more expensive. |
| Fly.io Fly.io is a modern platform that allows you to run your full-stack apps (and databases!) close to your users. |
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| ➕ Global Deployment Fly.io deploys applications to multiple regions worldwide, reducing latency and improving performance. Ease of Use It offers a simple deployment process with minimal configuration needed. | ➖ Maturity As a newer platform, Fly.io may lack some of the stability and feature set of more established providers. Support Being a newer player, the support ecosystem might not be as developed as that of larger, established platforms. |
| Railway.app Railway.app is a deployment platform that automates much of the setup process. |
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| ➕ Ease of Use Railway.app provides a user-friendly interface, making it easy to deploy and manage applications. Automation It automates many aspects of deployment, allowing developers to focus on coding. | ➖ Scalability Similar to Render, Railway.app might struggle with very high-traffic applications. Feature Set It might lack the advanced features needed for complex, large-scale applications. |
| Cuber Cuber is a modern deployment tool that simplifies deploying Rails applications on Kubernetes. |
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| ➕ Kubernetes Integration Cuber is designed to work seamlessly with Kubernetes, automating many of the deployment steps. Efficiency It helps streamline the deployment process, making it easier to manage applications at scale. | ➖ Learning Curve Kubernetes itself has a steep learning curve, and using Cuber requires understanding Kubernetes concepts. Resource Management Managing resources efficiently on Kubernetes can be complex and requires careful planning. |
| GCP (Google Cloud Platform) Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers a range of services and tools for deploying Rails applications, providing a powerful and flexible cloud infrastructure. |
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| ➕ Scalability GCP is designed to handle applications of any size, providing robust scalability options. Integration GCP offers seamless integration with various Google services, enhancing the capabilities of your application. | ➖ Complexity GCP has a steep learning curve, and managing its services can be complex, especially for high-traffic applications. Proper configuration and management are essential to avoid potential pitfalls |
| GCP + Docker Combining GCP with Docker provides an excellent balance of configuration and control. |
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| ➕ Containerization Using Docker allows you to containerize your application, making it portable and easy to manage. GCP Services Leveraging GCP’s infrastructure ensures that your application can scale and perform efficiently. | ➖ Complexity Managing Docker containers and GCP services requires expertise. Resource Management Properly managing resources to avoid unnecessary costs can be challenging. |
| Kubernetes (K8s) Kubernetes is an open-source platform for automating the deployment, scaling, and operation of application containers. |
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| ➕ Scalability Kubernetes excels in managing applications at scale, providing robust tools for automating many aspects of deployment and management. Flexibility It offers extensive customization options, allowing you to tailor your deployment environment to your specific needs. | ➖ Complexity Kubernetes has a steep learning curve and managing it requires significant expertise. Resource Management Efficiently managing resources and costs can be challenging, requiring careful planning and monitoring. |
Your team can use a single deployment strategy or combine elements from several to best meet your goals. This flexibility allows for innovative solutions that minimize downtime and meet user needs. Deployment approaches vary depending on the application or company, with no one-size-fits-all solution.
Ruby on Rails offers a wide range of deployment options, thanks to its robust language and numerous tools. The deployment landscape is constantly evolving with new tools and approaches.
At JetRuby Agency, we help clients choose the most suitable deployment strategy. Our team stays updated on the latest developments and best practices to offer informed guidance. If you’re unsure about your options, feel free to contact us. We’re here to help you find and implement the best solution for your project.
