As easy as it is to set up a Rails project, it could be easier.
When you run rails new, it does a lot for you, but it doesn't do everything.
Rails will install gems for you but it won't install PostgreSQL, Redis, or any other dependencies that you need on your machine but which don't come in a gem. You have to manually install those dependencies yourself. And those manual installations can be a pain. ("Can't find libgq-fe.h header", anyone?)
This is the problem that Instant Rails solves. Instant Rails eliminates the need to manually install your development environment's dependencies.
How does it do this?
When you create a new project using Instant Rails, you get a small Docker configuration file inside your project. If you're not familiar with Docker, don't be scared off. You do NOT need to understand Docker in order to use Instant Rails.
All the Docker configuration file does is says "Hey, instead of using a database on the local machine, we want use this Dockerized database instead."
You're free to ignore the fact that the database is Dockerized. You can use your Dockerized database just like a "normal" database.
The only difference you'll notice is that you'll save a bunch of time and frustration by not having to manually install development dependencies.
In order to use Instant Rails, you must have Docker, Ruby and the rails gem installed.
To create a new Rails app using Instant Rails, run the following command:
rails new my_app_name \
-T \
-d postgresql \
-m https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jasonswett/instant_rails/main/template/template.rbThis will create a Rails application for you. Once the script finishes, you can cd into the project directory, run rails server and see your app running.
To get help, just open an issue or email me at jason@codewithjason.com.
This project was inspired in part by the late Mike Rogers' Docker/Rails template.