Chris Herring

Talking about Ruby, Rails. Let me help you learn them.

Private files for your Rails app using S3

June 21, 2017

Having files on your website to be seen by the world is quite easy. But what if you don't want them to be available for free? We've looked at how to secure them with Paperclip. Now let's add in S3 and get them off the application server.
Read more ...

How can I protect a user's file uploads in Rails?

June 15, 2017

Having files on your website to be seen by the world is quite easy. But what if you don't want them to be available for free? Here is how you can secure them using Rails and Paperclip.
Read more ...

Put your tests to good use, Refactor with confidence

May 25, 2017

Testing your code well is hard, and it can be easy to neglect. You'll be glad you didn't though when you have to change the implementation of a feature without your users noticing anything, except maybe a performance bump. Let's go through how we can use and modify existing tests to allow a change in code that you can be confident will work when you get to production.
Read more ...

Why you shouldn't use the System Ruby

May 16, 2017

Your *nix computer will ship with a version of Ruby, and this seems great, you can get up and going right away and writing code. Things though are not all as they seem, you shouldn't use that Ruby.
Read more ...

Testing a Feature with Rails and RSpec: A deep dive

May 10, 2017

One of the things I hear most from developers who are new to Ruby and Rails, or just to testing is, How do you get started? What should I test? The value of testing your code and the confidence it brings is already apparent, but how to make it happen seems to be missing. In this post I address how I approach testing a fairly simple, but non trivial feature from start to finish.
Read more ...

Setup your Ruby on Rails Server with Ansible

March 22, 2017

Go from development to production for your Rails app with Ansible. Come and watch how you can get your Rails app into production on your own server in about half an hour.
Read more ...

7 Things to expect in your first job as a developer

March 15, 2017

An exciting time, landing your first job as a developer. But what about the job itself? What can you expect when you get there?
Read more ...

Why Rails is still worth learning in 2017

February 7, 2017

Rails has been around since 2004, lot's of developers are moving to Node and Elixir, but none of this stops Rails being an excellent choice for web development.
Read more ...

Don't let your Passenger app choke your server

November 19, 2016

Don't let your Passengers choke your Server. Monit can keep them in check and your application working.
Read more ...

Don't waste your time, test outside in.

November 9, 2016

Don't waste time and effort, try using an outside in test approach and only write the code you need.
Read more ...

Subscriptions with your Rails app and Stripe

October 11, 2016

Don't write all your subscription code yourself, don't make a mistake that could cost you money and your customers goodwill, let Stripe handle it for you, go back to solving your customers problems.
Read more ...

Get your Ruby app onto the internet, without Heroku

September 18, 2016

Automate the setup a Rails server so you don't need to use Heroku
Read more ...

Manually setup a Ruby on Rails server on Ubuntu

September 18, 2016

Setup a Rails Application server Manually
Read more ...

Taking a deferred payment with Rails and Stripe

August 23, 2016

Take a customers card, but charge it later, with Stripe
Read more ...

How do I get my Ruby application on the internet

August 18, 2016

Should you use Heroku to get your application on the internet?
Read more ...

How to take a payment with Rails and Stripe

August 18, 2016

Charge a customers card immediately with Stripe
Read more ...

3 Tips to help get started with Ruby testing

August 18, 2016

A few quick tips for Ruby testing beginners
Read more ...

Should I use <% or <%=

August 18, 2016

Read more ...

How to reference rails assets in your css?

March 24, 2016

Read more ...

Responsive Quirk in iOS9

January 12, 2016

Read more ...

Managing Rails Translations

December 29, 2015

Help with managing versions of your i18n files in Rails
Read more ...