Rails new app, options, and minimalistic approach

How to create a new Rails app

Let’s see the default way to create a new Rails app.

It will create a default new app with 21 gems included. The installation process will last a few minutes. Amongst other things, it will create files, directories, and run a first webpack-based compilation.

Prerequisite : ruby, bundler, rails, node, and yarn must be installed.

Just run :

$> rails new myapp

And go for a coffee break ☕

List of all available options

To list all available options, simply run rails new –help. As the time of writing (Rails 6.1.3) it will output :

$> rails new --help
Usage:
  rails new APP_PATH [options]

Options:
      [--skip-namespace], [--no-skip-namespace]              # Skip namespace (affects only isolated engines)
      [--skip-collision-check], [--no-skip-collision-check]  # Skip collision check
  -r, [--ruby=PATH]                                          # Path to the Ruby binary of your choice
                                                             # Default: /Users/david/.rbenv/versions/3.0.0/bin/ruby
  -m, [--template=TEMPLATE]                                  # Path to some application template (can be a filesystem path or URL)
  -d, [--database=DATABASE]                                  # Preconfigure for selected database (options: mysql/postgresql/sqlite3/oracle/sqlserver/jdbcmysql/jdbcsqlite3/jdbcpostgresql/jdbc)
                                                             # Default: sqlite3
      [--skip-gemfile], [--no-skip-gemfile]                  # Don't create a Gemfile
  -G, [--skip-git], [--no-skip-git]                          # Skip .gitignore file
      [--skip-keeps], [--no-skip-keeps]                      # Skip source control .keep files
  -M, [--skip-action-mailer], [--no-skip-action-mailer]      # Skip Action Mailer files
      [--skip-action-mailbox], [--no-skip-action-mailbox]    # Skip Action Mailbox gem
      [--skip-action-text], [--no-skip-action-text]          # Skip Action Text gem
  -O, [--skip-active-record], [--no-skip-active-record]      # Skip Active Record files
      [--skip-active-job], [--no-skip-active-job]            # Skip Active Job
      [--skip-active-storage], [--no-skip-active-storage]    # Skip Active Storage files
  -P, [--skip-puma], [--no-skip-puma]                        # Skip Puma related files
  -C, [--skip-action-cable], [--no-skip-action-cable]        # Skip Action Cable files
  -S, [--skip-sprockets], [--no-skip-sprockets]              # Skip Sprockets files
      [--skip-spring], [--no-skip-spring]                    # Don't install Spring application preloader
      [--skip-listen], [--no-skip-listen]                    # Don't generate configuration that depends on the listen gem
  -J, [--skip-javascript], [--no-skip-javascript]            # Skip JavaScript files
      [--skip-turbolinks], [--no-skip-turbolinks]            # Skip turbolinks gem
      [--skip-jbuilder], [--no-skip-jbuilder]                # Skip jbuilder gem
  -T, [--skip-test], [--no-skip-test]                        # Skip test files
      [--skip-system-test], [--no-skip-system-test]          # Skip system test files
      [--skip-bootsnap], [--no-skip-bootsnap]                # Skip bootsnap gem
      [--dev], [--no-dev]                                    # Set up the application with Gemfile pointing to your Rails checkout
      [--edge], [--no-edge]                                  # Set up the application with Gemfile pointing to Rails repository
      [--master], [--no-master]                              # Set up the application with Gemfile pointing to Rails repository main branch
      [--rc=RC]                                              # Path to file containing extra configuration options for rails command
      [--no-rc], [--no-no-rc]                                # Skip loading of extra configuration options from .railsrc file
      [--api], [--no-api]                                    # Preconfigure smaller stack for API only apps
      [--minimal], [--no-minimal]                            # Preconfigure a minimal rails app
  -B, [--skip-bundle], [--no-skip-bundle]                    # Don't run bundle install
  --webpacker, [--webpack=WEBPACK]                           # Preconfigure Webpack with a particular framework (options: react, vue, angular, elm, stimulus)
      [--skip-webpack-install], [--no-skip-webpack-install]  # Don't run Webpack install

Runtime options:
  -f, [--force]                    # Overwrite files that already exist
  -p, [--pretend], [--no-pretend]  # Run but do not make any changes
  -q, [--quiet], [--no-quiet]      # Suppress status output
  -s, [--skip], [--no-skip]        # Skip files that already exist

Rails options:
  -h, [--help], [--no-help]        # Show this help message and quit
  -v, [--version], [--no-version]  # Show Rails version number and quit

Description:
    The 'rails new' command creates a new Rails application with a default
    directory structure and configuration at the path you specify.

    You can specify extra command-line arguments to be used every time
    'rails new' runs in the .railsrc configuration file in your home directory,
    or in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/rails/railsrc if XDG_CONFIG_HOME is set.

    Note that the arguments specified in the .railsrc file don't affect the
    defaults values shown above in this help message.

Example:
    rails new ~/Code/Ruby/weblog

    This generates a skeletal Rails installation in ~/Code/Ruby/weblog.

Skip one or more features

If you want to skip one or more feature, for example, if you don’t want turbolinks nor system tests, run

$> rails new myapp --skip-turbolink --skip-system-test

If there are too many options you want to skip, below command will create an app according to options.

$> rails new myapp --rc=options

“options” here is a file that contains any flag you need.

Skip (almost) all features

There’s now a new way (since Rails 6.1) to create a minimalist Rails app. It build a new app in a few seconds, with only 7 gems (at the time of writing).

$> rails new myapp --minimal

Here is the Gemfile created :

source 'https://rubygems.org'
git_source(:github) { |repo| "https://github.com/#{repo}.git" }

ruby '3.0.0'

gem 'rails', '~> 6.1.3'
gem 'sqlite3', '~> 1.4'
gem 'puma', '~> 5.0'
gem 'sass-rails', '>= 6'

group :development, :test do
  gem 'byebug', platforms: [:mri, :mingw, :x64_mingw]
end

group :development do
  gem 'listen', '~> 3.3'
end

gem 'tzinfo-data', platforms: [:mingw, :mswin, :x64_mingw, :jruby]

Here is the list of what will NOT be included

• action_cable : integration of websockets into Rails.
• action_mailbox : integration of e-mail inbox behaviour into Rails controllers.
• action_mailer : send email with Rails.
• action_text : add the ability to put a HTML into Rails.
• active_job : add the ability to create background jobs
• active_storage : ability to upload files through 3rd party tools like AWS
• bootsnap : boot a Rails app faster
• jbuilder : build JSON response
• spring : boot a Rails app faster (like bootsnap, but differently…)
• system_tests : functional testing abilities
• turbolinks : now deprecated and replaced by Turbo. Allow a SPA-mode navigation once app is loaded in browser.
• webpack : the famous JavaScript bundler.

Why you should rely on fresh, new, minimalist Rails application

Using the flag –minimal has the following advantages :

• You may reach a deep understanding of the default gems of your stack. Take time to understand the few gems already included, then you will (very more likely) take time to understand the one you added. To the contrary, if you create a new Rails app without the “–minimal” flag, the risk is to end up with some fear of not understanding what’s going on, plus some dead code, and annoying bugs - not caused by your code, but because of the frictions created by conflicting gems.

• It’s very easy then to isolate a problem that arise in your daily production app. Just recreate another minimalist app, outside your repository, and put inside (maybe by copy/pasting) all files to recreate the bug you’re working on.

• Take time to see if you need any of the feature listed above. Not all apps need to have the “e-mail inbox” features. Many developers skip the “spring” option. Maybe you will do some functional testing thanks to Cypress. Actually, chances that you Rails app looks like the default one is next to zero.