Rails on Windows

Curt Hibbs

Brian P. Hogan

May 14, 2007

Abstract

It's no secret that the entire Ruby on Rails core team uses OS X as their preferred development environment. Because of this, it is very easy to find authoritative information on the web about using Rails on OS X. But the truth is that Windows developers using Rails probably outnumber those using other platforms. A Windows development environment can be just as productive as any other platform.

This is a guide to developing with Ruby on Rails under Windows. It won't teach you how to write Ruby on Rails web applications, but it will show you what tools to use and how to set them up to create a complete Rails development environment.

So you want to start developing web applications using Ruby on Rails, and you want to do it under Windows. Well, you're in luck, because Windows is probably the easiest OS to set up with a working Rails development environment.

This guide will introduce you to the software tools that are typically used to develop Rails applications on Windows, and will walk you through their setup and common uses. This is not an exhaustive list of Windows tools, but rather a compendium of the most common or the most useful tools.

This guide is not for someone who is completely new to developing web applications; it assumes that you have at least a modest familiarity with developing web applications and the related technologies, such as HTTP, HTML, etc. However, you don't have to know how to develop or deploy a Ruby on Rails application just yet.

The Plan

Ruby on Rails is famous for getting you started fast, and for maintaining that high level of productivity as you continue to develop your web application. In that same spirit, I don't want to bog you down with lots of options and choices. So I'll start you off on the fast track, showing you the quickest way to get started.

Then, I'll show you an alternative way to get started. It's not as simple, but it gives you more choices and flexibility.

Finally, I'll run through a series of situations you are likely to encounter developing your Rails applications and present the tools you'll need to handle them.

The Tools That We'll Use

Here's a list of all the tools I will be covering in the guide, and where to find them. All of these tools are free or open source.

Instant Rails: http://instantrails.rubyforge.org/
Mongrel: http://mongrel.rubyforge.org/
One-Click Ruby Installer for Windows: http://rubyinstaller.rubyforge.org/
Ruby on Rails: http://www.rubyonrails.org/
MySQL: http://www.mysql.com/
TortoiseSVN: http://tortoisesvn.net/
RadRails: http://www.radrails.net/

Table of Contents for Rails on Windows

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Rails on Windows

Curt Hibbs

Brian P. Hogan

The Plan

The Tools That We'll Use

Table of Contents for
Rails on Windows