Speed Up Your Rails Testing Workflow with Local CI

Rails 8.1 introduces local CI, allowing developers to run continuous integration checks on their local machines instead of waiting for cloud-based services. The feature uses a simple DSL in config/ci.rb to define steps like running tests, code style checks, and security audits. Local CI can reduce feedback time from minutes to seconds by leveraging powerful local hardware, though it's not suitable for multi-architecture builds or complex workflows requiring shared artifacts. The article walks through upgrading an existing Rails app to 8.1, configuring the CI steps, and optionally integrating with GitHub's commit status system.