Best of Rails — July 2025
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Programming Digest·43w
PostgreSQL at Scale: Database Schema Changes Without Downtime
Braintree Payments shares their refined approach to performing PostgreSQL schema changes without downtime in production environments. The post covers essential techniques including transactional DDL management, lock acquisition strategies, and safe operations for tables, columns, indexes, and constraints. Key strategies include using concurrent operations, breaking complex changes into smaller steps, and implementing forward/backward compatibility requirements. The team also open-sourced pg_ha_migrations, a Ruby gem that enforces DDL safety in Rails applications.
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thoughbot·45w
The hard truth about soft deletion
Soft deletion marks records as deleted without removing them from the database, preserving data for recovery and compliance. However, it introduces significant complexity including the need to consistently exclude deleted records from queries, handle dependent record deletion properly, update indexes and constraints, and manage potential conflicts during restoration. The author suggests evaluating alternatives like better backups, improved UI design, or accepting the tradeoffs based on specific business needs rather than implementing soft deletion by default.
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RUBYLAND·44w
OTP Input field with StimulusJS
A comprehensive guide to building OTP (One-Time Password) input fields using StimulusJS, covering two approaches: a single accessible input with CSS styling and multiple inputs with JavaScript navigation. The tutorial includes keyboard navigation, paste functionality, form validation, and accessibility features like ARIA labels and screen reader support.
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Hacker News·46w
Postcard is now open source
Postcard, a personal website and newsletter platform, has been open-sourced after running as a hosted service since 2022. The Ruby on Rails application now supports both Solo mode for single-site deployment and Multiuser mode for the hosted service. It includes Docker support and can be easily deployed to platforms like Render, making it accessible for developers who want to self-host their own newsletter websites.
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typecraft·47w
DHH discusses Linux and Omarchy
DHH discusses his new preconfigured Arch Linux setup called Omakase, which combines Arch Linux with the Hyprland tiling window manager. He explains his philosophy of making advanced Linux tools more accessible to newcomers while maintaining the power and customization that makes these systems compelling. The conversation covers his transition from macOS to Linux, the importance of lowering barriers to entry for complex technologies, and why being different rather than similar to existing solutions can be more attractive to potential users.
