Welcome, RailsSpace.com visitors!
In its time, RailsSpace was the best introduction to Ruby on Rails web development, but it is now out of date. Fortunately, the natural successor to RailsSpace is now out: the Ruby on Rails Tutorial book is available for free online, and is also available for purchase as a PDF or as a print edition. Ruby on Rails Tutorial was directly inspired by RailsSpace, and takes the same step-by-step tutorial approach. We think you will find Ruby on Rails Tutorial to be an easy-to-use and thorough introduction to Ruby on Rails.
—Aurelius Prochazka & Michael Hartl
Ruby on Rails Tutorial: Learn Rails by Example
The beta version of the new second edition is now available online!
Note: The 2nd Edition PDF and screencast series are not yet available but are currently in preparation. You may want to delay your purchase until they are ready. I estimate the new PDF will be available by early March, with the screencasts available 2–3 months later. For those who don't want to wait, you can buy now and get a substantial discount on the new product once it is available.
The Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial book and screencast series teach you how to develop and deploy real, industrial-strength web applications with Ruby on Rails, the open-source web framework that powers top websites such as Hulu, GitHub, and the Yellow Pages. The Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial book is available for free online and is available for purchase as a PDF download (which also includes a free copy of the Ruby on Rails 2.3 Tutorial book). The companion screencast series includes 13 individual lessons totaling more than 15 hours, with one lesson for each chapter of the Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial book. The best value is the PDF/screencast bundle, which includes more than 500 pages of total content and more than 15 hours of video—click here to buy it now!
Table of Contents
Linked screencasts are available as free samples, including a full sample lesson. The full screencast series is available for purchase below.
Git .bashrc lines Rails installation (Windows) (8m) Lesson 1: From zero to deploy (46m) Lesson 2: A demo app (1h11m) OS X testing setup (8m) Lesson 3: Mostly static pages (57m) Lesson 4: Rails-flavored Ruby (1h45m) Lesson 5: Filling in the layout (1h10m) Lesson 6: Modeling and viewing users, part I (1h30m) Lesson 7: Modeling and viewing users, part II (1h40m) Lesson 8: Sign up (1h22m) Lesson 9: Sign in, sign out (1h36m) Lesson 10: Updating, showing, and deleting users (2h25m) Lesson 11: User microposts (2h03m) Lesson 12: Following users (2h19m) Lesson 13: Rails 3.1 (1h06m)The Rails 3 Tutorial screencasts contain dozens of tips and tricks to help you go beyond the Rails Tutorial book, including debugging hints, test-driven development techniques, and solutions to many of the book’s exercises. And though the screencasts are carefully edited, I’ve left in some of the problems I encountered along the way, so that you can learn how to recover from the inevitable application errors—and see that even experts sometimes make mistakes.
The Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial book and screencast series
My former company (CD Baby) was one of the first to loudly switch to Ruby on Rails, and then even more loudly switch back to PHP… This book by Michael Hartl came so highly recommended that I had to try it, and Ruby on Rails Tutorial is what I used to switch back to Rails again… Though I’ve worked my way through many Rails books, this is the one that finally made me “get” it.
—From the foreword by Derek Sivers
I got review access to all of the material a week ago and can confirm that, yes, these screencasts are awesome… If you basically want to be able to look “over the shoulder” of an experienced Rails developer and see how a Rails development environment is set up and how multiple apps are built, there’s nothing that can beat this. This isn’t a set of “build a blog in 15 minutes” videos—it’s a complete course that could kick off a new career for you with Rails 3.0.
Screencasts
Value bundle
*The Ruby on Rails Tutorial book is also available for free online. Click here for instant access.
For what it’s worth: I had fantastic customer service from @railstutorial today. Buy with confidence, my friends.
—Daniel Auger (via Twitter)
The Ruby on Rails Tutorial book and screencast series both come with a 60-day refund policy.
Note: For the Rails Tutorial prerequisites, please see the section in the book on Comments for various readers. (The prerequisites are the same for the book and for the screencasts.)
The Ruby on Rails Tutorial helps you learn Rails by example through the development of a substantial sample application, including a site layout, a user data model, a full registration and authentication system, user-micropost associations, social "following", and a feed of status updates. The Ruby on Rails Tutorial also teaches good software development practices, including version control with Git and GitHub, test-driven development (TDD) with RSpec, and instant deployment with Heroku. Though of necessity the book and screencasts focus on a specific sample application, the emphasis throughout the Rails Tutorial is on general principles, so you will have a solid foundation no matter what kind of web application you want to build.
The HTML source of the online book is available under a Creative Commons license to allow for translation into other languages. In addition, the print edition, Ruby on Rails 3 Tutorial: Learn Rails by Example, is currently available for purchase as part of the Professional Ruby Series (the same series as The Rails 3 Way by Obie Fernandez); it is currently available for purchase at Amazon. Finally, the screencasts are available to Safari Books Online subscribers here.
Get the PDF/screencast bundle for only $95!
About the creator of the Ruby on Rails Tutorial
Ruby on Rails Tutorial creator Michael Hartl is a programmer, educator, and entrepreneur. Michael was coauthor of RailsSpace, a best-selling Rails tutorial book published in 2007, and was cofounder and lead developer of Insoshi, a popular social networking platform in Ruby on Rails. Previously, he taught theoretical and computational physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching. Michael is a graduate of Harvard College, has a Ph.D. in Physics from Caltech, and is an alumnus of the Y Combinator entrepreneur program.
An absolutely top-notch package for learning the Rails 3 framework
Written and presented by theoretical physicist Michael Hartl, Ruby on Rails Tutorial: Learn Rails by Example offers a superb introduction to the world of a Rails developer. The Rails Tutorial PDF and complete training video set is an absolutely top-notch package for learning the Rails 3 framework…
I can’t emphasize enough how much I enjoyed the Ruby on Rails Tutorial book+video bundle. railstutorial.org will no doubt educate legions of beginning and intermediate Rails developers, and will be one of those resources that students who complete the book and video course will refer to often. Because Michael offers the full contents of the book available for free on the website, both the book and videos are sure to become some of the most frequently cited educational references among Rails 3 students. This package will no doubt play a major catalytic role in many Rails technical training and development careers.
If you have any interest in Rails 3, you owe it to yourself and your educational investment to obtain this superb package. It will likely be one of the best and most educationally rewarding purchases you will make this year.
Get the PDF/screencast bundle for only $95!
Praise for the Ruby on Rails Tutorial
These screencasts are awesome
I got review access to all of the material a week ago and can confirm that, yes, these screencasts are awesome (as long as watching over 15 hours of screencasts is your cup of tea). I've seen people compare them to the style used by Ryan Bates on his Railscasts and I'd go along with that. Direct and practical…
If you basically want to be able to look "over the shoulder" of an experienced Rails developer and see how a Rails development environment is set up and how multiple apps are built, there's nothing that can beat this. This isn't a set of "build a blog in 15 minutes" videos—it's a complete course that could kick off a new career for you with Rails 3.0.
A great encore by a master teacher
Michael Hartl has followed his tour-de-force Ruby on Rails Tutorial book with an equally accessible and effective set of video screencasts. Both the book and the screencasts are great standalone introductions to the world of Ruby on Rails 3.0, but using the two in combination or in tandem is even better in granting confidence of mastery of this difficult subject.
I particularly enjoyed the "you are there", watching-the-sausage-being-made style of presentation. Typos, syntax errors, and blind alleys are all there as would occur in real-life programming. This approach does several things—it adds drama (you can't wait to see if it works), it gives the viewer reassurance that your own failings are within normal limits, and finally it's instructive in how to approach the Rails debugging process itself.
The Ruby on Rails Tutorial Screencasts are a great encore by a master teacher.
Something you just can't get as well from a book
Michael's screencasts are more in the style of Khan Academy than of PeepCode or Railscasts, which is to say it's pretty much just Michael and his laptop screen, walking your fingers around a keyboard as you build and deploy a Twitter clone complete with tests and a solid user interface. Michael is the sort of teacher who can make an idea clear in 15 minutes, when another teacher might need an hour—or worse, when another teacher might put you to sleep.
Even if you're the sort of person who learns best on her own, from a book—and I fit this profile—I still recommend the screencasts. Michael's passion for his subject is both obvious, and infectious, and by watching the screencasts you'll get an idea of how a solid Rails developer thinks about building production quality applications—something you just can't get as well from a book.
—Frederick Schoeneman
The new screencast series got me to a whole other level of understanding
Michael's original Ruby on Rails tutorial got me from someone who read Rails books to someone who actually was able to develop basic Rails apps—his teaching methodology somehow got me involved like no other book and allowed me to produce results quickly and gain confidence. The new screencast series got me to a whole other level of understanding.
Imagine going through the tutorial but having the pro-level developer behind the tutorial giving you a running commentary with tips, tricks, and useful detours—all while contributing to your growth as a Rails developer with a test-driven approach. I've always known that understanding how experts think about what they do is the key to learning and mastering something. In this screencast format, Michael was able to go beyond the limitations of the written word and both show and explain his approach to Rails development in an engaging manner.
If you are early in your days with Rails, just buy this series.
The equivalent of a packed 2 or 3 day Rails course at a bargain price
The Rails Tutorial book is currently the best way to get from zero to 60 with Rails 3, but with the screencast series it's like going from zero to 100 at the same time. It adds a whole other dimension to the same material by making it become so much more alive. Having Michael's screen and voice guide me through the lessons was such a breeze and added value by providing hands-on practical information while at the same time the PDF was there as a reference. Truly a winning combination in the equivalent of a packed 2 or 3 day Rails course at a bargain price in the comfort of my own home!
—Sam Bauer
The best tutorial since K&R
Just finished the outstanding Rails Tutorial. Probably the best software tutorial I've experienced since K&R. Can't wait for the dead tree version.
—Mike Long (via Twitter)
The best Rails tutorial on the planet
If you are interested in learning Rails, @railstutorial is, by far, the best Rails tutorial on the planet.
—Glenn Goodrich (via Twitter)
Learning has been sped up 3x faster!
Rails is getting exciting! Learning has been sped up 3x faster now with the @railstutorial screencasts!
—Alexander Paras (via Twitter)
The #1 place to start when learning Rails 3
Michael Hartl's Rails Tutorial book is the #1 (and only, in my opinion) place to start when it comes to books about learning Rails 3. Not only is it available to read for free online, but you can buy a well-formatted PDF too. It's an amazing piece of work and, unusually, walks you through building a Rails app from start to finish with testing. If you want to read just one book/site and feel like a Rails 3 master by the end of it, pick RailsTutorial.org.
Ruby on Rails Tutorial is the best!
Just wanted to say that your Ruby on Rails tutorial is the best!
I've been trying for awhile to wrap my head around Rails. Going through your tutorial, I'm finally feeling comfortable in the Rails environment. Your pedagogical style of gradually introducing more complex topics while at the same time giving the reader the instant gratification and a sense of accomplishment with working examples really works for me. I also like the tips and suggestions that gives me a sense of learning from a real Rails insider. Your e-mail response to a problem I ran into is an example of your generous sharing of your experience.
Woohoo! This is some fun coding with RoR…
I have done other books (including RailsSpace), and none make the intro to RoR so much fun as this one.
Given that I have read other RoR books, I did not expect to learn new stuff just going through the first couple of chapters. Just expected the same-ole 'Hello, world!' stuff. BUT NONE OF THAT WAS THERE… and I DID learn new stuff I did not know:
All within the first 3 chapters. I already feel like a better developer ;-). Now, I expect we are going to be getting started heavy with the sample app in Chapter 4 [and beyond].
I am excited!
Very detailed and hands-on Rails tutorial!
Hi Michael, great job! I'm learning Rails, and I found your tutorial to be one of the most detailed and hands-on guides. Besides many details of Rails, it also taught me about Git, Heroku, RSpec, Webrat, and most important (at least to me) it emphasized the Test-Driven Development (TDD) methodology. I learned a lot from your tutorial.
—6yifeng
I love the writing style of the Rails Tutorial
I love the writing style of the Rails Tutorial and there is so much content that is different from other Rails books out there, making it that much more valuable… Thanks for your work!
—Allen Ding
Awesome book—Thanks!
Spent the last 3 days nonstop doing http://railstutorial.org/ start-to-finish. Awesome book, @railstutorial—Thanks!
A precious Gem
Amazing tutorial, thanks for all the time and effort you have put in to help us become better developers. I was mowing away without a sense of direction until I found this site, and haven't looked back since.
Keep up with your good job! Thanks so much for sharing it.
Rails Tutorial Rocks!
This by far the best tutorial on Ruby on Rails I've come across. I can't thank you enough for it. I've learned so much.
The best introduction to Rails I've ever seen
This is the best introduction to Rails I've ever seen. Rails is amazing, but with the fast-moving pace of the tools the community uses, I've always felt like it was some sort of exclusive club I couldn't get into. But after going through just the first chapter and having a Rails app up and running using Git, with a GitHub repo and deployed on Heroku, I don't feel left out anymore.
Keep up the amazing work!
Impressive
Sometimes I feel the text is too long and I think it is all clear on the page, before I even read it. Sometimes I stumble a little and may even re-read a paragraph or two, figuring out what I missed. But in the end of the chapter I feel I grasped everything, can do the exercises easily, and know where to look for the answer.
I honestly think the book is tremendously effective in making Ruby on Rails even more popular and in making programming so much fun!
Great Explanation of Version Control, Hosting and Testing
I've read a number of Rails books and this one (finally) made me understand it. What made it great was the inclusion, right off the bat, of Git, GitHub, Heroku, and RSpec. Version control, hosting and testing are usually topics kicked to the back of the book and BORING. You made it exciting—I cheered as my first Autospec test passed in the background after I made a change to the code. When I do move on to more customizable and scalable databases and hosting systems, I'll be ready. Also, Chapters 1–4 offer a great basic template for setting up almost any site.
—Jake
Incredibly useful
Rails Tutorial is pitched at a great level for beginners. There's great explanations of concepts and how they apply to RoR.
Get the PDF/screencast bundle for only $95!
