Ruby on Rails tutorial
by Michael Hartl · first published 2012
86% recommend13% neutral1% critical
Why HN recommends it
Hands-on, project-based walkthrough that builds a real app from database to frontend, including environment setup, git, and deployment. Suits beginners and newcomers to Rails; free online and keeps learners motivated.
Common criticism: Setup and version issues; some material, like Cloud9 instructions, is outdated
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Provides information on building Web applications using Ruby on Rails.
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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I'm a beginner (hobbyist) Rails developer. I've gone through many of the available tutorials, such as Michael Hartl's excellent Ruby on Rails Tutorial at http://ruby.railstutorial.org/ (both editions, books, and screencasts). I can build and understand simple CRUD-type applications with associations with no problems. Now, I want to "scratch my own…
on “Ask HN: How can I learn "advanced" data modelling for Rails?” ↗…afford it), recruited 1 cs buddy I went to high school with (he was busy doing his own things), so I figured I had no choice but to learn to program. I found HN, which introduced me to Michael Hartl's Ruby on Rails Tutorial, and I just launched my first app: http://www.fanscription.com Oh, and I'm an Econ/Business Major. "Just Do It" -Nike
on “I just need a programmer” ↗This feels overwelming. While I realize Rails isn't the cool thing in the web space anymore, I'm still convinced the best way to get someone into web development is to sit them down with Michael Hartl's Ruby on Rails tutorial and have them go through it any number of times. I've turned several zero-experience friends and/or interns into career web developers this way.
on “Roadmap to becoming a web developer in 2019” ↗This reminds me of Ruby on Rails Tutorial by Michael Hartl. I love the idea of the book being online in HTML for free, but you can pay for a better learning experience: screencasts, PDF files, and online training courses.
on “Learn Python The Hard Way 2nd Edition Released” ↗In my case, I learned Rails from Ruby on Rails Tutorial by Michael Hartl. I love the fact that he assumes no knowledge from the reader, and make sure the reader doesn't make mistakes along the way.
on “Ask HN: Your favorite resources for learning Rails” ↗…storage and the like. Many exist (Django for Python, Rails and Sinatra for Ruby, etc), but as a personal recommendation, Rails is extremely powerful and has a vibrant community. Plus, Michael Hartl's Ruby on Rails tutorial is available in HTML as a free book, and will walk you through every step of creating a web app.
on “Ask HN: Best HTML5/CSS3/JavaScript books/tutorials for a kernel engineer?” ↗Tutorials do exist for absolute beginners. Seems like the author is implying they rarely exist which is incorrect. "Hello world" is a tutorial/real world example. I learnt the how to code through the "Ruby on Rails Tutorial" by Michael Hartl. The tutorial market is different than the computer science 101 crowd, so you have tutorials for one, textbooks for the other. The issue with using tutorials in textbooks is that it's…
on “Teaching how to code is broken” ↗…to access the resources a college can provide. Start looking into summer internships. Good way to establish contacts, find mentors, and get a guided introduction to the field. Take a look at Hartl's Ruby on Rails tutorial. The book is free, online, and walks you through the stages of building a simple twitter-like client. It's amazing the things you can do with high-level tools these days. There are some good books on…
on “I'm 19 and I need advice” ↗…should play around with price, but I also believe Zed could be leveraging his free tutorial to market another service later on. For example, while this isn't an intro to python book, Michael Hartl's Ruby on Rails Tutorial I think provides an excellent revenue model for authors. Basically he provides a free online tutorial that he cross-subsidizes with charging on the premium screencasts and pdf/hardbook editions. I read…
on “335k downloads of Learning Python The Hard Way” ↗…story is different. I would put my toe in the water and try to learn to program, but it all just seemed so absurd to me, so I pursued other areas of study. Then earlier this year I started doing Hartl's Ruby on Rails tutorial and things just started clicking. Now I am teaching myself Ruby on Rails and I am looking for explore other more difficult languages (just for fun, I don't want a career as a developer). For whatever…
on “How I Became a Programmer in ~12 Weeks” ↗She mentions specifically the Ruby on Rails Tutorial by Michael Hartl. This tutorial has a section on creating secret tokens within the first three chapters (while leaving in-depth discussion of it for later chapters), and starts discussing concepts like…
on “After 180 Websites, I’m Ready to Start the Rest of My Life as a Coder” ↗…'academy' alongside my business and I picked Rails for them to learn for the following reasons: 1. it's easy to get something up and working, which for a lot of students helps keep them motivated 2. Hartl's Ruby On Rails Tutorial. So far, it's the best book/course on how to get from knowing pretty much nothing to being able to work in a 'modern' dev setting (good editor, git, bitbucket, testing, backend, front-end, etc.). 3. if…
on “My time with Rails is up” ↗If I were teaching, I would definitely look at something like Cloud9. I'm in the process of going through Michael Hartl's Ruby on Rails tutorial based on Cloud9 and I'm blown away by how good it is.
on “Apple’s Devices Lose Luster in American Classrooms” ↗Your Audio Tour (https://www.youraudiotour.com) is making about $120 in recurring monthly revenue. I built it using Micheal Hartl's online ruby on rails tutorial which I would HIGHLY recommend.
on “Ask HN: One-person SaaS apps that are profitable?” ↗…Grounded Rubyist and I've heard Eloquent Ruby is also good. Design Patterns in Ruby is less about ruby and more about design patterns, but still a good read. I learned a lot about Rails from Michael Hartl's Ruby on Rails Tutorial book. I learned the most through doing, though. I would work on building my own website and looked up anything I didn't know.
on “Lambda School wants to teach nursing” ↗