Installation Guide

System Requirements

Rails Blueprint requires a Unix-like operating system (macOS, Linux, WSL2 on Windows).

ComponentMinimum VersionRecommended VersionNotes
Ruby3.2.03.3.0+With YJIT and jemalloc for optimal performance
Rails7.1.07.2.2+Latest stable version recommended
PostgreSQL1315+Required for primary database
Redis6.07.0+Used for caching and ActionCable
Node.js1618+ LTSFor JavaScript compilation
Yarn1.221.22+Package manager for JavaScript
Note: For production deployments, we recommend using the latest stable versions of all components.

Ruby Installation

We recommend using a Ruby version manager for easy switching between Ruby versions.

Installing with rbenv (Recommended)

macOS with Homebrew
# Install rbenv and ruby-build
$ brew install rbenv ruby-build

# Set up rbenv in your shell
$ echo 'eval "$(rbenv init -)"' >> ~/.zshrc
$ source ~/.zshrc

# Install Ruby with YJIT and jemalloc
$ RUBY_CONFIGURE_OPTS="--enable-yjit --with-jemalloc" rbenv install 3.3.0
$ rbenv global 3.3.0 
Ubuntu/Debian
# Install dependencies
$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install -y build-essential libssl-dev libreadline-dev zlib1g-dev

# Install rbenv
$ git clone https://github.com/rbenv/rbenv.git ~/.rbenv
$ echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.rbenv/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
$ echo 'eval "$(rbenv init -)"' >> ~/.bashrc
$ source ~/.bashrc

# Install ruby-build
$ git clone https://github.com/rbenv/ruby-build.git ~/.rbenv/plugins/ruby-build

# Install Ruby
$ rbenv install 3.3.0
$ rbenv global 3.3.0 

Installing with RVM

# Install RVM
$ \curl -sSL https://get.rvm.io | bash -s stable
$ source ~/.rvm/scripts/rvm

# Install Ruby
$ rvm install 3.3.0
$ rvm use 3.3.0 --default 
Performance Tip: Enable YJIT for better performance by adding export RUBY_YJIT_ENABLE=1 to your shell configuration.

PostgreSQL Setup

macOS Installation

# Install PostgreSQL
$ brew install postgresql@15
$ brew services start postgresql@15

# Create a database user
$ createuser -s postgres 

Ubuntu/Debian Installation

# Install PostgreSQL
$ sudo apt-get install postgresql postgresql-contrib libpq-dev

# Start PostgreSQL
$ sudo systemctl start postgresql
$ sudo systemctl enable postgresql

# Create a database user
$ sudo -u postgres createuser -s $USER 

Docker Installation

# Run PostgreSQL in Docker
$ docker run --name rails-blueprint-postgres \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=password \
  -p 5432:5432 \
  -d postgres:15 

Redis Setup

macOS

$ brew install redis
$ brew services start redis 

Ubuntu/Debian

$ sudo apt-get install redis-server
$ sudo systemctl start redis
$ sudo systemctl enable redis 

Installation Options

The basic installation includes all essential features:

$ git clone https://github.com/railsblueprint/basic.git myapp
$ cd myapp
$ bundle install
$ rails blueprint:init
$ yarn install
$ rails db:create
$ rails db:migrate:with_data
$ rails db:seed
$ bin/dev 

For production deployments with Mina. rails blueprint:init renders config/deploy.rb from config/deploy.rb.template, along with config/deploy/staging.rb and config/deploy/production.rb; there is no file to copy by hand.

# Generate config/deploy.rb from config/deploy.rb.template (skip if already initialised)
$ rails blueprint:init
# Edit config/deploy.rb and config/deploy/production.rb with your server details

# Setup server
$ mina production setup
$ mina production deploy 

Troubleshooting Installation

Common Issues and Solutions
Bundle install fails with native extensions

Install development tools:

# macOS
$ xcode-select --install

# Ubuntu/Debian
$ sudo apt-get install build-essential 
PostgreSQL connection refused

Ensure PostgreSQL is running:

# Check status
$ pg_isready

# Start PostgreSQL
$ brew services start postgresql  # macOS
$ sudo systemctl start postgresql  # Linux 
JavaScript dependencies fail to install

Clear cache and reinstall:

$ rm -rf node_modules yarn.lock
$ yarn install --check-files 

Still having issues? Check our Troubleshooting Guide or contact support.

Start creating your next app now