Advanced Rails

Product Description

Ready to go to the next level with Rails? From examining the parts of Ruby that make this framework possible to deploying large Rails applications, Advanced Rails offers you an in-depth look at techniques for dealing with databases, security, performance, web services and much more. Chapters in this book help you understand not only the tricks and techniques used within the Rails framework itself, but also how to make use of ideas borrowed from other programming paradigms. Advanced Rails pays particular attention to building applications that scale -- whether "scale" means handling more users, or working with a bigger and more complex database. You'll find plenty of examples and code samples that explain: Aspects of Ruby that are often confusing or misunderstood Metaprogramming How to develop Rails plug-ins Different database management systems Advanced database features, including triggers, rules, and stored procedures How to connect to multiple databases When to use the Active Support library for generic, reusable functions Security principles for web application design, and security issues endemic to the Web When and when not to optimize performance Why version control and issue tracking systems are essential to any large or long-lived Rails project Advanced Rails also gives you a look at REST for developing web services, ways to incorporate and extend Rails, how to use internationalization, and many other topics. If you're just starting out with rails, or merely experimenting with the framework, this book is not for you. But if you want to improve your skills with Rails through advanced techniques, this book is essential.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #172749 in Books
* Published on: 2008-01-11
* Released on: 2008-01-11
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 357 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Brad Ediger is the CTO of Tasman Labs, a real-estate technology company. Together with his wife Kristen, a web designer, Brad owns Madriska Media Group, a firm specializing in custom application development. When not programming, Brad enjoys playing various musical instruments and watching obscure films.
Customer Reviews

Wide Range of Topics4
I loved that, for once, a Rails book did not start out telling me how to install Rails. Ok, maybe they don't all do that, it just feels that way sometimes. Instead, by page 6 you are looking at charts on how Ruby class inheritance works.

I really enjoyed Chapter 1 "Foundation Techniques". It covers interesting topics such as "Metaprogramming Techniques" and "Functional Programming".

The other chapters weren't as interesting to me as the first, but all contained practical information that could be put to use by the working Rails Developer depending on the requirements of your specific project.

An essential Rails resource5
Although the title suggest otherwise, Advanced Rails is really required reading for anyone using Rails - beginners and gurus alike. The information provided is excellent, with essential tips and sound advice. In particular, the chapters on routing, security, internationalization and database issues are well worth the purchase price. Like Obie's The Rails Way (Addison-Wesley Professional Ruby Series), this book should live on your desk in your workspace. What's missing? Well, it would have been nice to see information on Git considering the effort put into covering source control systems. It's also surprising that there is not more on testing techniques and issues. But overall, this book is fantastic, and chocked full of juicy info you won't find in any of the other Rails books currently available.

A must-read for any experienced Rails developer5
This book is almost worth it just for the first chapter's dive into Ruby metaprogramming, but the rest of the book doesn't disappoint. Ediger delivers useful advice regarding available methods, alternatives and considerations that all serious web developers should take into account.

This book should be non-optional for all Rails development teams, as it has some of the most sane and sober treatment of relevant topics I've ever read in a single book. From security to databases to deployment, this book gives the reader a solid foundation in nearly all of the major disciplines involved in building web applications.