WRITING
Notes from
building software.
Practical articles on Ruby on Rails, frontend architecture, upgrades and the engineering decisions that keep products cheap to change. Written from 15+ years of client work.
How to start a new Ruby on Rails project in 2026
Day-one setup for a Rails 8 app: Ruby, PostgreSQL, Tailwind, authentication, a first model and test, and a Kamal deploy before the week is out.
What is Ruby on Rails and why should I use it?
What the framework is, what ships in the box, why GitHub and Shopify still run on it, and when I would pick something else.
Read the article ↗Why use a frontend framework with a backend language?
When pairing React or Vue with a Rails, Python or Node backend pays for itself, what it costs, and the middle path most products should start on.
Read the article ↗The modern Rails stack I reach for today
Hotwire, Tailwind and a background job queue cover most product work without a separate frontend build. The setup I use on new Rails apps.
Read the article ↗Working on a Rails product?
Tell me what you’re building or what’s slowing you down. New projects and ongoing freelance work are welcome.