Learn Ruby and Rails with these resources

During the holidays I decided to learn Ruby and Rails. In this article, I share the resources I have used and would recommend.

Assumed knowledge

If you already know one programming language it should be enough to make the most out of the resources below. If you feel that you are lacking some (or a lot of) knowledge I would recommend having a look at Learn how to code with these resources.

Install and learn Ruby

Install rbenv

I would recommend using rbenv to install ruby.

Learn Ruby - Codecademy

I would recommend learning Ruby here. You can get the course done in a day if you can focus that long!

Cheat sheets

A couple of cheat sheets you might also find helpful:

• Ruby API
• Quick reference - Ryan Davis and Austin Ziegler

Get started with Rails

Rails guides

I found this to be a really friendly place to start. After completing the first guide I was able to pick and choose where to go next.

Practice

Once you have completed the resources above I would recommend practising the concepts by starting a project of your own. It can be something similar to address-book, which is a project I started for the same reason.

Testing

It can be a little overwhelming learning how to test before you have had any practice but that is not a reason to forget them altogether! A nice place to get started is with Testing Rails - Josh Steiner and Joël Quenneville. Some of the libraries have been deprecated since the time of writing, but don't let that deter you from good content!

Additional resources

Podcasts

• Ruby on Rails Podcast. I particularly enjoyed 287: Recruitment on Rails with Brian Mariani
• Ruby Rogues. I particularly enjoyed RR 428: Arming the Rebels with Rails 6 Featuring David Heinemeier Hansson

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