Ruby on Rails 2.3 Tutorial: Learn Rails by Example

The Ruby on Rails 2.3 Tutorial teaches web development with Ruby on Rails, an open-source web framework that powers many of the web's top sites, including Twitter, Hulu, and the Yellow Pages. Ruby on Rails 2.3 Tutorial helps you learn Rails by example through the development of a substantial sample application, including a site layout, a user data model, a full registration and authentication system, user-status associations, social "following," and a feed of status updates. Ruby on Rails 2.3 Tutorial also teaches good software development practices, including version control with Git and GitHub, test-driven development with RSpec, and instant deployment with Heroku. Though of necessity the book focuses on a specific sample application, the emphasis throughout this book is on general principles, so you will have a solid foundation no matter what kind of web application you want to build.

Michael Hartl is a programmer, educator, and entrepreneur. Michael was coauthor of RailsSpace, a best-selling Rails tutorial book published in 2007, and was cofounder and lead developer of Insoshi, a popular social networking platform in Ruby on Rails. Previously, he taught theoretical and computational physics at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for six years, where he received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2000. Michael is a graduate of Harvard College, has a Ph.D. in Physics from Caltech, and is an alumnus of the Y Combinator program.