Rails is a nice framework, but finding the right hosting for your application can be a small challenge. On top of that, deploying Rails projects can be somewhat challenging depending on the server’s configuration.
It’s always refreshing to find a service that takes a different approach and makes project development and management a bit different. As far as Ruby-based projects are concerned, Heroku lands right in the sweet spot.
If you’re familiar with standard web hosting protocols such as FTP and SSH, then Heroku’s model is going to look a little different. Instead, Heroku’s model is built around Git source control.
Rather than FTP’ing files, restarting servers, or maintaining configuration files, you simply perform Git commands to push code into your application.
From here, Heroku will compile your code, verify that it actually works, and then make it available for use. Slick, huh?
The actual architecture is intelligent, too. All requests come into the proxy and land in the cache. If the requested information isn’t available, it will be retrieved from the grid and served back up to the client.
Obviously, providing caching and database replication right out of the box is a huge win especially if you’re keen on performance.
On top of that, their pricing ranges any where from small, personal projects up to enterprise-level quality all of which are explained in detail on the site:
Impressed!
I know a couple of people who are big fans of Heroku and have had success deploying Rails applications, Sinatra-based applications, and other Ruby tools to their service.
[…] guide takes you through setting up your environment, selecting an editor, interacting with Heroku, and then provides a full tutorial with concrete examples and that explore the major points of the […]