Ruby Ecosystem (rake, capistrano, mongrel, etc.?) basics

Question

So I am diving into Ruby (and Rails) and back-end web development in general, and it seems to me there is a huge ecosystem of Ruby projects that seem to be totally essential.

I am thinking of projects like Rake, Rack, Mongrel, Gems, Capistrano specifically.

Besides these apps' own documentation on their respective project websites, can you recommend a good place to start diving into more information about creating a good Ruby environment?

I have tons of questions about running Mongrel, deploying with capistrano, and rather than list each individual question that pops into my head, is there a good repository of information that addresses the "Ruby world"?

Answer 1

I've just used the Howtos on the wiki. Most of these pieces you don't need to learn too much about at first. You'll just naturally use them if you follow the install instructions and basic tutorials.

Capistrano is an example of one you really do have to dig into a bit more - I read this article when I set it up the first time just recently and it helped me a lot; it was really pretty easy.

Answer 2

I just posted a similar question, but it was specifically about Rails learning resources, not Ruby.

If you're just diving in I recommend putting Rails to the side for the moment and focusing on Ruby exclusively. Get comfortable with Ruby before you start trying to learn Rails.

An awesome Ruby book is David Black's Ruby for Rails. But note that the Rails chapters in that book are outdated. It's worth owning just for the Ruby chapters though.

If you don't want to buy a book, try _why's poignant guide to Ruby.

Answer 3

A new series of Rails Guides have just been launched. Provides a very in-depth look at the fundamentals.

I would suggest concentrating on Rake and Capistrano. There is not much to say about Gems really, at it's most basic it is just a way of managing code packages for Ruby and can be approached as a black box as you get started.

Answer 4

The Pragmatic Programmers have a Deploying Rails book that covers some of this. One tool I would add to your list is Phusion Passenger (aka mod_rails).

Also, see my answer to Ethan's question for Rails resources.