How to Host Ruby on Rails Applications

Introduction

This guide covers deploying Ruby on Rails applications on Shard Cloud. Rails is a full-stack web framework for Ruby that emphasizes convention over configuration and rapid development.

Creating Your Project

Ensure you have Ruby and Rails installed.

Creating a New Rails Project

rails new my_rails_app
cd my_rails_app

Basic Application Structure

Your Rails application should have this structure:

my_rails_app/
├── app/
│   ├── controllers/
│   ├── models/
│   └── views/
├── bin/
├── config/
├── db/
├── lib/
├── public/
├── Gemfile
└── .shardcloud

Configuring Port 80

Update config/puma.rb to use port 80:

config/puma.rb

port ENV.fetch("PORT") { 80 }

Or bind to all interfaces:

config/puma.rb

bind "tcp://0.0.0.0:#{ENV.fetch('PORT') { 80 }}"

Shard Cloud Configuration

Create a .shardcloud file:

.shardcloud

DISPLAY_NAME=Rails Website
DESCRIPTION=Ruby on Rails Application
MAIN=Gemfile
MEMORY=512
VERSION=recommended
SUBDOMAIN=my-rails-site
CUSTOM_COMMAND=chmod +x bin/rails && bin/rails server -b 0.0.0.0

The CUSTOM_COMMAND makes the Rails binary executable and starts the server bound to all interfaces.

Deploying

Verify Locally

Run bin/rails server to verify your application works locally.

Prepare Your Files

Ensure you have:

All source files (app/, config/, db/, lib/, public/)
bin/ folder (contains Rails executables)
Gemfile
.shardcloud

Exclude Unnecessary Files

Remove:

vendor/bundle/
.bundle/
tmp/
log/
node_modules/ (if present)

Create ZIP Archive

Zip the entire Rails application folder.

Upload to Shard Cloud

Go to Shard Cloud Dashboard and upload.

Database Configuration

If your Rails app uses a database, configure it in config/database.yml:

config/database.yml

production:
  adapter: postgresql
  url: <%= ENV['DATABASE_URL'] %>
  pool: <%= ENV.fetch("RAILS_MAX_THREADS") { 5 } %>

Set the DATABASE_URL environment variable in your Shard Cloud dashboard.

Running Migrations

You can run migrations by updating your custom command:

.shardcloud

CUSTOM_COMMAND=chmod +x bin/rails && bin/rails db:migrate && bin/rails server -b 0.0.0.0

Additional Resources

Visit the official Rails documentation for more information.

Troubleshooting

Permission denied for bin/rails

The chmod +x bin/rails in CUSTOM_COMMAND should fix this. Make sure the bin/ folder is included in your ZIP.

Dependencies not found

Make sure Gemfile includes all required gems
Remove vendor/bundle/ folder before uploading (Shard Cloud will install gems)

Assets not loading

Precompile assets before uploading: bin/rails assets:precompile
Or add to CUSTOM_COMMAND: bin/rails assets:precompile && bin/rails server -b 0.0.0.0

Database connection errors

Verify DATABASE_URL environment variable is set in dashboard
Ensure config/database.yml reads from environment variables

Server not accessible

Ensure -b 0.0.0.0 is included to bind to all interfaces
Check that port 80 is configured in config/puma.rb

Introduction

Platform Features

Bot Platforms

API Frameworks

Website Frameworks

How to Host Ruby on Rails Applications

Introduction

Creating Your Project

Creating a New Rails Project

Basic Application Structure

Configuring Port 80

Shard Cloud Configuration

Deploying

Database Configuration

Running Migrations

Additional Resources

Troubleshooting

​Introduction

​Creating Your Project

​Creating a New Rails Project

​Basic Application Structure

​Configuring Port 80

​Shard Cloud Configuration

​Deploying

​Database Configuration

​Running Migrations

​Additional Resources

​Troubleshooting

Introduction

Creating Your Project

Creating a New Rails Project

Basic Application Structure

Configuring Port 80

Shard Cloud Configuration

Deploying

Database Configuration

Running Migrations

Additional Resources

Troubleshooting