Ruby on Rails Tutorial (3rd Ed.) Learn Web Development with Rails Michael Hartl

by Jerry S. on August 21, 2015 at 13:41

I am pretty much entirely  new to coding however I found this tutorial to be straight forward and easy to understand. If you really read and internalize what the text says while coding *BY HAND* the examples you will pick up Rails!

by Em on August 21, 2015 at 13:39

This book taught me a lot of things not only about Rails but about Ruby also. I love the step-by-step and patient introduction to each concept in MVC. It's so good I had to read it twice. First to learn and second just for the fun of it.

by Sergio Barrera on August 21, 2015 at 13:19 Verified Buyer

Ruby on Rails Tutorial has been a great resource when learning first time and later refreshing my skills. The addition of cloud9 to avoid issues with the command line was also another excellent choice and be grateful forever. Thank you Michael and look forward to the rails 5 update!

by Brett G on August 21, 2015 at 13:15

This is an indispensable guide to understanding modern web development in general, and Rails in particular. I've gone through the tutorial at least three times while learning Rails over the course of a couple years, and I still refer to it from time to time as I've worked on developing actual applications. This isn't everything you'll need to master Rails, but it's an incredibly solid grounding, with introduction to the command line, test-driven development, object oriented programming, MVC, git versioning, databases, http, and on and on. By the second chapter you'll have an actual, working application deployed on the web. That first push to Heroku may not be pretty, or much, but it's one of the most thrilling moments you'll experience as an aspiring developer. Hartl's approach to teaching the material gets you right into the process and keeps you learning.

Rails isn't the be-all, end-all of web development, and there are other technologies and frameworks out there. But where it absolutely excels for the n00b is in its coherence, accessibility, and community support. I don't know of any other framework that gives a beginning developer/entreprenuer so much opportunity to actually prototype a full-stack application, taking it from idea to conception. Rails is more than suitable for production -- and indeed, it powers many large, enterprise websites -- but even if your goal is just to hack something you can show to potential investors, it's probably the quickest route to that point.

Go through this book, then tackle some of the other resources out there for learning Rails. If you're looking to go further, there's plenty of material that will be more accessible after gaining the foundation from the Rails Tutorial. If you're just looking to get a basic grounding in how the internet functions and how developers work, then this is your guide. I've recommended it to a number of friends for just that purpose.

by Eric Ricketts on August 21, 2015 at 13:08 Verified Buyer

Michael Hart's book is the preeminent Ruby on Rails tutorial. Let me emphasize it is an advanced tutorial, and I would recommend having a good introduction to Ruby before you start on his book. However, once a person finishes the book and does all of the exercises, an excellent foundation will be laid for future web development.

I strongly recommend getting the Solutions Manual to accompany the tutorial along with Michael's screencasts as these resources further enhance the already excellent written material. I also advise progressing through the tutorial at a consistent but comfortable pace so that you can take time to think about what Michael is teaching.

Once you complete the tutorial, you definitely have enough background to start writing your own applications. Do so immediately, as any tutorial is meant only to ground you in the basics, mastery comes by doing things on your own.

by Allan W on August 21, 2015 at 12:47 Verified Buyer

This is a great resource for beginners looking to learn a programming language that will enable you to write flexible programs for personal use.

by Nima G. on August 21, 2015 at 12:44

This book is the best way to learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, and Rails by using git and deploying to Heroku in the very first chapter with Test Driven Development and giving you the option to use a cloud-based IDE.

by Eoin H on August 21, 2015 at 12:41 Verified Buyer

Probably the first book I've read from cover to cover. I'm a marketer by trade and had only basic HTML and Javascript knowledge starting the Ruby on Rails Tutorial (RoRT). The book took me a good 5/6 months of progress at varying speeds, going without a week or two before returning to the tutorial. Now I'm comfortable talking to developers with years of experience about Version Control, Development, Testing, Production, Sessions, MVC and a whole host of other programming concepts! I've yet to go off and build my own web application, but I know I could now if I really wanted to. In fact I used to develop small websites, either hobby or for friends, on things like wordpress which always annoyed me, because I never felt in control of what I was actually installing. And of course the dreaded hassle an update could cause. Because of my introduction to Ruby in the RoRT, I found Jekyll, which I now love using to create high performance, near unbreakable sites hosted on S3. I found learning how do this easy because of steps Michael had already brought me through in the RoRT. My next objective now is to develop an iOS app and because I've completed this tutorial, I know even this is quite achievable. Michael's greatest feat in the RoRT is removing the magic from web development, while keeping web development magical.

by Josh H on August 21, 2015 at 12:28 Verified Buyer

This is a fantastic tutorial.  It took me about 4 full days to complete it.  I wish I had started with this tutorial instead of a myriad of others.  The author is clear and concise.  The code is very-well explained and working through the book was fun!

by Thomas S on August 21, 2015 at 12:26 Verified Buyer

truly outstanding - if you want to learn web development, there is no way around this book!

btw, I also highly recommend Michael Hartl's screencasts, on top of the printed book - well worth the investment!

by Brian H on August 21, 2015 at 12:25

Looking to learn the Rails framework? Trust in me, this is the book you're looking for. Ruby on Rails Tutorial: Learn Web Development with Rails 3rd edition is great way to ease into using the Rails framework. I've found the book is well written, never overwhelming me with too much content. The projects created throughout the book are relevant and help you establish a foundation for Rails. I would recommend purchasing a book on the Ruby language. I believe you'll avoid some confusion and get more out of this book if you have a background in basic to advanced Ruby. However, there is no reason to hold off on buying this book until you're established with Ruby. I would recommend keeping an eye out for future titles by Michael Hartl. He's a truly gifted writer and I look forward to reading his future titles.

by Hunter N on August 21, 2015 at 12:18

Great book for learning Ruby on Rails. You learn solid fundamentals and best practices.

by Greg R on August 21, 2015 at 12:16 Verified Buyer

I'm a novice at RoR and the book and supporting videos are a great resource. So if you have any experience with web development, you will get even more out of this book than I am. The book takes very complex subject matter and walks you through the process of building a functional web site. The RoR community is super supportive too so if you're looking to learn RoRs, I highly recommend this book.

by Oscar CG on August 21, 2015 at 12:15 Verified Buyer

If you think that programming is difficult, Michael will change your mind with his book. Almost without knowing it, you will find yourself doing it and a world of possibilities will start to come into your mind. Give yourself the chance to experiment with Ruby!

by Abhishek Nag on August 21, 2015 at 12:15

A very easily cognizable and thorough book, I read the first 3 chapters, and I already refer this book for basic to advanced recollects on rails framework,

by Kaleb D on August 21, 2015 at 12:14

Anyone new to rails should try out this book. It's super helpful and teaches concepts rather than just code.

by Justinm on August 21, 2015 at 12:14 Verified Buyer

Ok so you might not be a lunatic like me but I've done Michael Hartl's Rails Tutorial through twice, once in the second edition and again in the third.  I highly recommend it to anyone, whether you're a novice programmer interested in seeing what web development is like or if you're coming from another language/framework and want to figure out Rails.  Michael doesn't gloss over any important details and the test first practices were very helpful for me when moving into a more formal development boot camp.  Check it out!

by Colin M. on August 21, 2015 at 12:08 Verified Buyer

I had a little background in Ruby but previous to this book I had almost no exposure to Rails.  Hartl's tutorial took me from zero to competent in 12 chapters.  While some of the chapters aren't easy - Hartl takes you through all the steps, keeping the concepts clear which made it so much easier for me to digest and learn with confidence.  I also purchased the screencasts that accompany the book and would highly recommend them as well.  I find myself referring back to both as I continue to learn Ruby on Rails, it's a wonderful resource to have at my side.

by Jeremy L on August 21, 2015 at 12:08 Verified Buyer

He's taken the biggest obstacles of learning and made it easy. I was introduced to Michael Hartl's tutorial in a bootcamp I was attending and loved the teaching style, it's all about getting into the details where other tutorial assume knowledge, Michael goes step by step showing the beginner programmer and those familiar with coding the in's and out's of programming in Ruby on Rails, and with the inclusion of using a pre-configured setting on Cloud9 the nasty setup and trouble getting into coding has already been done for you, when you become more comfortable you can tackle that beast on your own.

by Tom on August 21, 2015 at 12:07 Verified Buyer

This tutorial has been an amazing resource for helping me get into the web dev world. It is the gold standard and I always look for equivalent tutorials when learning other tech skills. Unfortunately most don't measure up.