The Stack
The Rails Machine stack is a reliable, efficient and scalable group of packages designed to provide a zero-maintenance platform for deploying Ruby on Rails applications. It features application isolation, automated set-up and maintenance and optimal RAM usage. Here’s a quick description of the technologies employed to create the stack:
Xen and CentOS Enterprise Linux
Our platform is founded on the ability to quickly and efficiently create and control virtual servers, both for use in isolating applications as well as maintaining different deployments of the same application (think development, staging, and production).
Apache with mod_proxy_balancer
A combination of Apache’s rewrite and proxy capabilities allows us to serve up static, dynamic and cached Rails content in an extremely efficient manner, without additional queries or redirects behind the scenes.
Mongrel
Written in Ruby, Mongrel accepts dynamic requests from Apache and quickly interfaces with the Rails environment. Running a cluster of Mongrel processes (via the mongrel_cluster gem) allows for efficient scaling of Rails applications, even in the context of a small virtual server with a limited RAM allotment.
Ruby and Ruby on Rails
Ruby and Rails provide the core of our application stack. As Ruby and Rails evolve we will revise our supported stack, but Rails Machine hosting customers always have the option to stick with what’s working, since these programs reside on your own dedicated or virtual private server.
Databases & Additional Binaries
Rails Machines are pre-configured with MySQL, ImageMagick, RMagicK and other commonly used programs. Since all machines come with root access there’s no reason you can’t configure additional programs as needed. As our deployment gem (below) evolves, more databases and programs will become a snap to configure without even logging in.
The Rails Machine Deployment Gem
So you like our stack, but not sure you have the time and energy to configure and deploy to it? We’re lazy too, so we created a Ruby gem that gets you up and running in about five minutes, without having to know anything about systems administration. Oh, and that five minutes not only sets up your server but also sets up the other stuff you’ve been putting off—Capistrano, Subversion, etc.
Watch our Demo
Our Rails stack provides the perfect platform for running your application, and our gem enables you to set-up your application for use with a Rails Machine in five minutes. Watch the movie and see for yourself.
Available Services
Need assistance with a custom configuration? or testing your application in a pristine environment? or punching through bottlenecks? Our Rails deployment experts are happy to assist as needed.
We offer custom development of Mongrel extensions, Rails plugins, and Capistrano tasks, application debugging and tuning, Rails Machine stack installation, configuration, support, and more.
Ask Us Anything Support
All of our hosting products include our Ask Us Anything Support. Our experts are your experts. Using our Support System, you have immediate access to our team, specialists with specific expertise with all aspects of Rails, Rails hosting, and Rails application deployment.
We’ll do our best to help you solve any problems you may run into, everything from initial deployment to application tuning, even with issues that have nothing to do with our infrastructure or software stack.