The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The current Ruby on Rails Guides deployment walkthrough uses Kamal to build and deploy your app as a Docker container on a VPS. You’ll need an Ubuntu LTS server with SSH access, a container registry account and credentials, and—if you want HTTPS on a domain—DNS pointed at the server. The guide’s example specifies at least 1 GB of RAM; treat that as a starting example, not a sizing recommendation for every production app. Rails Guides: Getting Started with Rails
What Kamal does in a Rails deployment
Kamal builds your application image from its production Dockerfile, pushes the image to a container registry, and deploys it to your server. The Rails Guides walkthrough uses Docker Hub, though Kamal’s deploy configuration supports other registry hosts. You configure the service, image, server address, and registry username in config/deploy.yml; credentials belong in secrets, not committed configuration.
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Before you deploy: make the production decisions
Choose and size the VPS
Provision an Ubuntu LTS VPS and arrange SSH access for deployment. The Rails Guides example asks for at least 1 GB RAM. That is a documented example prerequisite, not evidence that a server of that size can handle your app’s workload. Account for the application, database if colocated, background workers, traffic, and memory or CPU needed while deploying a new release.
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Decide where the database and persistent files live
Choose whether the database will run on the same VPS, on a separate server, or with an external managed service. A same-server arrangement may reduce infrastructure complexity, but it couples application and database capacity and recovery to one machine. A separate or managed database introduces network dependency and may change cost and operational responsibilities. Your workload and recovery needs determine the trade-off; the Rails deployment walkthrough does not prescribe a universal topology.
Plan separately for uploaded files and other persistent data. A container image deployment does not by itself establish where your app’s data is stored or how it is restored. Verify that your chosen storage approach survives container replacement and server recovery.
Prepare registry access and production secrets
Create a repository and access token at your chosen container registry. The Rails walkthrough’s Docker Hub example requests read/write access because Kamal needs to push and retrieve the image. Keep the registry password and Rails master key out of source control. Kamal identifies KAMAL_REGISTRY_PASSWORD and, for Rails apps, RAILS_MASTER_KEY among deployment secrets. See the Kamal documentation for current secret handling and configuration.
Deploy with Kamal
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Provision the server and confirm access
Create an Ubuntu LTS VPS, note its public IP address, and ensure your deployment user can connect over SSH. The Rails walkthrough puts the server address in
config/deploy.yml. Confirm that the account and SSH configuration you use locally can reach the machine before starting the deployment.Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy. -
Create the image registry credentials
Set up a registry repository and token with permissions to push and retrieve the app image. The official example uses Docker Hub; if you use another registry, configure its host and credentials as appropriate. Supply the password through Kamal’s secret mechanism rather than placing it in a committed file.
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Configure
config/deploy.ymlSet the service and image names, target server address, and registry username in the deploy configuration. Review the generated production Dockerfile and app-specific configuration as well: the image must include what your app needs to boot, serve assets, connect to its database, and run any required workers.
Provide
KAMAL_REGISTRY_PASSWORDandRAILS_MASTER_KEYsecurely. Do not paste production secrets into a repository or a public issue. Restrict access to the machines and accounts that need them, and include secret rotation in your maintenance plan. -
Point your domain and enable HTTPS, if applicable
Create DNS records that point your hostname to the VPS. Configure the Kamal proxy host and enable SSL in the deployment configuration. The Rails walkthrough says Kamal obtains a Let’s Encrypt certificate after DNS points to the server. Allow DNS changes to take effect, then verify the hostname and certificate in a browser. If you deploy without a domain, follow the current guide’s configuration for that case rather than assuming the domain-based SSL flow applies.
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Run the initial setup
From your Rails project, run
bin/kamal setupfor the first deployment. This performs the initial server setup and deploy flow described by the Rails walkthrough. Review command output and resolve SSH, registry, configuration, or boot errors before treating the app as live. -
Deploy later releases
For subsequent releases, run
bin/kamal deploy. Keep the deployment configuration and production image in step with changes to your app, and confirm release-specific tasks such as database migrations are appropriate for your application. -
Verify the app beyond the landing page
Open the deployed hostname over HTTPS and exercise the routes and background workflows that matter to your application. Check database connectivity, migrations, uploaded files, outbound mail, and worker processing separately; these depend on your app and topology and are not fully configured by a generic deployment walkthrough. If needed, Kamal documents
bin/kamal consolefor opening a remote Rails console. Treat production console access as privileged and keep it restricted.
Production work continues after the first successful deploy
- Backups and restore: decide what needs backing up, how often, how long to retain copies, and how to restore them. Test restoration rather than assuming a backup is usable.
- Security and secrets: apply server and application security updates, restrict SSH and administrative access, and rotate credentials when needed.
- Monitoring and logs: review application and server logs, watch for errors and resource pressure, and define how you will learn about failures. The official deployment walkthrough does not choose a monitoring product or set a universal alert policy.
- Recovery and rollback: establish how you will respond to a failed release, server loss, or database problem. Set recovery objectives appropriate to the app and verify that the chosen backup and deployment process can meet them.
Kamal or a manual Puma service?
Kamal is the documented Rails deployment route and packages the app in a Docker image, making the build and release process repeatable once configured. It does require familiarity with containers, a registry, and Kamal’s deployment configuration. A manual host installation can avoid a container workflow, but leaves more host setup and release details for you to manage.
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Puma’s upstream documentation describes systemd as a common Linux init system that can monitor Puma and restart it, and includes a sample service unit. That is process supervision, not a complete Rails deployment recipe. A manual setup still needs a versioned Ruby and app installation, environment and secret management, reverse proxy and TLS, database setup, asset build, migration and release strategy, logs, backups, and rollback planning. Puma systemd documentation
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