The Tool Desk
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The workflow below assumes an Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy) VPS, SSH-key access and an account with sudo or root privileges. It uses roles for common host setup, Ruby, PostgreSQL, the Rails application, Puma, Nginx and releases.
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A small Rails deployment can run on one VPS when its responsibilities are explicit. Nginx accepts HTTP and HTTPS traffic, serves eligible static files and proxies dynamic requests to Puma. Puma runs the Rails process as an unprivileged application user. PostgreSQL provides the database, while systemd starts, stops and supervises Puma (and any workers). Ansible installs and configures each layer.
| Layer | Responsibility | Managed by |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Packages, users, time, firewall, logs and build libraries | common role |
| Ruby runtime | Ruby version required by the Gemfile, Bundler and JavaScript tooling | ruby role |
| Database | PostgreSQL server, application database and least-privilege role | postgresql role |
| Application | Release checkout, gems, environment configuration and compiled assets | rails_app and deploy roles |
| Application server | Puma unit, sockets or ports, workers and restart behavior | puma role |
| Web proxy | Nginx virtual host, TLS termination, static files and proxy headers | nginx role |
| Process supervision | Boot persistence, controlled restarts and service status | systemd |
This division is more than cosmetic. It lets you rebuild a host without mixing one-time operating-system work with a particular application release, and it gives each change a clear owner.
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Prerequisites and decisions to make first
Choose a supported base image
Start with a supported Ubuntu LTS VPS. The documented example uses Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy. Record the image and region in your infrastructure notes; package names, service behavior and security support depend on that choice.
Prepare access without making the application root
Have an SSH key and privileged access before Ansible connects. Bootstrap a dedicated deployment user, place its public key in authorized_keys, and grant only the sudo commands that provisioning and release tasks need. The Rails process, Puma and workers should run as this unprivileged user, not as root.
Lock the software inputs
Put the operating-system assumptions, Ruby version, Rails dependency set, PostgreSQL version, Nginx version, Puma version and Ansible version in version-controlled variables or release documentation. The Gemfile and lockfile remain authoritative for Ruby dependencies; Ansible should not silently select the latest runtime or package.
Decide where state lives
Choose the application path, shared configuration path, release retention policy, database location and backup destination before writing roles. A single VPS keeps PostgreSQL local and avoids network latency, but it also makes the host a shared failure domain. A managed database moves backup, restore and failover duties to the provider, introduces a network dependency and normally costs more; the exact monthly amounts are not established here.
Use a repository that mirrors the architecture
A compact repository can be organized like this:
ansible.cfg
inventories/
production/
hosts.yml
group_vars/
all.yml
rails.yml
playbooks/
site.yml
release.yml
roles/
common/
ruby/
postgresql/
rails_app/
puma/
nginx/
deploy/Keep host names and non-secret defaults in inventory and group variables. Put credentials, RAILS_MASTER_KEY and provider tokens in an encrypted variable store, a protected environment file or another deployment secret mechanism. Never commit those values to the repository. Restrict the file owner and mode so only the deployment user or the service that needs a value can read it.
Define explicit variables
At minimum, define variables for the application name, deploy user, application root, repository URL, requested revision, Ruby version, Bundler version, database name, database role, database host, Puma bind address, worker settings, domain names, TLS paths and release retention. Keep environment-specific values in the production inventory rather than embedding them in role tasks.
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Compose roles in one site playbook
A site playbook should apply roles in dependency order. A representative composition is:
---
- name: Provision Rails hosts
hosts: rails
become: true
roles:
- common
- ruby
- postgresql
- rails_app
- puma
- nginx
- deployAnsible describes playbooks as repeatable, reusable configuration-management and multi-machine deployment artifacts. Treat this file as the contract for a complete host, not as a bag of imperative commands.
Bootstrap the host safely
- Confirm connectivity. Test the inventory and SSH key with
ansible -i inventories/production/hosts.yml rails -m ansible.builtin.ping. Fix DNS, the key, the remote user or sudo policy before running changes. - Create the deployment identity. Use
ansible.builtin.userto create the deploy user, install its authorized key withansible.posix.authorized_keyand configure narrowly scoped sudo access. Do not remove your recovery account until the new login has been tested in a second session. - Apply the baseline. Run the
commonrole for package updates, time configuration, firewall policy, log retention and required build libraries. Limit inbound traffic to SSH, HTTP and HTTPS, plus database access on a private network when another host genuinely needs it. - Check the result. Verify the Ansible facts, service manager, free disk space, hostname, clock and listening ports before installing application software.
Do not hide bootstrap work in an unguarded shell script. If a command is unavoidable, give it a clear condition such as creates, set an intentional changed_when result and make its check-mode behavior understandable.
Build the Ruby and Rails runtime
Install the version the application requests
The ruby role should install the Ruby version required by the Gemfile, configure the selected version manager (the representative stack uses rbenv), install the pinned Bundler version and install the JavaScript tooling needed by the Rails asset pipeline. Expose all of those choices as variables so a review shows exactly what a host will receive.
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Install compilers and native libraries in common or ruby, then run dependency installation as the deploy user. A root-owned gem directory or a root-owned application checkout will later prevent releases from writing caches, logs or compiled assets.
Keep application and runtime paths predictable
Create the application directory with ansible.builtin.file, set ownership to the deploy user and separate immutable release directories from shared data such as uploaded files, logs and environment configuration. The release role should point a stable current path at the selected release so Puma and Nginx do not need to change on every deploy.
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Install and constrain PostgreSQL
Install the server and create least-privilege identities
The postgresql role installs the selected PostgreSQL version, starts it at boot and creates an application database and role. The application role should own only the database objects it requires; reserve superuser access for administration. Keep the database on the VPS only if its disk, memory and recovery requirements fit the host.
Restrict connections
For a same-host Rails application, bind PostgreSQL to local access where practical. If a private-network application host must connect remotely, allow only that network in PostgreSQL rules and the firewall. Do not open the database to the public internet merely to simplify setup.
Make backups useful
Provisioning a database is not a backup strategy. Configure a recurring backup destination, monitor failures and perform restore drills. Before a migration that can remove or transform data, take a verified backup and document how to restore it.
Provision the Rails application directory
- Create shared paths. Make directories for releases, shared configuration, logs, sockets and persistent uploads. Set ownership and restrictive modes with the file module.
- Fetch a known revision. Use
ansible.builtin.gitto check out an explicit tag or commit rather than an unbounded branch. A release should be reproducible from its revision and lockfiles. - Install gems. Run Bundler as the deploy user with the production settings required by the application. Avoid running dependency commands as root.
- Install JavaScript dependencies and compile assets. Use the project’s locked dependency files and compile assets before switching the live symlink. Keep temporary build output out of the shared directory.
- Expose configuration. Link or render a protected environment file containing the Rails master key, database credentials and provider tokens. Ensure only the deploy user and the relevant service account can read it.
- Run a pre-switch check. Confirm that the release boots, can load its credentials and can reach PostgreSQL before pointing
currentat it.
Do not combine a checkout, migration and service restart into one opaque shell command. Separate tasks make failures visible and allow a release to be left untouched when an earlier step fails.
Configure Puma under systemd
Render a dedicated unit
The puma role should template a systemd unit that runs Puma as the deploy user, sets the working directory to the stable current release, loads the protected environment and writes logs to the locations you monitor. The unit should use the application’s Puma configuration for bind address, threads, workers and preload behavior.
Use the fully qualified ansible.builtin.systemd_service module to enable, start, stop and restart the unit. The shorter systemd name is a backward-compatible alias, but the qualified name avoids collection-name conflicts. If the same role must support hosts with different init systems, ansible.builtin.service is the portability layer that proxies to the detected service manager.
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Attach handlers to configuration changes
Notify a handler when the unit, Puma configuration or environment wiring changes. The handler should run a controlled daemon reload followed by a restart only when necessary. A normal idempotent play should not bounce Puma on every run.
- name: Render Puma unit
ansible.builtin.template:
src: puma.service.j2
dest: /etc/systemd/system/myapp-puma.service
mode: '0644'
notify: Restart Puma
- name: Ensure Puma is enabled and running
ansible.builtin.systemd_service:
name: myapp-puma.service
enabled: true
state: startedChoose restart or reload deliberately. A restart is simpler but interrupts in-flight requests unless your Puma and proxy configuration provide an appropriate graceful behavior. A reload may preserve workers, but only if the unit and application support it.
Put Nginx in front of Rails
Render the virtual host
The nginx role installs Nginx and templates a virtual host for the application domain. Proxy requests to Puma’s local socket or loopback port, pass the original host and forwarding headers, set sensible request and proxy timeouts, and serve precompiled static assets from the current release only when the Rails configuration expects Nginx to do so.
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Run Nginx’s configuration test as a task and notify a reload handler only after it succeeds. A syntax error must leave the last known-good configuration running. Keep TLS termination at Nginx with an automated certificate-renewal process, and test renewal rather than assuming the timer works.
Handle WebSockets and streaming intentionally
If the application uses Action Cable, server-sent events or other long-lived responses, configure the proxy and Puma behavior for those connection types and test them through the public endpoint. Ordinary request forwarding is not proof that streaming works.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Separate provisioning from releases
Provisioning installs packages, users, directories, service definitions and baseline configuration. A release procedure changes application code and data. Keeping them separate means a rebuilt VPS can be provisioned first, while a failed application release can be rolled back without re-running operating-system changes.
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A repeatable release sequence
- Fetch the requested revision into a new release directory.
- Install the locked Ruby and JavaScript dependencies as the deploy user.
- Render or link shared configuration and verify that the release can load its credentials.
- Compile assets.
- Take a verified database backup when the migration is destructive or otherwise risky.
- Run database migrations explicitly and record their result.
- Run application checks or a health command against the new release.
- Switch the stable
currentpath to the release. - Restart or gracefully reload Puma through systemd.
- Run local and external health checks, then retain enough previous releases for the documented rollback procedure.
Capistrano-style releases fit this directory-and-symlink model. Container or Kamal-style workflows instead package the application into an image and replace containers. Containers can improve image reproducibility and make rollback to an image straightforward, while a single VPS still requires host, network, storage and certificate maintenance. The better choice depends on the team’s familiarity and whether image builds are already part of its delivery system.
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Make Ansible tasks idempotent
An idempotent role converges a host to the desired state instead of repeating side effects. Prefer the package, user, file, template, git and service modules. For commands that have no suitable module:
- Use
createsorremovesto prevent repeating one-time work. - Set
changed_whenfrom a reliable result rather than reporting a change every run. - Use
failed_whenonly when the command’s exit behavior requires it. - Make check mode meaningful, or clearly document the task that cannot predict changes.
- Notify handlers instead of restarting services in every task.
Run the site playbook twice against a test VPS. The second run should report no unexplained changes. Review every reported change; an apparently harmless repeated migration, package upgrade or service restart can create a production outage.
Verification after provisioning
Host and service checks
- Confirm the deploy user can connect with its SSH key and has only the intended sudo rights.
- Check that the firewall exposes SSH, HTTP and HTTPS and no unintended database port.
- Use systemd status and journal output to verify Puma and PostgreSQL are enabled and running.
- Check disk space, log rotation and the ownership of releases, shared files and sockets.
Application checks
- Call a local Rails health endpoint through Puma and confirm a successful database query.
- Request the public HTTPS endpoint through Nginx and verify forwarding, static assets and redirects.
- Exercise authentication, background jobs, WebSockets or streaming when the application uses them.
- Inspect Nginx, Puma, Rails and PostgreSQL logs for startup warnings, permission errors and connection failures.
Failure branches
If Puma fails to start, inspect the systemd journal first, then verify the current symlink, Ruby and Bundler versions, environment file permissions, database connectivity and the Puma bind path. If Nginx returns a gateway error, confirm that Puma is listening where the virtual host expects and that the proxy user can access the socket. If a migration fails, do not automatically retry destructive SQL: preserve the failed release, restore from a verified backup when necessary and follow the application’s migration recovery plan.
Security and reliability checklist
- Use SSH keys and disable password login when your recovery process supports it.
- Limit inbound ports to SSH, HTTP and HTTPS, with private-network database access only where required.
- Keep
RAILS_MASTER_KEY, database credentials and provider tokens outside source control. - Run Rails, Puma and workers as an unprivileged application user.
- Terminate TLS at Nginx, automate certificate renewal and test renewal before expiry is an emergency.
- Rotate and retain logs, monitor disk health and alert on failed Puma, worker and database services.
- Back up PostgreSQL and perform restore drills, not just backup jobs.
- Take a verified backup before migrations that may be irreversible.
- Pin all application and infrastructure versions, and update those pins deliberately.
Choosing between common deployment options
| Decision | Option A | Option B | What changes operationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby web serving | Nginx plus Puma | Passenger | Puma uses a separate Ruby process supervised by systemd; Passenger integrates more of the process lifecycle into the web-server model. Compare team familiarity, worker supervision, memory behavior and deployment tooling. |
| Database location | PostgreSQL on the VPS | Managed PostgreSQL | Local placement avoids network latency and an extra service, but you own backups, restores, upgrades, isolation and failover. Managed placement shifts much of that work to the provider while adding network dependency and recurring cost. |
| Release method | Capistrano-style directories and symlinks | Container or Kamal workflow | Directory releases make a conventional VPS easy to inspect and roll back; images improve artifact reproducibility but require image storage, build automation and container-host maintenance. |
Rollback and ongoing maintenance
A rollback plan must name the exact command or playbook, the release to restore, the service action and the database decision. Code can usually be pointed back to a retained release; a migration that changed the schema may not be reversible. Treat schema changes as a compatibility problem: deploy code that can work with both versions when possible, then remove old structures in a later release.
Schedule deliberate maintenance for OS packages, Ruby, Rails, PostgreSQL, Nginx, Puma and Ansible. Test updates on a disposable VPS or staging host, review the resulting Ansible diff, apply changes during a maintenance window and verify the same health checks used after a release. Version drift is a deployment risk when the host silently receives latest packages, so upgrades should be visible, reviewed and pinned.
The practical operating model
The safest small Rails VPS is not the one with the fewest files; it is the one whose desired state can be reconstructed. Keep the Ubuntu image and every runtime version explicit, compose focused roles, let handlers restart services only after validated configuration changes, and run releases as a separate, observable workflow. With secrets outside Git, least-privilege services, tested backups and a documented rollback, the VPS becomes repeatable infrastructure rather than a server that only one person knows how to repair.
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