Ruby on Rails

Overview Learning objectives What you’ll learn Module listing Key facts FAQs What our customers say Get in touch

Course overview

Develop Rails capability through this two-day instructor-led live virtual classroom course that is focused on building, structuring and maintaining database-backed web applications. You’ll work with Rails conventions, routing, MVC, ActiveRecord and application components through guided exercises, helping you write cleaner application logic, connect data models to user-facing features, and make more confident changes within Rails projects.

Essential Rails skills for web developers

This Ruby on Rails course is for developers and IT professionals with Ruby experience who want to work more effectively on Rails-based web applications. You’ll examine how Rails organises application code, handles requests, connects models to database tables and supports repeatable development patterns. The course is ideal for mid-career developers who are progressing beyond Ruby syntax into framework-led development, equipping you with skills that you can apply when updating existing Rails projects or contributing to new application builds.

Learning objectives

Interpret Rails application structure
Use MVC in Rails projects
Define RESTful routes
Connect models to database tables
Create validations and associations
Build controller actions
Develop views and forms
Apply database migrations
Use scaffolding appropriately
Follow Rails coding conventions

What you’ll learn

Learn how Rails turns requests, data and interface code into working web applications. Across the two days, you’ll practice setting up Rails projects, mapping URLs to actions, shaping database-backed models, building views and using scaffolding with judgement. The focus is on helping you understand how Rails works in practice, enabling you to make purposeful changes to Rails codebases.

Rails project foundations

Rails gives developers a defined way to structure application code. You’ll explore the project layout, core conventions and MVC pattern, helping you understand where different responsibilities sit in a Rails codebase. By the end of the course, you’ll be able to read existing projects faster, make changes in the right place and keep updates cleaner, easier to test and simpler to maintain.

Routes and request handling

Routing determines what happens when someone visits a URL in a Rails application. You’ll learn how routes map requests to controller actions and how RESTful conventions shape common application behaviours. This gives you a clearer method for adding features, troubleshooting broken paths and keeping user journeys consistent across a Rails project.

Models and data rules

ActiveRecord connects Rails applications to database tables. During the course, you’ll practise creating models, applying migrations, defining associations and adding validations, helping the application store and handle data in a controlled way. These skills help reduce inconsistent records, make feature development cleaner and keep database changes easier to manage as requirements evolve.

Views, forms and scaffolding

You’ll work with controllers and views to turn application logic into screens that users can interact with over this two-day course. It also covers forms, partials and scaffolding, including when generated code is useful and when it needs refinement. This helps you build features more efficiently while still understanding the code you are changing.

What’s included

Instructor-led training over two-days
Live virtual classroom environment
Hands-on exercises and live labs
All relevant course materials

Full module listing

Click on each day below to see the breakdown of the modules that you'll cover on the course

Day one

Day two

Day one

Session 1: REST

What is REST
RESTful architecture
A simple REST client

Session 2: INTRODUCTION TO RUBY ON RAILS

Install Ruby on Rails on an operating system
The Model-View-Controller approach
Rails Conventions
Rails project structure
Using RubyGems with Rails

Session 3: ROUTING

What is a Route
Define routes that recognize incoming URLs
Use named route methods to generate URLs based on the routing scheme
Apply and understand the RESTful routing conventions
Design apps to take advantage of the REST conventions in Rails

Session 4: MODELS

What is a Model
Using ActiveRecord
Validations
Associations
Migrations

Day two

Session 5: : CONTROLLERS

What is a Controller
Creating controllers
Using ActionController
Writing Actions
Filters

Session 6: VIEWS

What is a View
Exploring ActionView
Writing Views for actions
Partials
Forms

Session 7: CREATING A RAILS PROJECT

Creating the project
Project Directory structure
Using the Rails web server
Creating the initial controller
Modify the initial index.html file
Setting the Route
Creating a resource
Viewing routes with rake

Session 8: RAILS SCAFFOLDING

What is Scaffolding
Creating a new project
Generating the Rail Scaffold
Customising the application

Key facts

Certification

This is a skills and knowledge-based course without formal accreditation.

Who it’s for

Ideal for developers, application specialists and technical professionals who want to expand their web development capabilities using the Ruby on Rails framework

Prerequisites

Participants should have a working knowledge of Ruby before attending this course, or have completed our Ruby Programming course

Exam information

No exam is included.

Optional extras

There are no optional extras with this course.

Pre-course

No formal pre-course work is required.

FAQs

Our two-day Ruby on Rails live virtual classroom course equips Ruby-aware developers with a structured route into Rails application development. You’ll work through routing, MVC, ActiveRecord, views, forms and scaffolding, with practical exercises that help you understand how Rails projects are organised, changed and maintained in professional development environments.

Is this Ruby on Rails course suitable for me?

Yes, if you already have Ruby knowledge and want to apply it within a web application framework. The course is designed for developers and IT professionals who are ready to move beyond Ruby syntax and understand how Rails organises application code, handles requests, manages data and supports database-backed features.

What will I be able to do after the course?

You’ll be better prepared to work with Rails codebases, understand where different application responsibilities sit and make more informed changes to routes, controllers, models, views and database structures. The course supports practical tasks such as updating existing Rails projects, adding features and understanding how Rails conventions guide development decisions.

Does the course include practical Rails exercises?

Yes. The course includes live labs and practical exercises across key Rails areas, including project structure, routing, ActiveRecord models, validations, associations, migrations, controllers, views, forms and scaffolding. These guided tasks help you move from understanding Rails concepts to making changes in a working application, reflecting the type of development tasks you may need to complete in a project environment.

Why is Ruby knowledge needed before learning Rails?

Rails is built with Ruby, so understanding Ruby syntax and object-oriented programming helps you make sense of how Rails applications are written. With that foundation in place, you can focus on how the framework structures web applications, rather than trying to learn both the language and the framework at the same time.

How does the course help with existing Rails projects?

The course helps you understand how Rails applications are put together, including how requests move through routes and controllers, how models connect to database tables and how views present information to users. This makes it easier to navigate unfamiliar projects, identify where changes belong and keep updates cleaner and easier to maintain.

Will I learn how Rails handles application data?

Yes. You’ll work with ActiveRecord, models, migrations, validations and associations, helping you understand how Rails links application behaviour to database tables, applies rules to stored data and manages changes to the database structure as an application develops.

What our customers say

“Great course. Alan has been courteous and informative throughout. Highly recommended and will absolutely be coming back for more courses.”

Bradley, Software Engineer - Government

“Very knowledgeable instructor, well-paced and not rushed. Everything was explained clearly.”

Kimberley, Community Risk Reduction IT Systems - Fire

Why study with TSG?

25+ years' experience

Trusted by individuals, businesses and public sector organisations for over 25 years.

20,000+ learners trained

Join a network of learners focused on developing their software testing skills

98% customer satisfaction

TSG trainers are frequently rated as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’ by our learners

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