The Little Engines That Could

Rails Engines. It’s more than just a cute name made up of two words both related to trains.

Are they plug-ins? Are they gems? When do we use them? How do we implement them? Why aren’t they used more often?

Those are the questions I wish were answered for me when I first learned about Rails Engines. Inspired by Wired’s Explain In 5 Levels series, we will explore Rails Engines and address these quandaries using a variety of techniques, breaking down what engines are and how and when to use them.

Transcript

1. The Little Engines That Could RailsConf 2022 🚂
2. 👋 👋 👋 She/her Rails Developer : @minar528 Hi! I’m Mina!
3. The Little Engines That Could RailsConf 2022 Three ways to understanding 🚂
4. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 💭
5. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 🤨
6. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 🚂 👀
7. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 🎉 🚂
8. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 🎙
9. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 🔎
10. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
11. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🤹
12. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🤹
13. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🤹
14. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 What is an engine? What are its bene f its?
15. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 What is an engine? What are its bene f its? What makes it unique? Types of engines?
16. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 How to implement? How to test? What is an engine? What are its bene f its? What makes it unique? Types of engines?
17. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 @minar528 Level One Non-Technical
18. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🕵
19. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🚂 🕵
20. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🕵 🚂 ❓
21. @minar528 RailsConf 2022
22. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
23. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
24. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 Cannot operate alone Both need hosts
25. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 Provides "superpowers" Both enhance their hosts
26. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 Multiple Hosts Both can integrate with and adapt to di ff erent hosts
27. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 Groot Rocket Drax
28. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🕵 ⁉
29. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 Reusable Client wants to share the engine
30. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 Reduce scope Client wants to split up the system
31. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 Shorten test time Client wants to cut their test execution time
32. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 How to implement? How to test? What is an engine? What are its bene f its? What makes it unique? Types of engines?
33. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 How to implement? How to test? What is an engine? ✅ What are its bene f its? What makes it unique? Types of engines?
34. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 How to implement? How to test? What is an engine? ✅ What are its bene f its? ✅ What makes it unique? Types of engines?
35. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 @minar528 Level Two Early-Career Devs
36. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
37. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 ⁉
38. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🚂 🚄 vs.
39. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 Rails::Application Rails::Engine 🚂 🚄 vs. 🚂 🚄 vs.
40. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 Rails::Application < Rails::Engine Rails::Engine 🚂 🚄 vs. 🚂 🚄 vs.
41. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 Rails::Application < Rails::Engine Also MVC Rails::Engine MVC 🚂 🚄 vs. 🚂 🚄 vs.
42. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 Rails::Application < Rails::Engine Also MVC Runs independently Rails::Engine MVC 🚂 🚄 vs. 🚂 🚄 vs.
43. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 Rails::Application < Rails::Engine Also MVC Runs independently Rails::Engine MVC Nope. 🚂 🚄 vs. 🚂 🚄 vs.
44. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 Rails::Application < Rails::Engine Also MVC Runs independently Gem f ile Rails::Engine MVC Nope. gemspec 🚂 🚄 vs. 🚂 🚄 vs.
45. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🚂 💎 vs.
46. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 💎 Packaged and published 🚂 vs. 🚂 vs.
47. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 💎 Packaged and published CAN be packaged and published 🚂 vs. 🚂 vs.
48. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 💎 Packaged and published CAN be packaged and published Rails only 🚂 vs. 🚂 vs.
49. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 💎 Packaged and published Any Ruby project CAN be packaged and published Rails only 🚂 vs. 🚂 vs.
50. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🚂 🔌 vs.
51. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🔌 Subset of 🔌 🚂 vs. Includes 🚂
52. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🔌 Subset of 🔌 Use with Rails 🚂 vs. Includes 🚂 Use with Rails
53. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 Rails Guides “An engine CAN be a plugin, and a plugin CAN be an engine.”
54. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 ❓
55. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 My PR to Rails documentation “All engines are plugins, but not all plugins are engines.”
56. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🔌 Subset of 🔌 Use with Rails MVC 🚂 vs. Includes 🚂 Use with Rails
57. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🔌 Subset of 🔌 Use with Rails MVC 🚂 vs. Includes 🚂 Use with Rails Model-level modi f ications
58. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🔌 Subset of 🔌 Use with Rails MVC 🚂 vs. Includes 🚂 Use with Rails Model-level modi f ications
59. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
60. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
61. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 How to implement? How to test? What makes it unique? Types of engines? What is an engine? ✅ What are its bene f its? ✅
62. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 How to implement? How to test? What makes it unique? ✅ Types of engines? What is an engine? ✅ What are its bene f its? ✅
63. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 How to implement? How to test? What makes it unique? ✅ Types of engines? ✅ What is an engine? ✅ What are its bene f its? ✅
64. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 @minar528 Level Three Rails Devs New To Engines
65. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
66. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
67. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
68. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
69. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
70. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
71. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
72. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
73. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
74. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
75. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
76. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
77. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
78. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
79. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
80. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
81. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
82. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
83. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 🎉
84. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
85. RailsConf 2022 @minar528
86. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 How to implement? How to test & mount? What makes it unique? ✅ Types of engines? ✅ What is an engine? ✅ What are its bene f its? ✅
87. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 How to implement? ✅ How to test & mount? What makes it unique? ✅ Types of engines? ✅ What is an engine? ✅ What are its bene f its? ✅
88. 🤹 RailsConf 2022 @minar528 What makes it unique? ✅ Types of engines? ✅ What is an engine? ✅ What are its bene f its? ✅ How to implement? ✅ How to test & mount? ✅
89. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 🚂 💕
90. @minar528 RailsConf 2022 RailsConf 2023?
91. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🚂 🧰 🛤
92. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 🚂 🧰 🛤
93. RailsConf 2022 @minar528 THANK YOU! 🥰 🖋 http://minaslater.blog 🎙 “Your TDD Treasure Map” - Aji Slater 🎙 “Come On In! Making Yourself At Home In A New Codebase” - Mercedes Bernard