Rails Vs. The Client

Two completely different ways have emerged for using Rails as the back end to a rich client-side JavaScript application.
* The 37Signals "Russian Doll" approach, where the server generally returns HTML to the client. This approach uses aggressive caching and a little bit of JavaScript glue to keep the application fast.
* The "Rails API" approach, where the server generally returns JSON to the client, and a JavaScript MVC framework handles the actual display.
Which of these will work for you?

Transcript

1. Rails vs. The Client Noel Rappin Table XI @noelrap Wednesday, May 1, 13
2. Here's my problem: Wednesday, May 1, 13
3. I want my users to have a "rich client experience" Wednesday, May 1, 13
4. @dhh: "If it's document based, structure it like Basecamp" Wednesday, May 1, 13
5. 1. Key based cache expiration 2. Russian doll nested caching 3. JavaScript decoration of shared caches 4. Turbolinks 5. Polling for JS Updates Wednesday, May 1, 13
6. @wycats: "Rails makes a great API serving JSON to a browser" Wednesday, May 1, 13
7. The locus of innovation is in the client Wednesday, May 1, 13
8. Build HTML in the browser using HTML Avoid ad-hoc JavaScript Avoid Backbone Stop hiding from JavaScript Wednesday, May 1, 13
9. Wednesday, May 1, 13
10. @noelrap: "I just want to write my e- commerce site" Wednesday, May 1, 13
11. Traditional Rails App Ember App Hybrid JS App Traditional Rails + Backbone Wednesday, May 1, 13
12. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png User Data Stuff Wednesday, May 1, 13
13. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png User Data Client Stuff Server Stuff Wednesday, May 1, 13
14. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png User Data Client Stuff Server Stuff Wednesday, May 1, 13
15. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png User Data Client Stuff Server Stuff Wednesday, May 1, 13
16. http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png User Data Client Stuff Server Stuff JS Ruby Wednesday, May 1, 13
17. Avoiding JavaScript Wednesday, May 1, 13
18. Avoiding Complex MVC Structures Wednesday, May 1, 13
19. Where does the heart of your application live? Wednesday, May 1, 13
20. Wednesday, May 1, 13
21. But it's still a fraught question... Wednesday, May 1, 13
22. Wednesday, May 1, 13
23. Wednesday, May 1, 13
24. Wednesday, May 1, 13
25. Do we even need Rails? Wednesday, May 1, 13
26. rails::api Wednesday, May 1, 13
27. logging params parsing reloading security sessions sending files thread safety caching cookies url writing redirection renderers callbacks active record layouts Wednesday, May 1, 13
28. Complexity Wednesday, May 1, 13
29. You can make things more complex, you can't make them less complex Wednesday, May 1, 13
30. How can you best manage complexity? Wednesday, May 1, 13
31. Simplicity is being able to deal with components separately Wednesday, May 1, 13
32. Simplicity is using simple structures Wednesday, May 1, 13
33. Simplicity is consistency Wednesday, May 1, 13
34. Server-side uses simpler JavaScript structures Wednesday, May 1, 13
35. Server side has three distinct output modes Wednesday, May 1, 13
36. HTML JavaScript JSON Wednesday, May 1, 13
37. Client side has generally one mode of interaction Wednesday, May 1, 13
38. But, business logic can be duplicated Wednesday, May 1, 13
39. It's not clear that one side or the other requires less code Wednesday, May 1, 13
40. Speed Wednesday, May 1, 13
41. Both sides claim speed Wednesday, May 1, 13
42. Server side interaction is proportional to user clicks Wednesday, May 1, 13
43. Client side interaction is proportional to new data requirements Wednesday, May 1, 13
44. Optimized for... Wednesday, May 1, 13
45. Server style is optimized for least disruption to Rails Wednesday, May 1, 13
46. Client style is optimized for simplicity of Server logic Wednesday, May 1, 13
47. Questions To Ask Wednesday, May 1, 13
48. Is the representation of your data stable? Wednesday, May 1, 13
49. Is interaction with the server primarily notification? Wednesday, May 1, 13
50. Do client components interact? Wednesday, May 1, 13
51. What do you already have? Wednesday, May 1, 13
52. Will a hybrid approach work? Wednesday, May 1, 13
53. Takeaways Wednesday, May 1, 13
54. There's no excuse for re- downloading assets Wednesday, May 1, 13
55. It'd help if the JS frameworks were more polished Wednesday, May 1, 13
56. http://www.noelrappin.com @noelrap RAILSCONF25 http://www.tablexi.com http://www.tablexi.com/blog/category/xi-to-eye/ http://www.devpressed.com @tablexi Wednesday, May 1, 13