Question 1

How do I deploy a Suspenders app to Heroku?

Accepted Answer

After generating the app, follow the README's Heroku CLI commands: create the app, set the Ruby buildpack, add Heroku PostgreSQL and Redis add-ons, and set environment variables like APPLICATION_HOST and RAILS_MASTER_KEY. Don't forget to scale the worker for Sidekiq.

Question 2

What's the difference between Suspenders and a standard rails new command?

Accepted Answer

Suspenders extends rails new with thoughtbot's curated defaults, including RSpec, PostgreSQL, Redis, and Heroku optimizations, while rails new provides a basic Rails app without these production-ready configurations.

Question 3

Can I use Suspenders with MySQL instead of PostgreSQL?

Accepted Answer

No, Suspenders is hardcoded to use PostgreSQL, as mentioned in the README's preference for PostgreSQL and skip of other databases. You would need to modify the template or use a different setup for MySQL.

Question 4

How can I customize the gems in a Suspenders-generated app?

Accepted Answer

You can manually edit the Gemfile and configuration files after generation, but the template is opinionated, so major changes might require forking the Suspenders repository or creating a custom application template.

Question 5

Is Suspenders good for projects not using Heroku?

Accepted Answer

It's not ideal, as the Heroku-specific configurations (e.g., add-ons, buildpacks) can complicate deployments to other hosts. You might spend extra time adapting the setup for platforms like AWS or Render.

Question 6

Suspenders vs Jumpstart: which is better for Rails?

Accepted Answer

Suspenders is optimized for Heroku and thoughtbot's stack, while Jumpstart offers more hosting flexibility and UI components. Choose Suspenders for Heroku-centric speed, or Jumpstart for broader options and built-in features like authentication.

suspenders

What is suspenders?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

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Pros & Cons

Pros

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Frequently Asked Questions