Recap: Rails World 2024

Rails World 2024 was once again a highlight for the Ruby on Rails community. This year, the conference took place from September 26–27 in Toronto, attracting over 1,000 Rails developers from 57 countries. All tickets sold out within just 20 minutes! Set in the historic and nature-filled surroundings of Evergreen Brick Works, the conference provided an ideal setting for discussions on the latest developments in the Ruby on Rails framework. Five of our colleagues were there, including Michael and Niklas, who share their experiences in this article.

Rails World is an international event that puts Ruby on Rails front and center, bringing together developers, engineers, and Rails enthusiasts. The event offers talks, workshops, and a platform for networking. This year, participants didn’t miss any valuable insights, as all talks were recorded and posted on the Rails YouTube channel shortly after the event. For the community, Rails World was a fantastic chance to learn about trends and new features directly from Rails experts like David Heinemeier Hansson.

For Michael, Rails World was especially exciting as one of the most renowned Rails conferences, having previously only attended regional Ruby events like EuRuKo. The fact that the conference sold out in just 20 minutes speaks to the strong interest and appeal of Rails World. After his inspiring experience at last year’s event in Amsterdam, Niklas couldn’t miss the chance to attend Rails World in Toronto—eager for new insights and to explore the city itself.

Both colleagues were impressed with the outstanding organization of Rails World. Michael praised the event team: “The event was top-notch, everything was perfectly organized.” Niklas enjoyed the unique atmosphere of the venue and the natural setting. His nearby Airbnb even allowed him to reach the conference with a nature walk—an unexpected perk for a tech conference in a major city.

A standout highlight for both was meeting the Rails community in person. Niklas enjoyed finally meeting developers he knew from GitHub at the Speakers Dinner. “The closing party at Shopify HQ and the Toronto skyline were also unforgettable experiences.”

Among the many talks at Rails World, Michael highlighted one in particular: “There were many great presentations, but the one that impressed me the most was “Making accessible web apps” by Bruno Prieto. Programming websites while blind and giving talks to hundreds of people is no small feat.” Aaron Patterson’s humorous closing keynote was also unforgettable: “I haven’t laughed that much in a long time.” Niklas found Eileen Uchitelle’s keynote particularly valuable and took away plenty of ideas from the Lightning Talks—especially regarding the “Rails Leak-Pipeline” and Neovim tricks—for his own work.

Rails World 2024 emphasized the new possibilities with Rails 8. As a contributing member, it was particularly interesting for us to witness the framework's developments up close. Michael and Niklas discovered some exciting approaches and features that could provide fresh insights for our work, even if not all functions are immediately relevant to everyday projects.

Both agree: Rails World 2025 in Amsterdam is a must-attend! Especially since the travel from Augsburg will be far simpler than the trip to Toronto. 

Overall, Rails World 2024 in Toronto was a complete success for makandra. The Rails community remains highly motivated and dedicated even after 20 years of framework history. The exchange, the presentations, and the atmosphere make Rails World a must for anyone passionate about Ruby on Rails. We’re already looking forward to 2025, when Rails World returns to Europe and the community comes together once again. This time, with a much shorter trip from Augsburg to Amsterdam. 😃