Deploy Ruby on Rails to Your Own Server

How to deploy Ruby on Rails with Temps

Commands run on your machine unless they say otherwise. The CLI runs with bunx or npx.

1. 1

   Install Temps on a Linux server

   On a VPS with at least 2 CPU cores and 4 GB of RAM, download the installer, read it, then run it. It installs Docker if needed, the Temps binary and its database, and asks how the console is reached: an sslip.io address or your own domain.

   curl -fsSL https://temps.sh/deploy.sh -o deploy.sh
   less deploy.sh
   bash deploy.sh

2. 2

   Log in from your machine

   Point the CLI at your Temps console. It opens a browser to approve the login.

   bunx @temps-sdk/cli login https://console.example.com

3. 3

   Point Rails at POSTGRES_URL

   Temps doesn't inject DATABASE_URL, so read the variable it does inject.

   config/database.yml

   production:
     adapter: postgresql
     url: <%= ENV["POSTGRES_URL"] %>

4. 4

   Set the secret key base

   On apps generated before Rails 7.1, also set RAILS_SERVE_STATIC_FILES=1 on beta.56 and earlier so Puma serves the precompiled assets.

   bunx @temps-sdk/cli environments vars set SECRET_KEY_BASE "$(openssl rand -hex 64)" -e production

5. 5

   Point the health check at a path that doesn't need the database

   Before switching traffic, Temps probes / until it answers. On the first deploy the tables don't exist yet, so if / queries the database the deploy fails before you can migrate. Set health.path to /up in .temps.yaml. Rails 7.1 and later generate the /up route.

   .temps.yaml

   health:
     path: /up

6. 6

   Deploy Ruby on Rails

   From the project root, run up with the preset, or set it under Project → Settings → Build & deploy → Build → Framework. If the directory isn't linked to a project yet, up walks you through creating one first. For a project created from a Git repository, pushes to the tracked branch deploy automatically.

   bunx @temps-sdk/cli up --preset nixpacks-ruby

7. 7

   Create and link a PostgreSQL database

   Temps doesn't create a database for you. Create one, then link it to the project (or use Databases → Create database in the dashboard). Linking injects POSTGRES_URL plus POSTGRES_HOST, POSTGRES_PORT, POSTGRES_DB, POSTGRES_USER and POSTGRES_PASSWORD into the next deployment. It doesn't inject DATABASE_URL.

   bunx @temps-sdk/cli services create -t postgres -n my-rails-app-db
   bunx @temps-sdk/cli services link --id <service-id> -p my-rails-app

8. 8

   Run migrations after deploys that change the schema

   Temps doesn't run migrations and has no release phase. Find the running container, then run the migration in it over SSH, by hand or from CI right after the deploy step. Don't add it to the start command: restarts and replicas would run it more than once.

   bunx @temps-sdk/cli projects show -p my-rails-app --json   # note the numeric "id"
   bunx @temps-sdk/cli containers list -p <project-id>     # note the container_name
   ssh your-server 'docker exec <container_name> bundle exec rails db:migrate'

How Temps builds and runs Ruby on Rails

Every app runs in a Docker container on your server, behind the Temps proxy. Before traffic switches to a new deployment, Temps health-checks it; if the check fails, the deployment is marked failed and the current version keeps serving.

What works with Ruby on Rails on Temps

• Puma via rails server, or your own Procfile web: line
• Asset precompilation during the build
• Action Cable WebSockets through the reverse proxy
• Managed PostgreSQL and Redis you link
• Health check before each cutover
• Preview environments per branch (opt-in)

Managed services for Ruby on Rails

Temps runs these services on your server. Create one, link it to the project, and its connection variables reach the next deployment. Set up managed services.

Environment variables for Ruby on Rails

Set your own with environments vars set or in the project settings; values are encrypted at rest.

What it costs to self-host Ruby on Rails

Temps is free to self-host under MIT / Apache 2.0, with no per-seat fee and nothing metered, so hosting Ruby on Rails costs what the server costs. A Hetzner CX23 (2 shared vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe, 20 TB traffic) meets the minimum Temps needs and is €5.49/month excluding VAT, plus €0.50/month for an IPv4 address; Hetzner sells it in Germany and Finland only. Prices checked October 10, 2026.

For one to three production apps, the server guide recommends 4 vCPU and 8 GB RAM: a Hetzner CX33 is €8.49/month excluding VAT. Any Linux VPS that meets the minimum works; sizes and other providers are in Choosing a server. For what the same app costs on Heroku, see Temps vs Heroku.

Ruby on Rails on Temps: frequently asked questions

Included with every Temps project

Deployments, analytics, error tracking, session replay and uptime monitoring run in the same self-hosted platform, so your Ruby on Rails app doesn't need separate subscriptions for them.

Related guides

• Every setting for this stack is in the Ruby on Rails deployment reference.
• Which stacks are detected and which need a preset is listed in supported languages and frameworks.
• How health checks, cutover and rollbacks work is covered in Deployments.
• Moving off Heroku? Follow Migrate from Heroku.
• Considering Kamal, the Rails team's deploy tool? See Temps vs Kamal.

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