HTML First Rails
H1 Rails (HTML First Rails) is a boilerplate for building slick, polished web apps.
- Low Floor, High Ceiling: Extremely easy for beginners to get started with minimal setup and simple patterns based on the languages you already know (html, css, js).
- Batteries Included: For the most common UI & UX patterns & challenges (modals, tabs, toasts, tooltips etc.).
- No Build: By default, we store CSS and javascript libraries in the
/publicfolder. This removes an entire category of debugging & deployment complexity.
Who It’s For
- Rails Developers who want even more simplicity, and/or more batteries included (solutions to common UI & UX challenges).
- Non Rails Developers who want a super simple way to build web apps without getting bogged down in some of the Rails areas with a high learning curve (Hotwire, Stimulus etc).
Enhancements & Simplifications
- Out-of-the-box support for common UI patterns like modals, toasts, tooltips, forms and other UI patterns, powered primarily by Base Styles.
TurboHTMX: We use HTMX instead of Turbo, for several reasons. We’ve several best practices docs for how to achieve common UX patterns using HTMX (multi step forms, type to search, etc.)
What’s Inside
FAQs
What's HTML First?
What's HTML First?
HTML First is a style of writing web software that favours using the native capabilities and languages of the browser and reducing layers of abstraction (languages and toolchains) on top of them. You can read more about it here.
How does H1 Rails differ from normal Rails?
How does H1 Rails differ from normal Rails?
In H1 Rails, you don’t need to know anything about Turbo Frames, Turbo Streams, Stimulus Controllers, Targets, Actions, Propshaft, or the asset pipeline. You’ll need to learn a little bit of Ruby, but we largely treat Rails as an html container.
Turbo is disabled by default. Instead the app is boosted by htmx. This means you can just use normal rails link_to and form_for tags, and the app will handle smooth page transitions.
You can of course turn on Turbo, Stimulus if you would prefer to keep them.
Why would I use H1 Rails?
Why would I use H1 Rails?
You might use H1 Rails if…
- You want a quick, simple boilerplate for building web apps.
- You’re interested in the html-over-the-wire approach for its conceptual simplicity, but want a quicker way to dive in than learning Turbo and Stimulus.
- You already know Rails, and have heard about the promise of HTMX and the Hypertext approach.
- You’ve seen some of the examples of what can be built with it
Who is behind H1 Rails?
Who is behind H1 Rails?
H1 Rails was built by Really Good Software. We’re a remote software agency that loves HTML. We work with Startups, Small/Medium Enterprises, Spin Outs, and E-Commerce Businesses. We’re the people behind the following websites and libraries.