Rails World 2025 brought together the global Ruby on Rails community for two days of innovation and connection in Amsterdam, drawing over 800 developers from 62 countries.
Keynotes and Talks
David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) opened the event with a keynote challenging the tech industry’s “complexity obsession” and announcing the Rails 8.1 beta release. He demonstrated launching a Rails app on a new Omarchy OS laptop in under six minutes, symbolising the push toward developer independence and efficiency.
On day one, Joe Masilotti introduced Hotwire Native, which lets Rails developers build iOS and Android apps without duplicating logic. Day two featured a panel of Ruby maintainers, Aaron Patterson, Hiroshi Shibata, and Jean Boussier, who shared updates and their vision for Ruby and Rails integration. Aaron Patterson capped off the conference with insights on Shopify’s Ractor work and the ZJIT compiler.
Other notable deep-dive talks showcased Marco’s innovative view layer improvements and practical sessions on database scaling and event-driven architecture.
On day one, Joe Masilotti introduced Hotwire Native, which lets Rails developers build iOS and Android apps without duplicating logic. Day two featured a panel of Ruby maintainers, Aaron Patterson, Hiroshi Shibata, and Jean Boussier, who shared updates and their vision for Ruby and Rails integration. Aaron Patterson capped off the conference with insights on Shopify’s Ractor work and the ZJIT compiler.
Other notable deep-dive talks showcased Marco’s innovative view layer improvements and practical sessions on database scaling and event-driven architecture.
Rails at Scale Summit
A new addition, the Rails at Scale Summit, limited to 100 engineers and sponsored by Shopify, fostered meaningful small-group discussions among those running Rails in high-traffic production environments. The summit’s format encouraged candid sharing of hard-won lessons and practical strategies.
Playful Touches and Community
Rails World 2025 was dotted with playful features:
- The Ruby Embassy, where attendees collected "Ruby Passports" and navigated a whimsical, bureaucratic process, created lasting memories.
- The Ruby Phone installation let participants record video messages or connect unexpectedly with fellow Rails developers.
- Attendees traveled to the venue by the Baltic Ruby Bingo Boat, adding a unique Amsterdam twist.
Social events, friendly sponsors, and the after party at Straat Museum capped off the week and gave everyone time to reconnect and celebrate with music and art.
Looking Forward
All talks are available to watch online for those wanting to revisit the sessions or catch up on missed content.
Rails World 2026 will move to Austin, Texas, promising another unmissable chance for learning, networking, and Ruby-focused fun.
Rails World 2026 will move to Austin, Texas, promising another unmissable chance for learning, networking, and Ruby-focused fun.