Action Cable is Rails’ built-in framework for WebSockets, enabling real-time features such as chat, notifications, and live updates. It integrates seamlessly with ActiveRecord, allowing broadcasted data to flow directly into client-side subscriptions.
Setup involves creating channels, subscribing clients, and broadcasting from controllers or jobs. It supports Rails 6, 7 and 8 on Ruby 3+ and is actively maintained as part of Rails itself. Strengths include tight integration and ease of use for real-time features, while weaknesses are performance limitations at very large scale compared to specialised WebSocket servers.
Setup involves creating channels, subscribing clients, and broadcasting from controllers or jobs. It supports Rails 6, 7 and 8 on Ruby 3+ and is actively maintained as part of Rails itself. Strengths include tight integration and ease of use for real-time features, while weaknesses are performance limitations at very large scale compared to specialised WebSocket servers.