Hi all,
Once 37signals released their new deployment tool Kamal, I was intrigued. It fits well with my 'keep it simple' deployment philosophy. I slowly adopted the tool and today I deploy all new projects with Kamal.
However, I have seen people giving it a go and giving up, because the initial documentation was not enough. So I sat down for a few weeks and wrote Kamal Handbook, the missing manual to Kamal.
Kamal Handbook is a short and to-the-point book on Kamal. I go through a first deploy, explain fundamental ideas, talk about configuration, show two more complex examples, and discuss topics like CD.
It's a first ever book on Kamal, available as a PDF & ePUB (tested on Kindle Paperwhite), and just under 100 pages including the code and illustrations.
So far I sold something over 400 copies in less than 8 weeks.
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If you're venturing into the world of Ruby on Rails deployment without the typical reliance on major cloud services, then this handbook is a must-have! As a developer who has struggled with the intricacies of deploying applications efficiently, this book has been nothing short of a revelation. The concise explanations, coupled with practical code examples, have transformed my deployment strategies and significantly reduced my dependency on external hosting platforms, just a VPS is enough!.
This book not only demystifies the complex parts of deployment but also encourages a deeper understanding of what can be achieved with Kamal. I've successfully migrated several projects to a self-hosted environment, each running smoothly, thanks to the insights gained from this invaluable resource.
Highly recommend it for anyone looking to gain autonomy over their Rails applications and streamline their deployment processes. It's a game changer!
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Maker
@silva96 Thanks so much for such a detail review and the kind words Benjamin!
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I appreciate the clear focus on simplifying the process for users who might struggle with the initial documentation. What feedback have you received from those who have used your handbook? I'm curious about the most common challenges people face when deploying with Kamal and how your handbook addresses them.
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Maker
@r_martirosyan I got really good feedback so far and some ideas for the future too. Most people are simply not confident enough to leave smth like Heroku and the Handbook gave them that confidence. Decent amount of people asked about hosting multiple-apps on the same server which is not covered. I'll cover the topic when Kamal itself start supporting it as today it's more of a 'workaround' that I don't like.
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Cooool, thank for sharing in PH.
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Awesome book with great visuals. Really learned a lot, thank you!
I can't recommend Kamal Handbook enough!
I had so many unanswered questions after reading the Kamal documentation, and the handbook pretty much answered them all.
Great book, great code examples and great explanation of every aspect of Kamal
Great book on what is currently the hot stuff in deploying Ruby on Rails apps. Will put this to good use for my upcoming indie projects. This will take out the pain from deployment and as DHH stated make you independent from "the cloud" 👍
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Maker
@ediathome Thank you Martin, appreciate the nice words.
