name: rails-hotwire description: Use when hotwire (Turbo and Stimulus) for building modern reactive Rails applications without complex JavaScript frameworks. allowed-tools:

Read
Write
Edit
Grep
Glob
Bash

Rails Hotwire

Master Hotwire for building modern, reactive Rails applications using Turbo and Stimulus without requiring heavy JavaScript frameworks.

Overview

Hotwire (HTML Over The Wire) is a modern approach to building web applications that sends HTML instead of JSON over the wire. It consists of Turbo (for delivering server-rendered HTML) and Stimulus (for JavaScript sprinkles).

Installation and Setup

Installing Hotwire

# Add to Gemfile
bundle add turbo-rails stimulus-rails

# Install Turbo
rails turbo:install

# Install Stimulus
rails stimulus:install

# Install Redis for ActionCable (Turbo Streams)
bundle add redis

# Configure ActionCable
rails generate channel turbo_stream

Configuration

# config/cable.yml
development:
  adapter: redis
  url: redis://localhost:6379/1

production:
  adapter: redis
  url: <%= ENV.fetch("REDIS_URL") { "redis://localhost:6379/1" } %>
  channel_prefix: myapp_production

# config/routes.rb
Rails.application.routes.draw do
  mount ActionCable.server => '/cable'
end

Core Patterns

1. Turbo Drive (Page Acceleration)

# Turbo Drive is automatic, but you can customize behavior

# app/views/layouts/application.html.erb
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <%= csrf_meta_tags %>
    <%= csp_meta_tag %>
    <%= turbo_refreshes_with method: :morph, scroll: :preserve %>
  </head>
  <body>
    <%= yield %>
  </body>
</html>

# Disable Turbo for specific links
<%= link_to "Legacy Page", legacy_path, data: { turbo: false } %>

# Disable Turbo for forms
<%= form_with url: upload_path, data: { turbo: false } do |f| %>
  <%= f.file_field :document %>
<% end %>

# Custom progress bar
<style>
  .turbo-progress-bar {
    background: linear-gradient(to right, #4ade80, #3b82f6);
  }
</style>

2. Turbo Frames (Lazy Loading & Decomposition)

# app/views/posts/index.html.erb
<div id="posts">
  <% @posts.each do |post| %>
    <%= turbo_frame_tag dom_id(post) do %>
      <%= render post %>
    <% end %>
  <% end %>
</div>

# app/views/posts/_post.html.erb
<article>
  <h2><%= post.title %></h2>
  <p><%= post.body %></p>

  <%= link_to "Edit", edit_post_path(post) %>
  <%= link_to "Delete", post_path(post),
              data: { turbo_method: :delete,
                      turbo_confirm: "Are you sure?" } %>
</article>

# app/views/posts/edit.html.erb
<%= turbo_frame_tag dom_id(@post) do %>
  <%= form_with model: @post do |f| %>
    <%= f.text_field :title %>
    <%= f.text_area :body %>
    <%= f.submit %>
  <% end %>
<% end %>

# Lazy loading frames
<%= turbo_frame_tag "analytics", src: analytics_path, loading: :lazy do %>
  <p>Loading analytics...</p>
<% end %>

# Target different frames
<%= link_to "Show Post", post_path(post),
            data: { turbo_frame: "modal" } %>

# Break out of frame
<%= link_to "New Page", new_post_path,
            data: { turbo_frame: "_top" } %>

3. Turbo Streams (Real-time Updates)

# app/controllers/posts_controller.rb
class PostsController < ApplicationController
  def create
    @post = Post.new(post_params)

    respond_to do |format|
      if @post.save
        format.turbo_stream
        format.html { redirect_to @post }
      else
        format.html { render :new, status: :unprocessable_entity }
      end
    end
  end

  def destroy
    @post = Post.find(params[:id])
    @post.destroy

    respond_to do |format|
      format.turbo_stream { render turbo_stream: turbo_stream.remove(@post) }
      format.html { redirect_to posts_path }
    end
  end
end

# app/views/posts/create.turbo_stream.erb
<%= turbo_stream.prepend "posts", partial: "posts/post",
                         locals: { post: @post } %>
<%= turbo_stream.update "new_post", "" %>
<%= turbo_stream.replace "flash",
    partial: "shared/flash",
    locals: { message: "Post created!" } %>

# Multiple Turbo Stream actions
<%= turbo_stream.append "notifications" do %>
  <div class="notification">New post created!</div>
<% end %>

<%= turbo_stream.update "post_count",
    Post.count %>

<%= turbo_stream.remove "loading_spinner" %>

<%= turbo_stream.replace dom_id(@post),
    partial: "posts/post",
    locals: { post: @post } %>

4. Broadcasting Updates

# app/models/post.rb
class Post < ApplicationRecord
  broadcasts_to ->(post) { [post.user, "posts"] }, inserts_by: :prepend

  # Or more explicit
  after_create_commit -> {
    broadcast_prepend_to "posts",
      partial: "posts/post",
      locals: { post: self },
      target: "posts"
  }

  after_update_commit -> {
    broadcast_replace_to "posts",
      partial: "posts/post",
      locals: { post: self },
      target: dom_id(self)
  }

  after_destroy_commit -> {
    broadcast_remove_to "posts", target: dom_id(self)
  }
end

# app/views/posts/index.html.erb
<%= turbo_stream_from "posts" %>

<div id="posts">
  <%= render @posts %>
</div>

# Broadcast to specific users
class Comment < ApplicationRecord
  belongs_to :post

  after_create_commit -> {
    broadcast_prepend_to [post.user, :comments],
      partial: "comments/comment",
      locals: { comment: self },
      target: "comments"
  }
end

# app/views/posts/show.html.erb
<%= turbo_stream_from current_user, :comments %>

5. Stimulus Controllers

// app/javascript/controllers/clipboard_controller.js
import { Controller } from "@hotwired/stimulus"

export default class extends Controller {
  static targets = ["source", "button"]
  static values = {
    successMessage: String,
    errorMessage: String
  }

  copy(event) {
    event.preventDefault()

    navigator.clipboard.writeText(this.sourceTarget.value).then(
      () => this.showSuccess(),
      () => this.showError()
    )
  }

  showSuccess() {
    this.buttonTarget.textContent = this.successMessageValue || "Copied!"
    setTimeout(() => {
      this.buttonTarget.textContent = "Copy"
    }, 2000)
  }

  showError() {
    this.buttonTarget.textContent = this.errorMessageValue || "Failed!"
  }
}

<!-- app/views/posts/show.html.erb -->
<div data-controller="clipboard"
     data-clipboard-success-message-value="Copied to clipboard!">
  <input type="text"
         value="<%= @post.share_url %>"
         data-clipboard-target="source"
         readonly>
  <button data-clipboard-target="button"
          data-action="click->clipboard#copy">
    Copy
  </button>
</div>

6. Form Validation with Stimulus

// app/javascript/controllers/form_controller.js
import { Controller } from "@hotwired/stimulus"

export default class extends Controller {
  static targets = ["email", "password", "submit"]
  static classes = ["error"]

  connect() {
    this.validateForm()
  }

  validateField(event) {
    const field = event.target
    const isValid = field.checkValidity()

    if (isValid) {
      field.classList.remove(this.errorClass)
    } else {
      field.classList.add(this.errorClass)
    }

    this.validateForm()
  }

  validateForm() {
    const isValid = this.element.checkValidity()
    this.submitTarget.disabled = !isValid
  }

  async submit(event) {
    event.preventDefault()

    if (!this.element.checkValidity()) {
      return
    }

    const formData = new FormData(this.element)
    const response = await fetch(this.element.action, {
      method: this.element.method,
      body: formData,
      headers: {
        "Accept": "text/vnd.turbo-stream.html"
      }
    })

    if (response.ok) {
      const html = await response.text()
      Turbo.renderStreamMessage(html)
    }
  }
}

<%= form_with model: @user,
    data: { controller: "form",
            form_error_class: "border-red-500" } do |f| %>

  <%= f.email_field :email,
      required: true,
      data: { form_target: "email",
              action: "blur->form#validateField" } %>

  <%= f.password_field :password,
      required: true,
      minlength: 8,
      data: { form_target: "password",
              action: "blur->form#validateField" } %>

  <%= f.submit "Sign Up",
      data: { form_target: "submit",
              action: "click->form#submit" } %>
<% end %>

7. Infinite Scroll

// app/javascript/controllers/infinite_scroll_controller.js
import { Controller } from "@hotwired/stimulus"

export default class extends Controller {
  static targets = ["entries", "pagination"]
  static values = {
    url: String,
    page: Number
  }

  initialize() {
    this.scroll = this.scroll.bind(this)
  }

  connect() {
    this.createObserver()
  }

  disconnect() {
    this.observer.disconnect()
  }

  createObserver() {
    this.observer = new IntersectionObserver(
      entries => this.handleIntersect(entries),
      { threshold: 1.0 }
    )
    this.observer.observe(this.paginationTarget)
  }

  handleIntersect(entries) {
    entries.forEach(entry => {
      if (entry.isIntersecting) {
        this.loadMore()
      }
    })
  }

  async loadMore() {
    const url = this.paginationTarget.querySelector("a[rel='next']")?.href

    if (!url) return

    this.pageValue++

    const response = await fetch(url, {
      headers: {
        Accept: "text/vnd.turbo-stream.html"
      }
    })

    if (response.ok) {
      const html = await response.text()
      Turbo.renderStreamMessage(html)
    }
  }
}

<!-- app/views/posts/index.html.erb -->
<div data-controller="infinite-scroll">
  <div id="posts" data-infinite-scroll-target="entries">
    <%= render @posts %>
  </div>

  <div data-infinite-scroll-target="pagination">
    <%= paginate @posts %>
  </div>
</div>

<!-- app/views/posts/index.turbo_stream.erb -->
<%= turbo_stream.append "posts" do %>
  <%= render @posts %>
<% end %>

<%= turbo_stream.replace "pagination" do %>
  <%= paginate @posts %>
<% end %>

8. Modal Dialogs

// app/javascript/controllers/modal_controller.js
import { Controller } from "@hotwired/stimulus"

export default class extends Controller {
  static targets = ["container", "backdrop"]

  connect() {
    document.body.classList.add("overflow-hidden")
  }

  disconnect() {
    document.body.classList.remove("overflow-hidden")
  }

  close(event) {
    if (event.target === this.backdropTarget ||
        event.currentTarget.dataset.closeModal === "true") {
      this.element.remove()
    }
  }

  closeWithKeyboard(event) {
    if (event.key === "Escape") {
      this.element.remove()
    }
  }
}

<!-- app/views/posts/_modal.html.erb -->
<div data-controller="modal"
     data-action="keyup@window->modal#closeWithKeyboard"
     class="fixed inset-0 z-50">

  <div data-modal-target="backdrop"
       data-action="click->modal#close"
       class="fixed inset-0 bg-black bg-opacity-50"></div>

  <div data-modal-target="container"
       class="fixed inset-0 flex items-center justify-center">
    <div class="bg-white rounded-lg p-6 max-w-lg">
      <%= turbo_frame_tag "modal_content" do %>
        <%= yield %>
      <% end %>

      <button data-close-modal="true"
              data-action="click->modal#close">
        Close
      </button>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>

<!-- Trigger modal -->
<%= link_to "Edit Post",
    edit_post_path(@post),
    data: { turbo_frame: "modal" } %>

9. Autosave with Stimulus

// app/javascript/controllers/autosave_controller.js
import { Controller } from "@hotwired/stimulus"

export default class extends Controller {
  static targets = ["status"]
  static values = {
    delay: { type: Number, default: 1000 },
    url: String
  }

  connect() {
    this.timeout = null
    this.saving = false
  }

  save() {
    clearTimeout(this.timeout)

    this.timeout = setTimeout(() => {
      this.persist()
    }, this.delayValue)
  }

  async persist() {
    if (this.saving) return

    this.saving = true
    this.showStatus("Saving...")

    const formData = new FormData(this.element)

    try {
      const response = await fetch(this.urlValue, {
        method: "PATCH",
        body: formData,
        headers: {
          "X-CSRF-Token": document.querySelector("[name='csrf-token']").content,
          "Accept": "application/json"
        }
      })

      if (response.ok) {
        this.showStatus("Saved", "success")
      } else {
        this.showStatus("Error saving", "error")
      }
    } catch (error) {
      this.showStatus("Error saving", "error")
    } finally {
      this.saving = false
    }
  }

  showStatus(message, type = "info") {
    this.statusTarget.textContent = message
    this.statusTarget.className = `status-${type}`

    setTimeout(() => {
      this.statusTarget.textContent = ""
    }, 2000)
  }
}

<%= form_with model: @post,
    data: { controller: "autosave",
            autosave_url_value: post_path(@post),
            action: "input->autosave#save" } do |f| %>

  <div data-autosave-target="status"></div>

  <%= f.text_field :title %>
  <%= f.text_area :body %>
<% end %>

10. Search with Debouncing

// app/javascript/controllers/search_controller.js
import { Controller } from "@hotwired/stimulus"

export default class extends Controller {
  static targets = ["input", "results"]
  static values = {
    url: String,
    delay: { type: Number, default: 300 }
  }

  connect() {
    this.timeout = null
  }

  search() {
    clearTimeout(this.timeout)

    this.timeout = setTimeout(() => {
      this.performSearch()
    }, this.delayValue)
  }

  async performSearch() {
    const query = this.inputTarget.value

    if (query.length < 2) {
      this.resultsTarget.innerHTML = ""
      return
    }

    const url = new URL(this.urlValue)
    url.searchParams.set("q", query)

    const response = await fetch(url, {
      headers: {
        Accept: "text/vnd.turbo-stream.html"
      }
    })

    if (response.ok) {
      const html = await response.text()
      Turbo.renderStreamMessage(html)
    }
  }

  clear() {
    this.inputTarget.value = ""
    this.resultsTarget.innerHTML = ""
  }
}

<div data-controller="search"
     data-search-url-value="<%= search_posts_path %>">

  <input type="text"
         data-search-target="input"
         data-action="input->search#search"
         placeholder="Search posts...">

  <button data-action="click->search#clear">Clear</button>

  <div id="search-results" data-search-target="results"></div>
</div>

Best Practices

Use Turbo Frames for isolation - Scope updates to specific parts
Broadcast model changes - Keep all clients synchronized
Progressive enhancement - Ensure functionality without JavaScript
Lazy load frames - Improve initial page load performance
Use Stimulus for sprinkles - Keep JavaScript minimal and focused
Leverage Turbo Streams - Update multiple parts of the page
Handle errors gracefully - Provide fallbacks for network issues
Cache appropriately - Use HTTP caching with Turbo
Test real-time features - Verify broadcasts work correctly
Optimize database queries - Prevent N+1 with includes/preload

Common Pitfalls

Over-using Turbo Frames - Not everything needs to be a frame
Missing CSRF tokens - Forgetting tokens in AJAX requests
Race conditions - Not handling concurrent broadcasts
Memory leaks - Not disconnecting ActionCable subscriptions
Flash message issues - Flash persisting across Turbo requests
Breaking browser history - Improper Turbo navigation
SEO concerns - Not considering search engine crawlers
Form state loss - Losing unsaved data on navigation
Accessibility issues - Not managing focus and ARIA attributes
Over-engineering - Using Hotwire when simple HTML suffices

When to Use

Building modern Rails applications
Creating real-time collaborative features
Implementing live updates without polling
Building single-page-like experiences
Reducing JavaScript complexity
Progressive enhancement scenarios
Mobile-friendly responsive interfaces
Admin dashboards with live data
Chat and messaging applications
Live notifications and feeds

rails-hotwire