Recordables: Rails Multi-Tenancy
Recordables (37signals) · 2026-02-13
A conversation about multi-tenant database architecture in Rails, covering the journey of implementing separate SQLite databases for Fizzy customers, and the open-sourced Active Record Tenanted gem that simplifies multi-tenancy implementation.
Multi-Tenant Rails: Everybody Gets a Database!
Rails World 2025 · 2025-09-04
As Rails's SQLite support has improved, it's finally possible to have truly multi-tenant Rails applications - isolated data for each account! - without sacrificing performance or ease of use.
View slides →Rails::HTML5: the strange and remarkable three-year journey
Rails World 2023 · 2023-10-06
An accessible deep dive into the evolution of Rails to include HTML5-compliant sanitization, which provides better security for Rails applications.
View slides →Put that test down! You don't know where it's been.
RubyConf 2021 · 2021-11-10
One afternoon in early 2021, a 14-year-old test in Rails started failing. Nobody understood why. This 12 minute video will amuse and/or annoy you with a mystery that spans decades and tech stacks.
View slides →Building Native Extensions (Part 2)
RubyConf 2021 · 2021-11-10
Part two, a bit broader look at C extensions in Ruby, including an explanation of why Nokogiri chose to start precompiling native packages.
View slides →Building Native Extensions (Part 1)
Ruby Kaigi 2021 · 2021-09-10
A deep look at the techniques and toolchain used to ship native (precompiled) versions of Nokogiri and other rubygems with C extensions.
View slides →Nokogiri: History, Present, and Future
GoGaRuCo 2013 · 2013-09-20
The history of a successful OSS project, along with humorous stories and lessons learned. This talk, given multiple times, is presented here in its final version.
View slides →HTML parsing & sanitization and SQLite
Remote Ruby · 2024-08-30
In this podcast episode I talk with Chris Oliver and Andrew Mason about Loofah and the Rails HTML sanitizer, SQLite support in Ruby, how I got started in Ruby, and a bit about management vs leadership.
Ruby Shield, Ruby Central, and Shopify (with Evan Phoenix)
Programming Throwdown · 2022-11-14
Evan Phoenix and I were interviewed by Patrick Wheeler and Jason Gauci about our personal journies in Ruby, how we learn, and how we came to work together on Ruby Shield, a security partnership between Shopify and Ruby Central.
Cloud Foundry Overview
Software Engineering Daily · 2018-02-21
In this interview I talk about Cloud Foundry, Pivotal, and a potpourri of other topics.
Embracing Change as an Organization
How a 500-person organization can stay agile and embrace change. Presented at Code Climate Summit. (2019-05-22)
Why you're in the right place at the right time
A talk given to CUNY students and recent grads about the importance of community in shaping a career. (2015-05-15)
Agile Inceptions 101
An internal "Core Practice" talk given at Pivotal Labs. (2014-10-10)
enterprise-fu, or, How To Succeed in Business Like A Ninja Samurai
Subversive lessons from two decades spent in enterprisey companies. Presented at Asbury Agile. (2013-10-02)
Stupid XML Tricks
Introduction to OSS projects Loofah, Lorax and McBean to modify, compare and transform HTML and XML documents. Presented at NYC.rb. (2010-03-09)