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Securing an API
Episode #352May 23, 201274 comments

Securing an API

There are many approaches to locking down an API. Here I start off with HTTP Basic authentication then move on to generating a unique token which can be passed through a URL parameter or HTTP header. (7 minutes)
Polymorphic Association (revised)
Episode #154May 19, 201299 comments

Polymorphic Association (revised)

A polymorphic association allows a model to belong_to different types of other models. Here I show how to make a single comment model belong to articles, photos, and events. (11 minutes)
A Look at Meteor
Episode #351May 16, 2012105 comments

A Look at Meteor

Meteor is a JavaScript framework for building rich client-side applications. Here I re-create the Raffler app to compare with Backbone.js and Rails. Meteor may not be related to Rails, but I think many will find it interesting. (15 minutes)
REST API Versioning
Episode #350May 16, 2012108 comments

REST API Versioning

APIs should be consistent, but it is difficult to do this when returning a JSON response along side the HTML interface. Here I show how to add a versioned, RESTful API. The version can be determined from either the URL or HTTP headers. (10 minutes)
Syntax Highlighting (revised)
Episode #207May 11, 201258 comments

Syntax Highlighting (revised)

Here I compare several syntax highlighting solutions and show how to use Pygments in a Rails app. I also show how to integrate it with Markdown and add caching. (8 minutes)
Rails Modularity
Episode #349May 09, 201255 comments

Rails Modularity

Rails is a modular framework allowing you to include only what you need. Here I show how the smallest Rails app works, and then I take a look at how to whittle down a full Rails application stack. (13 minutes)
The Rails API Gem
Episode #348May 09, 201274 comments

The Rails API Gem

It is often asked: Is Rails a good fit if I only need to serve an API? In this episode I show how to use the Rails API gem to create a slimmer Rails application designed to respond with JSON. (9 minutes)
Token Fields (revised)
Episode #258May 05, 2012158 comments

Token Fields (revised)

The Chosen plugin makes it easy to turn a many-to-many select menu into a searchable token field. Then see how the jQuery Tokeninput field can help with AJAX loading and creating new records. (10 minutes)
Rubber and Amazon EC2
Episode #347May 03, 2012199 comments

Rubber and Amazon EC2

Deploying to Amazon EC2 allows you to scale an application quickly. Learn how to use Rubber to deploy to the cloud with just a few commands and monitor the cluster with various web tools. (17 minutes)
Wizard Forms with Wicked
Episode #346May 03, 201284 comments

Wizard Forms with Wicked

Creating a wizard form can be tricky in Rails. Learn how Wicked can help by turning a controller into a series of multiple steps. (11 minutes)