Rails 8.1 introduces bin/ci to standardize CI workflows with a new DSL

Rails 8.1 introduces bin/ci to standardize CI workflows based on a new domain specific language (DSL) in config/ci.rb making it easier to define, run and maintain the CI pipelines.

Understanding the DSL in `config/ci.rb`

The new DSL allows us to define CI steps in a structured and readable way.

step: Defines a single step in the workflow. The first argument is the step’s name and the remaining arguments form the command to execute.
success?: Returns true if all previous steps passed, allowing conditional logic.
failure: Displays a failure message with a description when the workflow fails. Takes two arguments: the message and a description.

CI.run do
  step "Setup", "bin/setup --skip-server"

  step "Style: Ruby", "bin/rubocop"

  step "Security: Brakeman code analysis", "bin/brakeman", "--quiet", "--no-pager",
          "--exit-on-warn", "--exit-on-error"
  step "Security: Importmap vulnerability audit", "bin/importmap", "audit"

  step "Tests: Rails", "bin/rails", "test", "test:system"
  step "Tests: Seeds", "env RAILS_ENV=test bin/rails db:seed:replant"

  if success?
    step "Signoff: All systems go. Ready for merge and deploy.", "gh signoff"
  else
    failure "Signoff: Failed. Do not merge or deploy.", "Fix the issues and try again."
  end
end

Example output:

./bin/ci
Continuous Integration
Running tests, style checks, and security audits


Setup
bin/setup --skip-server

== Installing ruby ==
mise all runtimes are installed

== Installing dependencies ==
The Gemfile's dependencies are satisfied

== Preparing database ==

== Removing old logs and tempfiles ==

== Now start developing with bin/dev

Setup passed in 3.33s


Style: Ruby
bin/rubocop

Inspecting 563 files
..........................................

563 files inspected, no offenses detected

Style: Ruby passed in 1.07s


Security: Brakeman code analysis
bin/brakeman --quiet --no-pager --exit-on-warn --exit-on-error


== Brakeman Report ==

Application Path: /home/user/Work/miru-web/know_it_all
Rails Version: 8.1.0.alpha
Brakeman Version: 6.2.2
Scan Date: 2025-03-06 12:16:47 +0100
Duration: 1.273865987 seconds
Checks Run: BasicAuth, BasicAuthTimingAttack, CSRFTokenForgeryCVE,
ContentTag, CookieSerialization, CreateWith, CrossSiteScripting,
DefaultRoutes, Deserialize, DetailedExceptions, DigestDoS,
DynamicFinders, EOLRails, EOLRuby, EscapeFunction, Evaluation,
Execute, FileAccess, FileDisclosure, FilterSkipping, ForgerySetting,
HeaderDoS, I18nXSS, JRubyXML, JSONEncoding, JSONEntityEscape,
JSONParsing, LinkTo, LinkToHref, MailTo, MassAssignment, MimeTypeDoS,
ModelAttrAccessible, ModelAttributes, ModelSerialize, NestedAttributes,
NestedAttributesBypass, NumberToCurrency, PageCachingCVE, Pathname,
PermitAttributes, QuoteTableName, Ransack, Redirect, RegexDoS, Render,
RenderDoS, RenderInline, ResponseSplitting, RouteDoS, SQL, SQLCVEs,
SSLVerify, SafeBufferManipulation, SanitizeConfigCve, SanitizeMethods,
SelectTag, SelectVulnerability, Send, SendFile, SessionManipulation,
SessionSettings, SimpleFormat, SingleQuotes, SkipBeforeFilter,
SprocketsPathTraversal, StripTags, SymbolDoSCVE, TemplateInjection,
TranslateBug, UnsafeReflection, UnsafeReflectionMethods, ValidationRegex,
VerbConfusion, WeakRSAKey, WithoutProtection, XMLDoS, YAMLParsing

== Overview ==

Controllers: 58
Models: 63
Templates: 181
Errors: 0
Security Warnings: 0
Ignored Warnings: 3

== Warning Types ==


No warnings found


Security: Brakeman code analysis passed in 1.61s


Security: Importmap vulnerability audit
bin/importmap audit

No vulnerable packages found

Security: Importmap vulnerability audit passed in 1.40s


Tests: Rails
bin/rails test test:system

Running 618 tests in parallel using 32 processes
Run options: --seed 52099

# Running:

.............................................................
Finished in 4.164330s, 148.4032 runs/s, 591.2115 assertions/s.
618 runs, 2462 assertions, 0 failures, 0 errors, 0 skips

Tests: Rails passed in 6.64s

Continuous Integration passed in 14.42s

Breakdown of the CI workflow defined in the code

1. Setup:

bin/setup --skip-server installs Ruby, dependencies, setup the database and cleans up old files.

2. Style Check:

bin/rubocop command check for style violations

3. Security: Brakeman code analysis:

bin/brakeman command scans for security vulnerabilities.

4. Security: Importmap Vulnerability Audit:

bin/importmap audit command checks for vulnerable packages.

5. Tests: Rails:

bin/rails test test:system command runs the Rails test suite.

6. Tests: Seeds:

bin/rails db:seed:replant verifies that seed data can be loaded correctly in the test environment.

7. Signoff:

If all steps pass (success?), a signoff step runs to indicate the build is ready for merge and deploy.
If any step fails, the failure method displays an error message with guidance to fix the issues.

Rails 8.1 introduces bin/ci to standardize CI workflows with a new DSL

Understanding the DSL in config/ci.rb

Breakdown of the CI workflow defined in the code

References

Planning Rails Upgrade - A Strategic Guide

Accessibility Best Practices for Consultancy Websites

Rails Native Composite Primary Keys: A Complete Evolution from Rails 3 to Rails 8

Understanding the DSL in `config/ci.rb`