Mini Router: The Heart of Rails
Build the request router that turns a path like /users/42 into the right answer, the exact core that makes Rails and Sinatra feel like magic. The piece every Ruby web dev builds before they build anything.
What you'll be able to build
Build the request router that turns a path like /users/42 into the right answer, the exact core that makes Rails and Sinatra feel like magic. The piece every Ruby web dev builds before they build anything. Along the way you pick up real, transferable Ruby skills, not just this one project:
- hashes as a route table (path to handler)
- regular expressions to match paths and capture params
- procs and lambdas as route handlers
- case/when on the HTTP method
- assembling a JSON-ready response hash
- a default 404 fallback
A course like this one
Yours is built from your own placement, so module count and depth will differ. This map shows what a intermediate-level Ruby learner building Mini Router actually gets.
- Module 1: Values, strings, and puts5 lessons
Builds the script for your mini router.
- Module 2: Collections: arrays, hashes, and Enumerable5 lessons
Builds the module workflow for your mini router.
- Module 3: Control flow, truthiness, and predicting output5 lessons
Builds the method that powers your mini router.
- Module 4: Methods, blocks, and reading errors5 lessons
Builds the reusable class for your mini router.
- Module 5: Classes, modules, and program design5 lessons
Builds the collection pipeline for your mini router.
- Module 6: Shipping a reusable Ruby tool3 lessons
Builds the command-line tool for your mini router.
How the lessons actually work
Every lesson has you predict what a piece of Ruby code will output before you run it, then run it for real in your browser and fix what you got wrong. Each module ends in a challenge gate with hidden tests, so you can't advance until your code actually works. The course closes with a capstone that assembles everything into Mini Router, and a runnable proof page tied to your own code.
Common questions
How long does the Mini Router: The Heart of Rails course take?
about 7 hours, across 6 modules and 28 lessons, at roughly 15 minutes per lesson. Your own course may run shorter or longer, since it's sized to your placement result, not a fixed template.
Do I need experience?
Some. This is an intermediate-tier Ruby project, so it assumes you're comfortable with Ruby basics and pushes past them.
How much does it cost?
$15 one-time, no subscription. The first module is free, so you can see exactly how the course teaches before you pay for the rest.