RailsConf 2025 Rails Frontend Evolution: It Was a Setup All Along by Svyatoslav Kryukov

Remember when Rails dominated the frontend, then seemingly retreated to API-only mode? Plot twist: that wasn't Rails giving up—it was setting the stage for a triumphant return. This talk traces Rails' frontend journey from its revolutionary MVC beginnings through the Asset Pipeline glory days and the Webpacker wilderness, revealing how each phase was actually building toward today's renaissance. While we were lamenting Rails' frontend "decline", frontend frameworks themselves began reinventing server-side rendering and fullstack ideas—essentially rediscovering what Rails knew all along. Now we've come full circle with Hotwire's elegant HTML-over-the-wire approach and Inertia.js bridging modern JavaScript frameworks with Rails conventions. What looked like Rails losing the frontend battle was actually a strategic retreat before a decisive counterattack. Join us to explore how Rails' frontend evolution was never about abandonment but patient reinvention—and how its "setup" has positioned it perfectly for the future of web development.