Ruby on Rails once ruled the web. Shopify, GitHub, and Basecamp were all powered by it. Rails promised “convention over configuration” and delivered lightning-fast development. But over time, , React, Go, and microservices shifted the ground beneath it. In this tech documentary, we explore: How David Heinemeier Hansson created Rails at 37signals. The explosive rise of Basecamp, GitHub, and Shopify. Why developers loved Rails’ “magic” — and why some hated it. How , React, and cloud platforms challenged Rails’ dominance. Why Rails isn’t dead — and how Rails 8 with Hotwire & Solid Stack signals a comeback. Was Rails a victim of tech hype cycles? Or did it quietly win by being copied everywhere?