Rails Database Command

Execute common database operations with appropriate safeguards.

Usage

/rails:db <action>

Actions

seed

Run database seeds.

bin/rails db:seed

reset

Drop, create, migrate, and seed the database.

bin/rails db:reset

WARNING: This destroys all data. Only use in development.

prepare

Prepare database for the current environment (creates if needed, runs migrations).

bin/rails db:prepare

Safe for all environments.

schema:load

Load schema from db/schema.rb (faster than running all migrations).

bin/rails db:schema:load

schema:dump

Dump current database schema to db/schema.rb.

bin/rails db:schema:dump

setup

Create database, load schema, and seed.

bin/rails db:setup

create

Create the database.

bin/rails db:create

drop

Drop the database.

bin/rails db:drop

WARNING: Destructive operation.

Process

1. Identify the requested action
2. Check current environment (development, test, production)
3. For destructive operations:
   • Warn if in production
   • List consequences
   • Require confirmation
4. Execute the command
5. Show results

Environment Safety

Development/Test

All operations allowed with standard warnings for destructive actions.

Production

Restricted operations:

• reset - BLOCKED (never reset production)
• drop - BLOCKED (manual intervention required)
• schema:load - WARNING (destroys existing data)
• seed - WARNING (may duplicate data)
• prepare - ALLOWED (safe idempotent operation)

Seed File Best Practices

Recommend idempotent seeds:

# db/seeds.rb
# Use find_or_create_by for idempotency
User.find_or_create_by(email: "admin@example.com") do |user|
  user.name = "Admin"
  user.admin = true
end

# Or use upsert for bulk data
Product.upsert_all([
  { sku: "WIDGET-001", name: "Widget", price: 9.99 },
  { sku: "GADGET-001", name: "Gadget", price: 19.99 }
], unique_by: :sku)

Output

Action: db:prepare

Environment: development
Database: myapp_development

Checking database status...
  Database exists: ✓
  Pending migrations: 2

Running db:prepare...
  Running migrations...
  == 20231203140000 AddOrdersTable: migrating ===
  == 20231203140000 AddOrdersTable: migrated (0.0123s) ===

✓ Database prepared successfully

Schema version: 20231203140000
Tables: 8