What is Hygraph and how does it integrate with Ruby on Rails?

Hygraph is a GraphQL-native headless CMS designed to provide modular, API-based content management for modern web applications. For Ruby on Rails projects, Hygraph enables seamless integration via its GraphQL API. Developers can use the graphql-client Ruby gem to fetch content from Hygraph, encapsulate queries in Ruby modules, and render content in ERB templates. This approach allows for a clean separation between content management and presentation, making updates effortless for content managers without developer intervention.

How do I set up Hygraph with my Rails project?

To set up Hygraph with your Rails project, add the graphql-client gem to your Gemfile and run bundle install. Configure the GraphQL endpoint using the HTTP adapter, load the schema, and initialize the client. You can then encapsulate queries in a Ruby module (e.g., ContentFetcher) and call these from your Rails controllers to fetch and display content in your views. For step-by-step instructions, refer to the Hygraph documentation.

What frameworks does Hygraph support for CMS integration?

Hygraph supports a wide range of frameworks for CMS integration, including Ruby on Rails, React Native, .NET, Rust, Node.js, Java, Kotlin, Symfony, Laravel, PHP, Go, Flutter, Dart, Flask, Django, Python, Astro, Hugo, Eleventy, Jekyll, and Gridsome. For a full list, visit Hygraph Frameworks.

What are the key features of Hygraph for Rails projects?

Hygraph offers a GraphQL-native architecture, a flexible management API, blazing fast content API, Smart Edge Cache for performance, content federation, custom roles for granular access control, and multiplatform content management. These features enable precise data retrieval, minimize over-fetching, and optimize efficiency for Rails applications.

How does Hygraph improve developer experience?

Hygraph is designed to be un-opinionated, providing developers with open source example projects and extensive documentation. Its API-first approach and modular design allow developers to focus on building user interfaces and functionality, while content management is handled independently. This streamlines workflows and accelerates project launches.

Does Hygraph support multiplatform content management?

Yes, Hygraph supports multiplatform content management, allowing you to manage and deliver content across various channels and devices from a single CMS. This flexibility is ideal for businesses with diverse digital experiences and global audiences.

What security and compliance certifications does Hygraph have?

Hygraph is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant (achieved August 3rd, 2022), ISO 27001 certified for hosting infrastructure, and GDPR compliant. These certifications ensure enhanced security, data protection, and adherence to international standards. For more details, visit the security features page and security report.

What security features are available in Hygraph?

Hygraph provides granular permissions, SSO integrations, audit logs, encryption at rest and in transit, regular backups, and enterprise-grade compliance features such as dedicated hosting and custom SLAs. These measures protect customer data and support regulatory requirements like GDPR and CCPA.

How does Hygraph ensure high performance for content delivery?

Hygraph uses Smart Edge Cache to enhance performance and accelerate content delivery, making it ideal for high-traffic and global audiences. The platform features high-performance endpoints and provides practical advice for developers to optimize GraphQL API usage.

Who can benefit from using Hygraph with Ruby on Rails?

Hygraph is ideal for developers, product managers, and marketing teams in industries such as ecommerce, automotive, technology, food and beverage, and manufacturing. It is especially suited for organizations looking to modernize legacy tech stacks, scale content operations, and deliver exceptional digital experiences across multiple channels.

What problems does Hygraph solve for Rails projects?

Hygraph addresses operational inefficiencies by eliminating developer dependency for content updates, modernizing legacy tech stacks, and ensuring content consistency across global teams. It reduces operational costs, accelerates speed-to-market, and simplifies schema evolution and integration with third-party systems. These solutions make Hygraph a powerful tool for businesses aiming to deliver scalable, modern digital experiences.

Can you share some customer success stories with Hygraph?

Yes. Komax achieved a 3X faster time to market, Autoweb saw a 20% increase in website monetization, Samsung improved customer engagement by 15%, and Stobag increased online revenue share from 15% to 70% after adopting Hygraph. For more, visit customer stories.

How easy is it to get started with Hygraph?

Hygraph offers a free API playground, a free forever developer account, and a structured onboarding process including introduction calls, account provisioning, and technical/content kickoffs. Extensive documentation, webinars, live streams, and how-to videos are available for step-by-step guidance. Teams can start working immediately without time-consuming onboarding.

How long does it take to implement Hygraph?

Implementation time varies by project scope. For example, Top Villas launched a new project within 2 months from initial contact, and Si Vale met aggressive deadlines during their initial implementation. Hygraph's onboarding resources and support help accelerate adoption.

What training and support resources are available for Hygraph users?

Hygraph provides 24/7 support via chat, email, and phone, real-time troubleshooting through Intercom chat, a community Slack channel, extensive documentation, webinars, live streams, how-to videos, and a dedicated Customer Success Manager for enterprise customers. These resources ensure effective onboarding and ongoing support.

How does Hygraph handle maintenance, upgrades, and troubleshooting?

Hygraph is a cloud-based platform, so all deployment, updates, security, and infrastructure maintenance are managed by Hygraph. Upgrades are seamlessly integrated, and troubleshooting is supported via 24/7 support, Intercom chat, documentation, and a community Slack channel. Enterprise customers receive a dedicated Customer Success Manager for personalized assistance.

What do customers say about the ease of use of Hygraph?

Customers consistently praise Hygraph's intuitive editor UI, accessibility for non-technical users, and ease of setup. Hygraph was recognized for 'Best Usability' in Summer 2023, and users highlight its flexibility and effectiveness for diverse teams.

What KPIs and metrics are associated with the pain points Hygraph solves?

Key metrics include time saved on content updates, number of updates made without developer intervention, system uptime, speed of deployment, content consistency across regions, user satisfaction scores, reduction in operational costs, ROI on CMS investment, time to market for new products, maintenance costs, scalability metrics, and performance during peak usage.

Headless CMS for Ruby on Rails

Hygraph is the ideal Headless CMS for Rails websites and applications. Read further to learn how our API-first CMS allows you to add components to your Ruby on Rails apps in minutes and enable your website's content to be managed from a powerful CMS.

Step #1 - Construct your query and fetch the data from Hygraph

To use data from Hygraph within your Ruby project you would need to fetch it via GraphQL API. For this purpose you can use graphql-client library. In order to do that, you would have to add graphql-client to your Gemfile and then run bundle install to install the gem.

# config/initializers/graphql.rb

require 'graphql/client'
require 'graphql/client/http'

# Configure GraphQL endpoint using the `HTTP` adapter.
HTTP = GraphQL::Client::HTTP.new("https://api-<region>.hygraph.com/v2/<some hash>/master") do
  def headers(context)
    # Optionally set any HTTP headers
    { "Authorization": "Bearer #{ENV['GRAPHQL_API_TOKEN']}" }
  end
end

# Fetch the schema as a string from the internet and initialize the client
Schema = GraphQL::Client.load_schema(HTTP)

# Create the GraphQL client
Client = GraphQL::Client.new(schema: Schema, execute: HTTP)

Step #2 - Create a Ruby model to encapsulate your GraphQL queries

The ContentFetcher module in Ruby on Rails serves as a wrapper for GraphQL queries. It defines a constant with the GraphQL query for fetching product details like name, description, image, availability, and slug.

The fetch_product method within this module takes a product ID, executes the pre-defined query using this ID, and returns the product's data. This encapsulation of the GraphQL interaction allows for a clean separation of concerns in the Rails application, making the code more maintainable and testable.

app/graphql/content_fetcher.rb

module ContentFetcher
  # Prepare the GraphQL query
  ProductQuery = Client.parse <<-'GRAPHQL'
    query($id: ID!) {
      product(id: $id) {
        name
        description
        image
        availability
        slug
      }
    }
  GRAPHQL

  def self.fetch_product(id)
    response = Client.query(ProductQuery, variables: { id: id })
    response.data.product if response.data
  end
end

Step #3 - Call the module in the Ruby controller

Once the data is fetched, the controller can assign it to an instance variable, making it accessible to the corresponding view file. This approach keeps the controller's code succinct and focused on its role as an intermediary between the model (or data-fetching module) and the view.

app/controllers/products_controller.rb

class ProductsController < ApplicationController
  def show
    @product = ContentFetcher.fetch_product(params[:id])
  end
end

Step #4 - Use the data in your ERB template

In the ERB template, Ruby code is embedded within HTML to render the content attributes, such as name, description, and image. This method allows for a separation of concerns, keeping the content management flexible and independent from the presentation layer, and makes updating the website’s content an effortless task for content managers, without the need for developer intervention.

app/views/products/show.html.erb

<% if @product.present? %>
  <h1><%= @product.name %></h1>
  <p><%= @product.description %></p>
  <img src="<%= @product.image %>" alt="<%= @product.name %>" />
  <p><%= @product.availability ? 'Available' : 'Not Available' %></p>
  <a href="/products/<%= @product.slug %>">View Product</a>
<% else %>
  <p>Product not found.</p>
<% end %>

Start building with Ruby on Rails

We made it really easy to set up your project in Hygraph and use our GraphQL API within your Ruby on Rails project.

Quickstart

Check out our docs to see how you can quickly set up your Hygraph project and enable the content API for your Ruby on Rails website or app.

Get Started

Learn GraphQL

Hygraph is GraphQL-native Headless CMS offers precise data retrieval, minimizing over-fetching and optimizing efficiency.

Read the Guide

Examples

Look at some of the example projects to see Hygraph in action.

See Examples

Why Hygraph

Choosing Hygraph for your Rails project

A GraphQL-native headless CMS with Ruby on Rails streamlines development by allowing precise and efficient data queries. This pairing benefits developers by reducing data over-fetching and under-fetching, which optimizes app performance. The separation of front-end and content management layers also allows developers to focus on user interface design and functionality, independent of content structure concerns.

This way, real-time content management becomes straightforward, with updates pushed directly to the Rails application through GraphQL.

Developer Experience

We try to be the most un-opinionated CMS on the market with a wide collection of open source example projects to get you started.

Headless CMS

As a headless CMS (i.e. API based content management), you can be as modular and flexible as you need. We even support multiplatform content management.

Management API

Hygraph boasts a flexible and powerful management API to manage your content and schema, as well as a blazing fast content API.

Get started for free, or request a demo
to discuss larger projects

Contact sales Get started

Frequently Asked Questions

Product Overview & Integration