thoughtbot Open Summit, taking place on October 31st, isn’t just another virtual conference. It’s where maintainers, contributors, and teams across the Rails ecosystem come together to learn and contribute in real time.
This year’s lineup showcases tools that have shaped the framework (like factory_bot) and the open source innovations that are driving Rails’ new era of growth.
One of those projects is Superglue, an open source framework created by our own Johny Ho. With Superglue, Johny is bridging the gap between Rails and React in a way that feels truly intuitive for Rails developers.
Bringing the ease of Rails to React
Johny started working on Superglue more than ten years ago after feeling that something was missing in how single-page applications were built in Rails:
The moment you step into single-page applications, you abandon everything you’ve learned in Rails. Where were my forms? Where was the ease that Rails promised me?
Superglue was created as a solution to this common struggle. It’s a framework that brings React into Rails in a way that feels natural, allowing developers to build rich, interactive applications without losing the simplicity and structure that make Rails so efficient.
“There’s a lot of compatibility between Rails and React that’s never been tapped into,” Johny says. “Superglue brings that together. You get the Rails tools you love, and the flexibility of React, in the same place.”
While other frameworks aim to bridge Rails and JavaScript or other ecosystems, Superglue stands out for being designed specifically for Rails from the start.
“Inertia, for example, is tuned for Laravel,” Johny says. “Superglue is tuned for Rails. It’s built around how Rails developers actually work.”
That means familiar Rails conventions, such as form_with, routes, and partials, remain front of mind. Johny has even built a custom templating language inspired by Jbuilder, along with deep support for Turbo Streams.
It captures that feeling you get working with Rails – productive, expressive, and fun.
The road to Superglue 2.0
Superglue has been evolving quietly over the years until recently, when Johny was able to give the project a major boost during his paternity leave.
“My wife took the day shift, I took the night shift with the baby, and I needed something to do,” he says, laughing. “Those six months gave me the time to take Superglue from a side project to something truly production-ready.”
These late-night work sessions have led to the Superglue 2.0 alpha release, with a full 2.0 launch expected early next year.
The new version focuses on a smoother developer experience, better integrations with modern Rails features, and tighter connections between Rails’ form helpers, partials, and React’s component system.
What to expect at thoughtbot Open Summit
At thoughtbot Open Summit, Johny will dive into what makes Superglue a powerful bridge between Rails and React. Attendees can expect:
- A walkthrough of how Superglue works under the hood and how it brings React into Rails without extra complexity
- A look at what’s new in the 2.0 alpha release
- Real examples of how teams can use Superglue to build faster, more interactive applications the “Rails way”
- The opportunity to ask questions, share feedback, and contribute live during the session
Johny also plans to have clear onboarding docs and good first issues ready for anyone who wants to get involved right away.
But besides that, why should you join?
We’re nice. The project is nice, the people are nice. Come contribute.
Whether you’re a Rails developer struggling with React, a team lead looking to streamline your stack, or someone searching for an open source project to dive into, this session will help get you up and running with Superglue.
Join Johny Ho and the thoughtbot team live at the thoughtbot Open Summit on October 31, 2025.
You can sign up here for complimentary tickets and share with your team: https://thoughtbot.com/events/open-summit