With the release of Rails 8, asset management in Rails got faster and simpler with the new asset pipeline, Propshaft, which is not only simpler but also more aligned with modern Rails development needs compared to its predecessor, Sprockets.
How does Propshaft compare to Sprockets, and more importantly, should you make the switch? Before we dive into the news, Propshaft, let’s recap the existing Sprocket’s features.
How Sprockets Works
Sprockets is a powerful asset pipeline that has been a core part of Rails for years. It processes and serves static assets efficiently by:
- Preprocessing Assets: Sprockets compiles assets written in preprocessors like Sass, CoffeeScript, and ERB before serving them.
- Concatenation and Minification: It merges multiple CSS and JavaScript files into a single file, reducing HTTP requests and optimizing load times.
- Dependency Management: Provides a directive-based system for including and managing asset dependencies (
//= requirefor JavaScript and@importfor CSS)
What is Propshaft?
Propshaft is a lightweight alternative to Sprockets that streamlines asset management by focusing on serving assets efficiently with minimal configuration and dependencies.
Key Features of Propshaft
- Static Asset Fingerprinting: Propshaft automatically appends a unique fingerprint to assets, ensuring efficient caching and cache invalidation.
- Static Asset Serving: Propshaft treats assets as static files, serving them directly without additional processing.
Differences between Propshaft and Sprocket
Caching
- Sprockets: Uses fingerprinting but requires digest management.
- Propshaft: Automatic fingerprinting for efficient caching.
Performance:
- Sprockets: Can slow down builds due to asset processing.
- Propshaft: Faster as it directly serves static assets.
Flexibility
- Sprockets: Supports older Rails asset conventions.
- Propshaft: Aligns better with modern JavaScript bundlers.
Should you upgrade from Sprocket to Propshaft?
If you are working on a new Rails app, then using Propshaft will probably be a good choice; however, if your app heavily depends on Sprockets-specific features like Sass compilation or ERB asset processing, sticking with Sprockets (or using an alternative like Import Maps with CSS/JS bundling) might be a better option.
If Phosphat fits your use case, I strongly recommend checking out the Propshaft upgrade guide for detailed migration guidelines.