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The reliable production path is straightforward: install and secure MySQL on the VPS (or use a managed MySQL service), create a database and least-privilege application user, add the mysql2 adapter, provide Rails with a protected production connection URL, run the schema tasks against the intended database, and verify the app from the same host where it runs.
The details that usually cause outages are not the Rails model layer. They are mismatched MySQL grants, credentials committed to source control, a connection pool that does not fit the application server, remote-firewall or TLS settings, and migrations run against the wrong environment. The procedure below addresses each of those points.
Choose where MySQL will run
You can install MySQL on the same VPS as Rails or connect Rails to a managed MySQL service. Both work with Rails through the mysql2 adapter; the operational trade-off is different.
| Decision | MySQL on the VPS | Managed MySQL |
|---|---|---|
| Administration | You install, secure, upgrade, monitor, and recover the database service. | The provider handles much of the database service administration; you still manage users, schema, application settings, and access policy. |
| Network path | Rails can use a local Unix socket or loopback TCP, avoiding an external network hop. | Rails connects over a network, so private routing, firewall rules, DNS, and usually TLS must be correct. |
| Backups and recovery | You must configure, test, and retain backups yourself. | Backup features depend on the service and plan; verify retention and restoration procedures rather than assuming they exist. |
| Patching | You schedule MySQL and operating-system updates and restart services when required. | The provider supplies the maintenance process, but you must account for maintenance windows and compatibility. |
| Cost and capacity | Database CPU, memory, disk, and I/O compete with Rails on the VPS. | Database resources are billed separately, but capacity can be isolated from the application host. |
For a small single-server deployment, local MySQL is often the simplest topology. A managed service is attractive when you do not want database patching and backup administration, or when the database must survive replacement of the application VPS. In either design, keep the connection details in deployment secrets and make the network boundary explicit.
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Prepare the VPS
Use a supported server image
Start with an Ubuntu LTS image or another Linux distribution supported by your deployment process. The host needs Ruby, Bundler, the Rails application’s native dependencies, and either a local MySQL server or network access to the managed instance. Install and test the Ruby version and Bundler version required by the application’s lockfile before attempting a production migration.
Install the MySQL server package
On Ubuntu, install the distribution’s MySQL server package, then apply the vendor’s security setup. A typical sequence is:
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sudo mysql_secure_installationThe security script’s questions vary with the distribution and MySQL packaging. Review each change, remove anonymous accounts and test databases when offered, and choose an administrative authentication method that fits your operational access plan. Do not use the MySQL root account from Rails.
Check the service before configuring Rails
Ubuntu manages MySQL with systemd. Confirm that the service is running and enabled at boot:
sudo systemctl status mysql
sudo systemctl is-enabled mysql
sudo systemctl is-active mysqlThe Ubuntu service unit is commonly exposed as /lib/systemd/system/mysql.service. Treat that unit as package-owned; put local changes in a systemd drop-in rather than editing the vendor file. When a systemd override changes, reload systemd and restart MySQL:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart mysql
sudo systemctl status mysqlIf you are using a managed service instead, skip local installation and record the provider’s hostname, port, database name, TLS requirements, and allowed source addresses. Test reachability from the VPS before changing Rails.
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Create a production database and application user
Log in with an administrative MySQL account on the database host. The following example uses a database named myapp_production and an application account named myapp; choose names that match your deployment.
sudo mysqlCreate the database with Unicode support, create a dedicated account, and grant only the privileges your Rails application needs:
CREATE DATABASE myapp_production
CHARACTER SET utf8mb4
COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'myapp'@'localhost'
IDENTIFIED BY 'change-this-to-a-long-random-secret';
GRANT SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, ALTER, INDEX, REFERENCES,
CREATE TEMPORARY TABLES, LOCK TABLES
ON myapp_production.* TO 'myapp'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;The password in the example is illustrative; replace it with a generated secret before use and store it in your secret manager. Migration workflows may require schema-changing privileges such as CREATE, ALTER, and INDEX. If you separate migration credentials from runtime credentials, the runtime account can receive a narrower set of privileges after deployment. Never grant global privileges merely to make an error disappear.
Match the MySQL account host to the connection path
MySQL accounts include both a username and a host pattern. An account created as 'myapp'@'localhost' is intended for a local connection. A remote managed database normally requires an account whose host pattern and network policy match the application source address. Avoid an unrestricted host pattern when a private address range or a specific application host can be used. If you change from a Unix socket to TCP, verify that the account definition and server grants still match the path you selected.
Add the Rails MySQL adapter
Rails supports MySQL and MariaDB through the mysql2 adapter. Add the gem to the application’s Gemfile if it is not already present:
gem 'mysql2'Run Bundler in the same Ruby environment used by production and commit the resulting lockfile:
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bundle install
bundle checkOn the VPS, deploy the locked bundle and ensure the native build prerequisites required by the gem are installed by your distribution. A successful local bundle does not prove that the production host has the compiler, MySQL client headers, or compatible libraries needed to build mysql2.
Configure the production connection
Use a protected DATABASE_URL
Rails reads connection information from config/database.yml or from ENV['DATABASE_URL']. Keeping the production password outside source control is usually the cleanest deployment workflow. A minimal production section is:
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production:
url: <%= ENV['DATABASE_URL'] %>Set the variable in the process environment or your deployment secret store. A MySQL URL identifies the adapter, credentials, host, optional nonstandard port, and database:
mysql2://myapp:encoded-password@127.0.0.1:3306/myapp_productionFor a local Unix-socket connection, configure the socket explicitly when needed instead of relying on an implicit host interpretation. For a remote service, use its private hostname or address, the provider’s port, and the TLS options it requires. Do not expose the URL in shell history, logs, issue trackers, or a rendered error page.
Escape credentials correctly
Passwords and usernames are URL components. Characters such as @, :, /, #, and spaces must be percent-encoded before they are placed in DATABASE_URL. An unescaped @, for example, can be interpreted as the boundary between credentials and hostname. Generate the URL in your secret-management workflow, then validate it with a non-destructive connection check rather than printing the secret.
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production:
adapter: mysql2
encoding: utf8mb4
database: myapp_production
username: myapp
password: <%= ENV.fetch('MYSQL_PASSWORD') %>
host: <%= ENV.fetch('MYSQL_HOST', '127.0.0.1') %>
port: <%= ENV.fetch('MYSQL_PORT', '3306') %>
pool: <%= ENV.fetch('RAILS_MAX_THREADS', 5) %>Do not commit a real password in this file. The utf8mb4 encoding in Rails’ MySQL example is the appropriate starting point for modern Unicode data. If your server uses a non-default collation or SQL mode, document and test that choice before production traffic reaches it.
Account for advisory locks
Rails enables MySQL advisory locks by default for concurrent-safe migrations. Leave that behavior enabled unless your deployment design requires otherwise and you have verified the consequences. If you must disable it, set the Rails database configuration explicitly and ensure your migration process cannot run conflicting jobs concurrently.
Size the connection pool for the application server
The pool is the number of database connections Rails can check out for a process. Rails’ MySQL example includes pool: 5, but that number is not a universal production setting. Set the pool with the number of Puma (or other application-server) threads, the number of web processes, background-job processes, and the MySQL server’s connection limit in mind.
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- A pool larger than the actual workload wastes database connections.
- Multiplying the pool by every web and worker process can exhaust MySQL even when each process appears reasonable in isolation.
- Change one dimension at a time and observe checkout waits, request latency, and MySQL connection usage.
Choose the value from your application’s concurrency and the database capacity you have provisioned; there is no single Rails default that fits every VPS.
Run the production schema tasks safely
Load the same secret environment that the Rails process will use, set RAILS_ENV=production, and verify the target before making changes. On a new database, the deployment task commonly follows this pattern:
RAILS_ENV=production bin/rails db:preparedb:prepare creates the database when appropriate and runs migrations or loads the schema according to the Rails version. Some deployment processes call the operations separately:
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RAILS_ENV=production bin/rails db:create
RAILS_ENV=production bin/rails db:migrateFor a deliberately fresh environment, a schema load may be faster than replaying every historical migration:
RAILS_ENV=production bin/rails db:schema:loadUse the task supported by your Rails version and release process. Before any destructive task, inspect the resolved host and database name through a safe administrative check. Never run a production command with an omitted environment variable that silently falls back to development or a local database.
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Run the application under supervision
Start Puma or your selected Rails application server through the same supervisor used for the rest of the deployment. Keep the Rails process and MySQL under service supervision so they restart predictably and their logs have a known location. Rails’ current deployment guidance includes Kamal and an Ubuntu LTS server path; a traditional systemd setup is also valid when it matches your team’s operational skills.
Exercise a database-backed path
After the process starts, test a health endpoint that performs a real database query, not only a static response. Run the check from the VPS or an equivalent application host so DNS, routing, firewall, socket, and credentials are tested along the same path as production traffic. Confirm that a normal request can read and write the records expected by the application, then inspect the Rails and MySQL logs for warnings.
Choose Unix socket or TCP deliberately
| Connection type | Best fit | Advantages | Things to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unix socket | Rails and MySQL on the same VPS. | No network firewall exposure and no TCP hop; access is local to the host. | Socket path, filesystem permissions, and the MySQL account host matching the local connection. |
| Loopback TCP | Local services that need a TCP endpoint or a consistent URL format. | Explicit host and port; easier to compare with a remote configuration. | MySQL listening address, local firewall rules, and grants for the connection host. |
| Private remote TCP | Managed MySQL or a database on another private host. | Separates database resources from the application VPS. | Private routing, security-group or firewall rules, DNS, TLS, certificate validation, and provider maintenance windows. |
Do not switch paths while troubleshooting several variables at once. First prove a connection with the chosen host, port or socket, account, and database; then change one setting and retest.
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Troubleshoot the common failure modes
| Symptom | Likely cause | Checks and fix |
|---|---|---|
Can't connect to MySQL server |
MySQL is stopped, listening on another address, blocked by a firewall, or the hostname resolves incorrectly. | Check systemctl status mysql, confirm the configured host and port, test DNS and reachability from the VPS, and inspect firewall rules. Restart MySQL after a validated configuration change. |
Access denied for user |
The password is wrong, the account host does not match, or the URL was parsed incorrectly. | Inspect the account definition as an administrator, compare the exact username and host, percent-encode special password characters, and rotate the secret if it may have leaked. |
| Rails connects locally but not on the VPS | Development uses a different database, socket, environment variable, or MySQL account. | Print non-secret configuration facts in a controlled shell, confirm RAILS_ENV=production, and test the same URL from the VPS with a MySQL client. |
| Migration hangs waiting for a connection | The pool is too small for concurrent work, or another process is holding connections. | Inspect application-server process and thread counts, MySQL connection usage, and pool checkout waits. Reduce unnecessary concurrency or raise the pool only within the database’s capacity. |
| Unknown database | The database was not created on the host named by the production URL. | Connect administratively to that exact host and list databases; create the production database there or correct the secret. |
| Character or collation errors | The server, database, and Rails connection use incompatible character settings. | Confirm the database was created with utf8mb4, review the connection encoding, and test the affected migration or data with representative Unicode text. |
| TLS or certificate errors on a managed service | The provider requires encrypted transport or the client does not trust the certificate. | Follow the provider’s required SSL mode and certificate settings, use the private endpoint when available, and verify the certificate hostname. |
| Service changes disappear after an update | A package-owned systemd unit was edited directly. | Move local settings into a systemd drop-in, run systemctl daemon-reload, restart MySQL, and keep the drop-in in your deployment documentation. |
Production security and operations checklist
- Use a dedicated MySQL account for Rails; never place MySQL
rootcredentials in the application environment. - Keep
DATABASE_URLor individual database variables in a protected secret store with restricted process and operator access. - Grant the application only the database-level privileges required by runtime and migration workflows.
- Restrict remote MySQL access to private networks or known application sources; do not open the database port to the entire internet.
- Require TLS for remote connections when the managed service or network design calls for it, and validate certificates.
- Back up the database and perform a restoration test on a schedule appropriate to the data’s importance.
- Apply operating-system and MySQL security updates during a planned maintenance process, then verify the service state.
- Monitor failed connections, connection saturation, disk space, replication or provider health indicators when applicable, and migration failures.
- Keep migration execution serialized so two deploys cannot change the schema concurrently.
- Document the database host, socket or port, secret source, backup location, and rollback procedure for the on-call operator.
A repeatable deployment sequence
- Provision an Ubuntu LTS VPS or select a managed MySQL endpoint, then install Ruby, Bundler, Rails dependencies, and the locked application bundle.
- Install and secure MySQL when it is local, or record the managed service’s private endpoint and TLS requirements.
- Confirm that MySQL is enabled and active, and place any local systemd customization in a drop-in.
- Create the
utf8mb4production database and a dedicated application user with least-privilege grants. - Generate and store the production connection secret; verify URL escaping and do not commit it.
- Deploy
mysql2and the lockfile, then configureconfig/database.ymlto readDATABASE_URLor protected individual variables. - Set a connection pool that reflects Puma or worker concurrency and the MySQL connection capacity.
- Run the appropriate production database task and verify that it reaches the intended host and database.
- Start Rails under your supervisor, exercise a database-backed health check, and inspect logs.
- Record the backup, patching, monitoring, and recovery procedures before accepting production traffic.
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