Rails 8’s JavaScript: Goodbye Node, Hello Ruby?

"We deleted our node_modules folder—and nothing broke."

For over a decade, Rails developers begrudgingly accepted Node.js as a necessary evil. But with Rails 8’s upcoming changes, the JavaScript landscape is shifting dramatically—back toward Ruby.

After testing the latest alpha, we discovered a surprising truth: You can now build modern frontends in Rails without touching npm, yarn, or even a bundler. Here’s what’s changing, why it matters, and when you should (and shouldn’t) jump in.

1. The Rails 8 JavaScript Revolution

What’s New?

✅ Import Maps by default – No more Webpacker
✅ Bun support out of the box – For when you do need a build step
✅ Stimulus 3.0+ Hotwire Turbo 8 – Morphing DOM updates
✅ Ruby-driven JS utilities – rails-ujs reborn

# Gemfile
gem "importmap-rails" # No Node required
gem "turbo-rails"     # Ships with Rails 8

2. Bye-Bye Node, Hello Ruby

The Death of package.json

Before (Rails 7):

node -v # 18.16.0
yarn install # 142 packages
webpack-dev-server # 4.2s startup

After (Rails 8):

bin/importmap pin react
# That’s it. No Node.

How?

• CDN-based dependencies via esm.sh/skypack
• Zero local JavaScript toolchain

3. Real-World Impact

Case 1: Faster CI Pipelines

Case 2: No More Node Conflicts

# No more:
ERROR: Node.js 18.17.1 is required (you’re using 16.20.2)

4. When You Still Need Node

❌ React/Vue SPAs (Use Bun instead)
❌ Legacy Webpacker apps (Migration required)
❌ npm-only packages (e.g., specialized charting libs)

Hybrid Approach:

# Gemfile
gem "bun-rails" # Opt-in Bun bundling for specific packs

5. The New Rails Frontend Stack

1. HTML-first – Turbo Frames/Streams
2. Progressively enhanced – Stimulus 3.0
3. Ruby-managed JS – Import Maps + esm.sh
4. Opt-in bundling – Bun for heavy components

graph TD
  A[Turbo] --> B[Zero-Build HTML]
  C[Stimulus] --> D[Lightweight JS]
  E[Bun] -->|Only when needed| F[Optimized Bundles]

6. Migration Tips

1. Start fresh: rails new my-app --skip-javascript
2. Pin dependencies:

   bin/importmap pin react-dom @hotwired/turbo-rails

1. Audit app/javascript: Move to app/assets/javascript

“But Our Team Loves React!”
Try this:

1. Keep React for one route (via Bun)
2. Use Turbo for the rest
3. Compare dev experience

Tried Rails 8’s new JS setup? Share your wins/fails below!