Features

Cross-cutting features that span more than one component. Each page traces a single capability through the relevant code.

These pages complement packages, which document one component at a time. When a topic touches three or more components or when understanding it requires walking through multiple gems (e.g., the request lifecycle, the boot process, autoloading), it lives here instead.

Pages

• Request lifecycle — how an HTTP request becomes a response, from Rack through middleware, routing, controller, view, and back.
• Initialization and railties — the boot sequence; how Railtie/Engine/Application fit together.
• Autoloading — how Zeitwerk integrates with Rails autoload paths and code reloading.
• Generators and the CLI — rails new, rails generate, the Thor-based command system.

Where to look first

• For a system-level diagram of the components, see overview/architecture.
• For a single component, see packages.