Seeding Workflow

Step-by-step process for setting up seed data.

New Development Environment

Step 1: Migrate Database

rails db:create db:migrate

Step 2: Run Seeds

rails db:seed

Step 3: Verify in Console

rails console

User.count    # Expect > 0
Post.count    # Expect > 0

Step 4: Handle Failures

If seeds fail:

1. Check logs: tail -f log/development.log
2. Fix validation errors
3. Re-run: rails db:seed (idempotent - safe to repeat)
4. For stuck state: rails db:reset

Adding New Seed Data

1. Add to db/seeds.rb using find_or_create_by!
2. Test locally: rails db:seed
3. For large datasets, use db/seeds/development.rb
4. Document in README if non-standard

Production Seeds

⚠️ Never run development seeds in production

# Only run base seeds in production
RAILS_ENV=production rails db:seed

Production seeds should only contain:

• Essential reference data
• First admin user (if needed)
• System configurations