Seeding a database is an essential step in Rails development, whether you’re setting up a new project, testing features, or ensuring a smooth onboarding experience for new developers.
The standard way to seed data in Rails is by using the db/seeds.rb file and running 'rails db:seed'. This executes the Ruby code inside seeds.rb, inserting records into the database.
Some best practices for seeding in Rails include keeping seeds idempotent, using Faker for realistic data generation, using ActiveRecord-Import for bulk inserts, organizing seeds into multiple files, and seeding data based on environment.
Seeding your database properly can make development and testing much smoother, and following best practices ensures efficiency and maintainability.