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sti_abstract_base

🏗️ Secure STI with an Abstract Base Class​

When using Single Table Inheritance (STI), declare your parent class as abstract to prevent instantiation and migrations confusion. It also allows you to share methods without polluting the child models unnecessarily.

class Vehicle < ApplicationRecord
  self.abstract_class = true
  # shared logic
  def start_engine
    # implementation
  end
end

class Car < Vehicle; end
class Truck < Vehicle; end

Migrations apply only once on vehicles table, and you avoid accidental Vehicle.create calls that can’t be loaded into a concrete subclass.