Mata

Installation

bundle add mata --group=development

Usage

Rails

# config/environments/development.rb
config.middleware.insert_before(
  ActionDispatch::Static,
  Mata,
  watch: %w[app/views app/assets],
  skip: %w[app/assets/build]
)

Other rack-based apps

# config.ru
require "mata"

use Mata, watch: %w[views assets], skip: %w[views/tmp]

run YourApp

Do share your snippets on how to add Mata into your specific Rack-based apps 💙

Used in

This gem powers live reloading in Perron, a Rails-based static site generator. It can be enabled with config.live_reload = true in your Perron initializer.

Why this gem?

I needed a way to reload pages for Perron-powered Rails applications. These are minimal Rails apps typically without Hotwire or ActionCable dependencies. Existing solutions either required ActionCable or provided only basic full-page reloads without state preservation. So I built a light-weight gem that uses SSE and idiomorph for a smooth developer experience. Not just specific for Perron but for any Rack-based Ruby app. ❤️

Who is Mata?

In the smoky cabarets of Belle Époque Paris, a dancer captivated audiences with her exotic performances and mysterious allure. Born Margaretha Geertruida Zelle in the Netherlands, she had reinvented herself as an Indonesian princess, weaving tales of sacred temple dances and Eastern mystique.

She moved through the salons of Europe’s elite with remarkable ease, speaking multiple languages and charming diplomats, military officers and aristocrats alike. Her lovers included high-ranking officials from opposing sides of the Great War, giving her access to secrets that others could only dream of obtaining.

Whether she was truly the master spy of legend or simply a woman caught in the wrong place at the wrong time remains a mystery. What’s certain is her ability to observe, adapt and operate seamlessly across boundaries that others found impermeable.

History remembers Mata Hari as the ultimate double agent. She was someone who could watch, listen and report back with precision, all while maintaining perfect cover.