Add E-Signatures to Ruby on Rails

Quick start

1. Get an API key from signb.ee (free, no credit card)
2. Set SIGNBEE_API_KEY in your environment
3. Add the code below to your app

Ruby on Rails example

# app/controllers/contracts_controller.rb
class ContractsController < ApplicationController
  def send_contract
    response = Net::HTTP.post(
      URI("https://signb.ee/api/send"),
      {
        content: params[:content],
        senderName: params[:sender_name],
        senderEmail: params[:sender_email],
        recipientName: params[:recipient_name],
        recipientEmail: params[:recipient_email]
      }.to_json,
      "Authorization" => "Bearer #{ENV['SIGNBEE_API_KEY']}",
      "Content-Type" => "application/json"
    )
    render json: JSON.parse(response.body)
  end
end

What happens

1. Your app sends markdown or a PDF URL to Signbee
2. Signbee generates a PDF (if markdown) and emails the recipient a signing link
3. Recipient signs — both parties receive the signed PDF with SHA-256 certificate

Also works with AI agents

Install the MCP server to let Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf send documents directly:

npx -y signbee-mcp

Integration details

Ruby on Rails is the framework that popularised convention over configuration. Adding e-signatures to Rails follows the same philosophy — a single controller action, standard Net::HTTP, and Rails conventions for environment variables.

Credentials management: Rails 5.2+ introduced encrypted credentials. Store your SIGNBEE_API_KEY in Rails credentials (rails credentials:edit) rather than environment variables for better security. Access it via Rails.application.credentials.signbee_api_key.

Active Job integration: For background contract sending, create a SendContractJob that wraps the API call. This integrates with any Active Job backend (Sidekiq, Resque, Delayed Job) and provides automatic retries, error handling, and job monitoring.

HTTP client choice: The example uses Net::HTTP (Ruby standard library). For cleaner syntax and better error handling, consider the Faraday gem (standard in many Rails projects) or HTTParty for a simpler API.

Service objects: In a well-structured Rails application, extract the Signbee API call into a service object (app/services/signbee_service.rb). This keeps controllers thin, makes the logic testable in isolation, and allows reuse across multiple controllers.

Webhook handling: Set up a webhook endpoint in your Rails app to receive signing notifications. Use Rails' ActionController to parse the incoming webhook payload and update your models (e.g., marking a contract as signed).

FAQs