# Need Rails advice **URL:** \ **Category:** ruby-talk\ **Created:** [23 March 2005 22:01 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/need-rails-advice/17137 "2005-03-23T22:01:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chris\_Newman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4da419/32.png) [@Chris\_Newman](https://rubytalk.org/u/Chris_Newman)\ **Post date:** [23 March 2005 22:01 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/need-rails-advice/17137/1 "2005-03-23T22:01:22Z")
I have inherited an existing intranet web server that runs Apache 1.3 on Solaris 8. It is a bit limited so I am putting together a development web server to test various Apache modules, Content Management Systems, etc. The new server will run Apache 2.0 on Solaris 8. I was interested in trying Ruby and perhaps even Ruby on Rails and I have a couple of questions... Should I use mod\_ruby or fastcgi? Will there be a significant performance difference depending on which I choose? Will Rails work with both? Thanks in advance for any advice, Chris ---
**Author:** ![Shalev\_NessAiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Shalev\_NessAiver](https://rubytalk.org/u/Shalev_NessAiver)\ **Post date:** [23 March 2005 22:07 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/need-rails-advice/17137/2 "2005-03-23T22:07:21Z")
While I'm still pretty new to the whole deal, here's what I have: Rails will run with mod\_ruby or fastcgi. The best performance seems to be with Apache lighthttpd and FastCGI. That setup also seems to be the one most preferred (for good reason). -Shalev > **···** > > On Mar 23, 2005, at 5:01 PM, Chris Newman wrote: > > > I have inherited an existing intranet web server that runs Apache 1.3 on > > Solaris 8. It is a bit limited so I am putting together a development web > > server to test various Apache modules, Content Management Systems, etc. The > > new server will run Apache 2.0 on Solaris 8. I was interested in trying Ruby > > and perhaps even Ruby on Rails and I have a couple of questions... > > > > Should I use mod\_ruby or fastcgi? > > Will there be a significant performance difference depending on which I > > choose? > > Will Rails work with both? > > > > Thanks in advance for any advice, > > > > Chris ---
**Author:** ![Guest15](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6de8d8/32.png) [@Guest15](https://rubytalk.org/u/Guest15)\ **Post date:** [23 March 2005 22:07 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/need-rails-advice/17137/3 "2005-03-23T22:07:28Z")
This is probably better asked over on the Rails mailing list, but here goes: > I have inherited an existing intranet web server that runs Apache 1.3 on > Solaris 8. It is a bit limited so I am putting together a development web > server to test various Apache modules, Content Management Systems, etc. The > new server will run Apache 2.0 on Solaris 8. I was interested in trying Ruby > and perhaps even Ruby on Rails and I have a couple of questions... > > Should I use mod\_ruby or fastcgi? fastcgi > Will there be a significant performance difference depending on which I > choose? > Will Rails work with both? Rails runs with both, but there are problems with mod\_ruby that have caused the apache using segments of the Rails community to settle on fastcgi > **···** > > On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 07:01:22 +0900, Chris Newman \ wrote: > > > Thanks in advance for any advice, > > > > Chris > > -- > thanks, > -pate > ------------------------- > ParseTree is a little brown stinky ferret that digs down a hole and > violently rips the AST away from the warm bosom of ruby. In other > words, we cheat, they don't. ---
**Author:** ![Dick\_Davies1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dick\_Davies1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Dick_Davies1)\ **Post date:** [23 March 2005 22:09 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/need-rails-advice/17137/4 "2005-03-23T22:09:20Z")
\* Chris Newman \ [0301 22:01]: > I have inherited an existing intranet web server that runs Apache 1.3 on > Solaris 8. It is a bit limited so I am putting together a development web > server to test various Apache modules, Content Management Systems, etc. The > new server will run Apache 2.0 on Solaris 8. I was interested in trying Ruby > and perhaps even Ruby on Rails and I have a couple of questions... > > Should I use mod\_ruby or fastcgi? fastcgi. can't think of any compelling reason to use mod\_ruby for rails (it has some nice features by virtue of being in-process, but nothing that rails uses). > Will there be a significant performance difference depending on which I > choose? yes, fastcgi is fast. See, it's right there in the name 🙂 > Will Rails work with both? Yes. and webrick too, if you want to avoid tweaking anything else. > Thanks in advance for any advice, Have a look at the rails list when you get a minute, especially if you need more detail. > **···** > > -- > 'I should have been a plumber.' >     -- Albert Einstein > Rasputin :: Jack of All Trades - Master of Nuns ---
**Author:** ![Tobias\_Luetke1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@Tobias\_Luetke1](https://rubytalk.org/u/Tobias_Luetke1)\ **Post date:** [23 March 2005 22:30 UTC](https://rubytalk.org/t/need-rails-advice/17137/5 "2005-03-23T22:30:01Z")
Mod\_ruby, while supported, is not much of an option. There are the fundamental problems with its architecture like in-process ruby interpreter which for a rails application means you will run around with 20mb baggage per apache worker process. Apache loves to start a lot of worker processes so you have to take this into account when buying ram. However thats only the small reason against it, the big is that you can only run one rails application on your apache installation since the ruby processes are shared. Fastcgi solves all this, it creates a pool of rails applications which handle the requests coming to it and you can dictate the maximum size. Fastcgi is also a whole lot faster. I recommend lighttpd as web server. > **···** > > On Thu, 24 Mar 2005 07:01:22 +0900, Chris Newman \ wrote: > > > I have inherited an existing intranet web server that runs Apache 1.3 on > > Solaris 8. It is a bit limited so I am putting together a development web > > server to test various Apache modules, Content Management Systems, etc. The > > new server will run Apache 2.0 on Solaris 8. I was interested in trying Ruby > > and perhaps even Ruby on Rails and I have a couple of questions... > > > > Should I use mod\_ruby or fastcgi? > > Will there be a significant performance difference depending on which I > > choose? > > Will Rails work with both? > > > > Thanks in advance for any advice, > > > > Chris > > -- > Tobi > [http://www.snowdevil.ca](http://www.snowdevil.ca) - Snowboards that don't suck > [http://www.hieraki.org](http://www.hieraki.org) - Open source book authoring > [http://blog.leetsoft.com](http://blog.leetsoft.com) - Technical weblog