# Easy REST server w/o views or controllers?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/easy-rest-server-w-o-views-or-controllers/111009>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [August 1, 2007, 10:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/easy-rest-server-w-o-views-or-controllers/111009 "2007-08-01T22:07:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lynxinator)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 10:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/easy-rest-server-w-o-views-or-controllers/111009/1 "2007-08-01T22:07:22Z")

</div>

Hi all,

I’m in the processing of refactoring Puppet[1]'s networking, which  
currently uses xmlrpc over https but I’m moving to REST, and I’m  
hoping to be able to rely largely on existing code for the new work.

The weird situation with Puppet is that I’m only interested in  
computer-computer communication and in most cases have no interest in  
multiple forms of a given object, so I don’t think I need views, and  
I’m not using a db backend, which means I don’t need an ORM like  
ActiveRecord. Basically, I just need the controllers and routing, I  
think.

I’ve looked around at most of the frameworks I can find, including  
Nitro, Merb, Camping, and Rails, and all of them seem to assume that  
I care deeply about databases and HTML, while really all I want to do  
is make it easy to provide a REST-like interface for my software to  
use to talk to itself.

I plan on using ActiveResource[2] for the clients, and I’d love  
something that was just as easy but handled the server side for me.  
I’ve got 9 different namespaces in xmlrpc right now, but I want it to  
be easy to add new controller types, of course.

One of my biggest concerns with whatever I use is that it be easy to  
distribute, since Puppet runs on all popular platforms (e.g., os x,  
debian, ubuntu, rhel, fedora, solaris, freebsd) and is available as a  
native package in most cases. I don’t want people packaging puppet  
to also have to package 10 other prerequisites, so I don’t want to  
rely on something that brings in 50 libraries to handle views or  
models that I won’t use.

Anyone have any experience writing something like this? Can anyone  
point me to an easy server-side REST api creator, something with few  
dependencies and that focuses on the routing? There are some things  
I’ve been told are in Rails that I’d also like, like content-type  
negotiation and automatic serialization and deserialization, since  
I’m sometimes passing YAML around (although often just plain text).

Thanks,  
Luke

1 - [http://reductivelabs.com/trac/puppet](http://reductivelabs.com/trac/puppet)  
2 - [http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/ActiveResource](http://wiki.rubyonrails.org/rails/pages/ActiveResource)

## – Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect. – Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Luke K. | [http://reductivelabs.com](http://reductivelabs.com) | [http://madstop.com](http://madstop.com)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lynxinator)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/easy-rest-server-w-o-views-or-controllers/111009/2 "2007-08-01T23:29:30Z")

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Luke K. wrote:

> ActiveRecord. Basically, I just need the controllers and routing, I think.
> 
> I’ve looked around at most of the frameworks I can find, including  
> Nitro, Merb, Camping, and Rails, and all of them seem to assume that I  
> care deeply about databases and HTML, while really all I want to do is  
> make it easy to provide a REST-like interface for my software to use to  
> talk to itself.

Interesting. One thing I like about Nitro is that it doesn’t presume  
the use of a database. Model objects can be “enchanted” to magic  
persistence if needed, but otherwise they’re just PORC. Og is not a  
requirement for a Nitro app.

Same for Ramaze (which is similar to Nitro, but more modular).

> also have to package 10 other prerequisites, so I don’t want to rely on  
> something that brings in 50 libraries to handle views or models that I  
> won’t use.

Look at Ramaze.

–  
James B.

“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the  
intelligent are full of doubt.”

- Bertrand Russell

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lynxinator)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 1:29am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/easy-rest-server-w-o-views-or-controllers/111009/3 "2007-08-02T01:29:38Z")

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On Thu, 2 Aug 2007, Luke K. wrote:

> The weird situation with Puppet is that I’m only interested in  
> computer-computer communication and in most cases have no interest in  
> multiple forms of a given object, so I don’t think I need views, and I’m not  
> using a db backend, which means I don’t need an ORM like ActiveRecord.  
> Basically, I just need the controllers and routing, I think.
> 
> I’ve looked around at most of the frameworks I can find, including Nitro,  
> Merb, Camping, and Rails, and all of them seem to assume that I care deeply  
> about databases and HTML, while really all I want to do is make it easy to  
> provide a REST-like interface for my software to use to talk to itself.

You could use IOWA. It’s pretty well self contained, doesn’t really  
care  
what kind of content you are rendering, doesn’t care what ORM you use,  
or  
if you use one, has REST support built into the standard dispatcher, and  
has a pluggable dispatching mechanism so that you can actually do  
whatever  
the heck you want with dispatching. And I’ve been using it on  
production  
code for quite a few years – five and a half, now.

If you use IRC, stop in at #iowa on freenode. The most current released  
snapshot is at [withruby.com/iowa](http://withruby.com/iowa), but I have another that I’ve promised  
people will get pushed to Rubyforge soon.

Kirk H.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lynxinator)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 5:16am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/easy-rest-server-w-o-views-or-controllers/111009/4 "2007-08-02T05:16:57Z")

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Trans wrote:

> Might try:
> 
> [http://seattlerb.rubyforge.org/rc-rest](http://seattlerb.rubyforge.org/rc-rest)

These guys never sleep.

I say we change the name of the language from “Ruby” to “Seattle” and be  
done with it.

–  
James B.

“I often work by avoidance.”

- Brian Eno

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lynxinator)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 5:05am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/easy-rest-server-w-o-views-or-controllers/111009/5 "2007-08-02T05:05:56Z")

</div>

On Aug 1, 1:06 pm, Luke K. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Anyone have any experience writing something like this? Can anyone  
> point me to an easy server-side REST api creator, something with few  
> dependencies and that focuses on the routing? There are some things  
> I’ve been told are in Rails that I’d also like, like content-type  
> negotiation and automatic serialization and deserialization, since  
> I’m sometimes passing YAML around (although often just plain text).

Might try:

[http://seattlerb.rubyforge.org/rc-rest](http://seattlerb.rubyforge.org/rc-rest)

T.

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**Author:** ![lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lynxinator)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/easy-rest-server-w-o-views-or-controllers/111009/6 "2007-08-03T02:21:37Z")

</div>

> > [http://seattlerb.rubyforge.org/rc-rest](http://seattlerb.rubyforge.org/rc-rest)
> 
> These guys never sleep.
> 
> I say we change the name of the language from “Ruby” to “Seattle” and be  
> done with it.

Seriously, they’re putting something in the water up there or something.

–  
Giles B.

Blog: [http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com](http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com)  
Portfolio: [http://www.gilesgoatboy.org](http://www.gilesgoatboy.org)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lynxinator)\
**Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 1:17pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/easy-rest-server-w-o-views-or-controllers/111009/7 "2007-08-02T13:17:45Z")

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On Aug 1, 8:15 pm, James B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Trans wrote:
> 
> > Might try:
> 
> > [http://seattlerb.rubyforge.org/rc-rest](http://seattlerb.rubyforge.org/rc-rest)
> 
> These guys never sleep.
> 
> I say we change the name of the language from “Ruby” to “Seattle” and be  
> done with it.

He he. Yea, but do they draw us pretty pictures?

T.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lynxinator)\
**Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 5:07am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/easy-rest-server-w-o-views-or-controllers/111009/8 "2007-08-03T05:07:53Z")

</div>

On Aug 1, 2007, at 2:06 PM, Luke K. wrote:

> like ActiveRecord. Basically, I just need the controllers and  
> me. I’ve got 9 different namespaces in xmlrpc right now, but I  
> Anyone have any experience writing something like this? Can anyone  
> point me to an easy server-side REST api creator, something with  
> few dependencies and that focuses on the routing? There are some  
> things I’ve been told are in Rails that I’d also like, like content-  
> type negotiation and automatic serialization and deserialization,  
> since I’m sometimes passing YAML around (although often just plain  
> text).
> 
> Thanks,  
> Luke

hey luke - how goes?

we are just starting a project that’s going to use extjs for the  
entire front-end

[http://extjs.com/](http://extjs.com/)

and my plan is to do only controllers for the backend : basically  
‘json\_output remote\_method(json\_input)’ rpc style interaction. all  
business logic will be exposed as ajax methods taking json in and  
rendering json. not quite up your alley, but maybe we can compare  
notes…

also, at some point in the past, i made a small plugin that allowed  
any rails model to be fully rest-able via xml or yaml… i’ll try to  
dig it up…

a @ [http://drawohara.com/](http://drawohara.com/)

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**Author:** ![lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@lynxinator](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/lynxinator)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/easy-rest-server-w-o-views-or-controllers/111009/9 "2007-09-25T23:04:58Z")

</div>

> I’ve looked around at most of the frameworks I can find, including  
> Nitro, Merb, Camping, and Rails, and all of them seem to assume that I  
> care deeply about databases and HTML, while really all I want to do is  
> make it easy to provide a REST-like interface for my software to use to  
> talk to itself.

I use camping all the time for little projects where I just want a  
view of something. Never used a database with it at all. With  
the views I guess you can render any kind of response you like.  
I’ve done simple kinds of content type negotiation for  
the same URL by just changing the suffix of the URL

Camping.goes :app

class Foo \< R ‘/foo.(\w+)’  
def get( ctype )

```
% Do stuff

case ctype
when 'html'
  render :foo_html
when 'txt'
  render :foo_txt
when 'xml'
  render :foo_xml
when 'yaml'
  render :foo_yaml
default
  render :fourohfour
end

```

end  
end

then

[http://xtargets.com/app/foo.txt](http://xtargets.com/app/foo.txt)  
[http://xtargets.com/app/foo.xml](http://xtargets.com/app/foo.xml)  
[http://xtargets.com/app/foo.yaml](http://xtargets.com/app/foo.yaml)  
[http://xtargets.com/app/foo.html](http://xtargets.com/app/foo.html)

all get me the same data in with a different representation.

It may be better ( though I didn’t do it ) to overwrite render  
with your own implementation which checks content type

alias :render, :old\_render

def render(api)  
if @ctype  
old\_render “#{api}\_#{@ctype}”  
else  
old\_render api  
end  
end

then just do  
class Foo \< R ‘/foo.(\w+)’  
def get( ctype )

```
       % Do stuff
@ctype = ctype
render :foo

```

end  
end