# How to run a background task in rails

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-background-task-in-rails/157181>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [January 8, 2009, 8:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-background-task-in-rails/157181 "2009-01-08T08:58:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/b9bd4f/32.png) [@youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/youhaodeyi)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 8:58am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-background-task-in-rails/157181/1 "2009-01-08T08:58:25Z")

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I need to run a background task which should last several hours. How can  
I do this in rails?

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**Author:** ![youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/b9bd4f/32.png) [@youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/youhaodeyi)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 9:28am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-background-task-in-rails/157181/2 "2009-01-08T09:28:36Z")

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Hi,

What sort of tasks do you intend to do?  
Database/ file system/ operating system oriented, appropriate approach  
can  
be decided depending on these

- NAYAK

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**Author:** ![youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/b9bd4f/32.png) [@youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/youhaodeyi)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:05am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-background-task-in-rails/157181/3 "2009-01-08T10:05:02Z")

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Use the backgroundrb system. It scales better in the long run as you  
decide to do more stuff in the background and require better control.

[http://backgroundrb.rubyforge.org/](http://backgroundrb.rubyforge.org/)

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**Author:** ![youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/b9bd4f/32.png) [@youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/youhaodeyi)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:16am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-background-task-in-rails/157181/4 "2009-01-08T10:16:18Z")

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> The task is building source code with gcc.  
> take a look at the earlier mentioned backgrounDRb:  
> [http://backgroundrb.rubyforge.org/](http://backgroundrb.rubyforge.org/)

> [@](#):
>
> BackgrounDRb is a Ruby job server and scheduler. Its main intent is to  
> be used with Ruby on Rails applications for offloading long-running  
> tasks. Since a Rails application blocks while serving a request it is  
> best to move long-running tasks off into a background process that is  
> divorced from http request/response cycle.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/b9bd4f/32.png) [@youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/youhaodeyi)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:07am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-background-task-in-rails/157181/5 "2009-01-08T10:07:52Z")

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Vishwanath Nayak wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> What sort of tasks do you intend to do?  
> Database/ file system/ operating system oriented, appropriate approach  
> can  
> be decided depending on these
> 
> - NAYAK

The task is building source code with gcc.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/y/b9bd4f/32.png) [@youhaodeyi](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/youhaodeyi)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2009, 10:25am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-to-run-a-background-task-in-rails/157181/6 "2009-01-08T10:25:09Z")

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I second on it

-NAYAK