# non-ActiveRecord models

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/non-activerecord-models/103712>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [May 9, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/non-activerecord-models/103712 "2007-05-09T16:31:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![wintermute](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@wintermute](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wintermute)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 4:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/non-activerecord-models/103712/1 "2007-05-09T16:31:07Z")

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Hi All,

I am wondering about few thing regarding the RoR models:

- Is there any requirement for the models to be inherited from  
ActiveRecord?
- Is it possible to have a model which is not ActiveRecord based?
- How Rails will react if it finds such files under /app/models?

You help will be appreciated.

Thanks

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![wintermute](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@wintermute](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wintermute)\
**Post date:** [May 9, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/non-activerecord-models/103712/2 "2007-05-09T16:37:44Z")

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> - Is there any requirement for the models to be inherited from  
> ActiveRecord?

No.

> - Is it possible to have a model which is not ActiveRecord based?

Yes.

> - How Rails will react if it finds such files under /app/models?

Just fine. You obviously won’t get all the AR goodness, but otherwise  
Rails doesn’t care. We have several that aren’t AR based and they work  
just fine for what we want to do (interface with some CLI apps, etc.)

-philip