# OT: Ruby & Sessions

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ot-ruby-sessions/178665>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [November 9, 2009, 7:32am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ot-ruby-sessions/178665 "2009-11-09T07:32:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ralphshnelvar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@ralphshnelvar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ralphshnelvar)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:32am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ot-ruby-sessions/178665/1 "2009-11-09T07:32:24Z")

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Although I’ve been programing for 45 years, I am new to both Ruby and  
web programming.

I have been reading the Ruby on Rails book and I’m totally lost about  
session data.

I understand that each request is stateless.

Can any recommend an overview of GET/POST, cookies, sessions, etc.,  
and how Ruby on Rails interacts with all of this?

* * *

How does a huge website (e.g. Amazon) maintain session data? Where  
does it keep the user/session-specific data? Does it make sense to  
somehow tie the session data to a user name/id/password?

I’m so confused.

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**Author:** ![ralphshnelvar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@ralphshnelvar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ralphshnelvar)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 12:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ot-ruby-sessions/178665/2 "2009-11-09T12:52:02Z")

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Ralph S. wrote:

> Although I’ve been programing for 45 years, I am new to both Ruby and  
> web programming.
> 
> I have been reading the Ruby on Rails book and I’m totally lost about  
> session data.
> 
> I understand that each request is stateless.
> 
> Can any recommend an overview of GET/POST, cookies, sessions, etc.,  
> and how Ruby on Rails interacts with all of this?
> 
> * * *
> 
> How does a huge website (e.g. Amazon) maintain session data? Where  
> does it keep the user/session-specific data? Does it make sense to  
> somehow tie the session data to a user name/id/password?
> 
> I’m so confused.

This is a question for the Rails list. It is off topic for the main  
Ruby list

## Best,

Marnen Laibow-Koser  
[http://www.marnen.org](http://www.marnen.org)  
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ralphshnelvar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@ralphshnelvar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ralphshnelvar)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ot-ruby-sessions/178665/3 "2009-11-09T14:10:54Z")

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Ralph S. wrote:

> MLK\> This is a question for the Rails list. It is off topic for the  
> main  
> MLK\> Ruby list
> 
> Could you point me at that list, please.

Go to [www.rubyonrails.com](http://www.rubyonrails.com)

Click on “community”

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**Author:** ![ralphshnelvar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/e19adc/32.png) [@ralphshnelvar](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ralphshnelvar)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ot-ruby-sessions/178665/4 "2009-11-09T13:54:05Z")

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Marnen,

MLK\> This is a question for the Rails list. It is off topic for the  
main  
MLK\> Ruby list

Could you point me at that list, please.

Ralph