# P2P facility or plugin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [May 18, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/p2p-facility-or-plugin/137945 "2008-05-18T20:11:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![damaris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@damaris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/damaris)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/p2p-facility-or-plugin/137945/1 "2008-05-18T20:11:08Z")
Hi you all, is there any plugin or extension to create P2P applications with Rails? Such as JXTA for Java? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![damaris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@damaris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/damaris)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/p2p-facility-or-plugin/137945/2 "2008-05-19T03:15:00Z")
While I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, I would say that Peer-to-Peer (P2P) is outside the scope of Rails. Rails is a web application framework (server-side) and wouldn’t be the technology I would choose for building a P2P network. Although, a Rails application could certainly play a role in the P2P network. You still need some client- side applications to act as the peers. Consider a simple P2P network like an instant messenger where each peer runs an application that sends messages to another peer running the same (or other compatible) application. You might be able to force- fit a Rails application to this purpose, but it would seem to me to be the wrong technology for the job. In that same case there is usually a centralized “server” that allows the peers to find each other on the network. Maybe a Rails application would be a good fit there. But, that’s not actually what I would call a pure P2P network where messages, or files would be transmitted directly from one peer to another without the need for a central server. I’m not aware of any plugins for Rails similar to JXTA. That would be more like searching for a plugin for Struts that is similar to JXTA. What I mean is that whatever that would be would probably not be for Rails but for Ruby in the same way that JXTA is a library for Java and not some Java based web application framework. Maybe a better way to ask your question is to fill us in on what you are actually trying to do. Just asking about P2P is a pretty broad subject. You could quite easily build a P2P between two web applications using a REST API and ActiveResource. That’s pretty common and is, technically, a P2P network, but maybe not in the sense you’re referring. On May 18, 2:11 pm, Damaris F. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![damaris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@damaris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/damaris)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/p2p-facility-or-plugin/137945/3 "2008-05-19T03:19:40Z")
I would create P2P applications with Ruby, rather than Rails. One could make the comparison that Rails is more like [mininova.org](http://mininova.org) where Ruby is more like Transmission/Azereus. ---
**Author:** ![damaris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@damaris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/damaris)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 1:04pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/p2p-facility-or-plugin/137945/4 "2008-05-19T13:04:21Z")
Umm…yes, I’ve seen is easy and even more obvious to create a P2P app as a non-Web app, just with Ruby. And I could do a kind of hybrid app, mixing Ruby apps for clients and Web apps for clients that act also as rendezvous, but perhaps is too complicated. I’m trying to build a kind of Emule app. JXTA for Java offers a set of protocols that makes easier the functionality of a whole app of this type. In that way, I wonder if there is an extension for Ruby similar to Jxta. Thanks again. Ryan B. wrote: > I would create P2P applications with Ruby, rather than Rails. One could > make > the comparison that Rails is more like [mininova.org](http://mininova.org) where Ruby is more > like > Transmission/Azereus. ---
**Author:** ![damaris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@damaris](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/damaris)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/p2p-facility-or-plugin/137945/5 "2008-05-19T16:31:56Z")
However, now that I think, there is out there some instant messaging apps like MSN with a version online, instead of a locally-installed application. These apps can be considered in some way P2P apps. So perhaps it is not so wrongly-considered to have a Web-based app for this P2P network. Damaris F. wrote: > Umm…yes, I’ve seen is easy and even more obvious to create a P2P app > as a non-Web app, just with Ruby. And I could do a kind of hybrid app, > mixing Ruby apps for clients and Web apps for clients that act also as > rendezvous, but perhaps is too complicated. > > I’m trying to build a kind of Emule app. JXTA for Java offers a set of > protocols that makes easier the functionality of a whole app of this > type. > > In that way, I wonder if there is an extension for Ruby similar to Jxta. > > Thanks again. > > Ryan B. wrote: > > > I would create P2P applications with Ruby, rather than Rails. One could > > make > > the comparison that Rails is more like [mininova.org](http://mininova.org) where Ruby is more > > like > > Transmission/Azereus.