# Retrieving session data from a cookie

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/retrieving-session-data-from-a-cookie/160911>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [February 20, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/retrieving-session-data-from-a-cookie/160911 "2009-02-20T21:26:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@djames](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/djames)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/retrieving-session-data-from-a-cookie/160911/1 "2009-02-20T21:26:34Z")

</div>

The pick-axe book describes a method for retrieving cookie-based session  
data from within a cgi script. It works fine from within a cgi script.  
What I would really like to know is how I can accomplish this feat of  
retrieving the same data from within embedded Ruby. Can anyone help me  
out on this one? Thanks for any input. FWIW, I’m appending what the  
pick-axe book has to say about doing it from a cgi script. Thanks for  
any input.

```
  ... doug

```

Pick Axe Book:

require “cgi”  
require “cgi/session”

cgi = CGI.new(“html3”)  
sess = CGI::Session.new( cgi, “session\_key” =\> “rubyweb”,  
“prefix” =\> “web-session.”)  
cgi.out{  
cgi.html{  
“\nCustomer #{sess[‘CustID’]} orders an #{sess[‘Part’]}”  
}  
}