# Session ID huge, please help

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-id-huge-please-help/103592>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [May 8, 2007, 6:55am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-id-huge-please-help/103592 "2007-05-08T06:55:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benjohnson)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 6:55am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-id-huge-please-help/103592/1 "2007-05-08T06:55:25Z")

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I keep getting cookie overflow because my session id is getting huge.  
Here it is right out of my log:

Processing CompanyBranchesController#overview (for 127.0.0.1 at  
2007-05-08 04:53:35) [GET]  
Session ID:  
BAh7CDoRaW1iZWRfYWxlcnRzMDobY29tcG9uZW50X2Vudmlyb25tZW50c3sO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%0AQHVzZWR7AA%3D%3D–5bbb38a575bd9b7fe45fc752f55bb9a410e5a70d

Any idea why this is happening? I don’t even know where to start.

I am running the latest edge rails.

Thanks for your help.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benjohnson)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 7:24am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-id-huge-please-help/103592/2 "2007-05-08T07:24:05Z")

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Hunter H. wrote:

> What are you putting into your session?
> 
> Sounds like you’re storing too much data in session  
> [:super\_large\_data\_key]

Why would that effect my session id? Isn’t the id jsut a reference to my  
session and not that actual data in the session?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benjohnson)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 7:21am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-id-huge-please-help/103592/3 "2007-05-08T07:21:44Z")

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What are you putting into your session?

Sounds like you’re storing too much data in session  
[:super\_large\_data\_key]

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@benjohnson](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/benjohnson)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2007, 7:34am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/session-id-huge-please-help/103592/4 "2007-05-08T07:34:45Z")

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On 5/8/07, Ben J. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> Hunter H. wrote:
> 
> > What are you putting into your session?
> > 
> > Sounds like you’re storing too much data in session  
> > [:super\_large\_data\_key]
> 
> Why would that effect my session id? Isn’t the id jsut a reference to my  
> session and not that actual data in the session?

Are you on edge? You may be using the cookie store, which is default.  
Try the active record store (or stefan’s optimized sql session store  
plugin).

–  
Rick O.  
[http://lighthouseapp.com](http://lighthouseapp.com)  
[http://weblog.techno-weenie.net](http://weblog.techno-weenie.net)  
[http://mephistoblog.com](http://mephistoblog.com)