# Sessions **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [January 3, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/sessions/180993 "2010-01-03T05:46:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [January 3, 2010, 5:46am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/sessions/180993/1 "2010-01-03T05:46:25Z")
The _Agile Web D. with Rails_ book has an explanation of sessions that I am having trouble following. Does anyone know of another good discussion of how Rails manages sessions. Specifically, in Firefox and and Internet Explorer … is each browser window a session? Is each invocation of the browser a session? If I close a browser window … can I restart the session? Exactly what is a session and how is state information maintained across browser requests? ---
**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:** [January 3, 2010, 11:47am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/sessions/180993/2 "2010-01-03T11:47:51Z")
On Jan 3, 4:46 am, Ralph S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Exactly what is a session and how is state information maintained across > browser requests? A session is tied to a cookie (depending on your session store that cookie either contains the session data or an identifier that allows rails to retrieve the session from memcache/database/disk etc.) Your questions above all boil down to what is the scope of a cookie and how long does it last. Cookies can have expiry dates set long in the future, but sessions are handled with cookies that are set to only last until the browser quits (not the same as just closing a window). Fred Fred > – > Posted viahttp://www.ruby-forum.com/. – You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Ruby on Rails: Talk” group. To post to this group, send email to removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid. For more options, visit this group at [http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en](http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en). ---
**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:** [January 3, 2010, 1:35pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/sessions/180993/3 "2010-01-03T13:35:14Z")
Cookies can have expiry dates set long in the > future, but sessions are handled with cookies that are set to only > last until the browser quits (not the same as just closing a window). Let’s say that I’m using Firefox and I open multiple instances of Firefox … so do all the instances of Firefox know about all the cookies? When, exactly, does a cookie with no expiration date disappear? Anyway, is there a more in-depth explanation available anywhere online that you can recommend? ---
**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:** [January 3, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/sessions/180993/4 "2010-01-03T13:39:04Z")
Hi Ralph, start here: > **[Action Controller Overview — Ruby on Rails Guides](https://guides.rubyonrails.org/action_controller_overview.html#session)** > > Action Controller OverviewIn this guide, you will learn how controllers work and how they fit into the request cycle in your application.After reading this guide, you will know: How to follow the flow of a request through a controller. How to... Regards, Nicolai – You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Ruby on Rails: Talk” group. To post to this group, send email to removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid. For more options, visit this group at [http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en](http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en). ---
**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:** [January 3, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/sessions/180993/5 "2010-01-03T14:44:38Z")
On Jan 3, 12:35 pm, Ralph S. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Cookies can have expiry dates set long in the > > > future, but sessions are handled with cookies that are set to only > > last until the browser quits (not the same as just closing a window). > > Let’s say that I’m using Firefox and I open multiple instances of > Firefox … so do all the instances of Firefox know about all the > cookies? Try it! Fred > When, exactly, does a cookie with no expiration date disappear? > > Anyway, is there a more in-depth explanation available anywhere online > that you can recommend? > > – > Posted viahttp://www.ruby-forum.com/. – You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Ruby on Rails: Talk” group. To post to this group, send email to removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid. For more options, visit this group at [http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en](http://groups.google.com/group/rubyonrails-talk?hl=en).