# Single Rails App - Several Subdomains **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [October 12, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/single-rails-app-several-subdomains/150755 "2008-10-12T17:48:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gamehack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@gamehack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gamehack)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/single-rails-app-several-subdomains/150755/1 "2008-10-12T17:48:51Z")
Hi all, I am in a situation that I have no idea how to approach. Basically, I’ve got a licensing app that is distributed across several domains, as in: [admin.example.com](http://admin.example.com) [licenses.example.com](http://licenses.example.com) [secure.example.com](http://secure.example.com) [paypal.example.com](http://paypal.example.com) … Ideally, I would like to be able to setup routing on a subdomain basis but this is not possible with Rails\* (I saw some results on Google about people trying to do this but none of the solutions were completely working in a integrated fashion throughout the whole framework) I also looked around at other frameworks but I didn’t find one which handled this sort of situations properly. The other option I was thinking about was using the same model objects in different apps for each subdomain but I’m not sure whether this is the right way handle this sort of thing. Any tips on how to approach the problem are greatly appreciated. Thanks, M - Correct me if I’m wrong ---
**Author:** ![gamehack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@gamehack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gamehack)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 6:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/single-rails-app-several-subdomains/150755/2 "2008-10-12T18:15:13Z")
On Sun, Oct 12, 2008 at 8:48 AM, gamehack [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > I’ve got a licensing app that is distributed across several domains, > as in: > [admin.example.com](http://admin.example.com) > [licenses.example.com](http://licenses.example.com) > [secure.example.com](http://secure.example.com) > [paypal.example.com](http://paypal.example.com) > Ideally, I would like to be able to setup routing on a subdomain basis > … > thinking about was using the same model objects in different apps for > each subdomain It’s not clear to me what you’re trying to achieve – how would the response to a request for `secure.example.com/foo` differ from the request for `paypal.example.com/foo`, for instance? Or to put it another way, _can_ these subdomains operate logically as uncoupled applications, or are they more `example.com/paypal/` and `example.com/secure/`? If you do need them all serviced by one app, fronting it with Apache httpd with mod\_rewrite would probably take care of it. ## HTH, Hassan S. ------------------------ removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid ---
**Author:** ![gamehack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@gamehack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gamehack)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/single-rails-app-several-subdomains/150755/3 "2008-10-12T18:42:09Z")
On Oct 12, 5:14 pm, “Hassan S.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > each subdomain > > It’s not clear to me what you’re trying to achieve – how would the > response to a request for `secure.example.com/foo` differ from the > request for `paypal.example.com/foo`, for instance? Their URLs would form an empty intersection but [secure.example.com](http://secure.example.com) would map ‘’ to the StoreController while [admin.example.com](http://admin.example.com) would map ‘’ to the AdminController. > Or to put it another way, _can_ these subdomains operate logically > as uncoupled applications, or are they more `example.com/paypal/` > and `example.com/secure/`? They can work as [example.com/secure/](http://example.com/secure/) and [example.com/paypal/](http://example.com/paypal/) etc. I’m not sure if that matters but [secure.example.com](http://secure.example.com) would have to go through SSL. > If you do need them all serviced by one app, fronting it with Apache > httpd with mod\_rewrite would probably take care of it. That brings up the question on how to handle URL generation, since a URL for the admin controller would have to generate [admin.example.com](http://admin.example.com) instead of [example.com/admin](http://example.com/admin). Thanks, M ---
**Author:** ![gamehack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@gamehack](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gamehack)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2008, 7:15pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/single-rails-app-several-subdomains/150755/4 "2008-10-12T19:15:37Z")
On Sun, Oct 12, 2008 at 9:41 AM, gamehack [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > If you do need them all serviced by one app, fronting it with Apache > > httpd with mod\_rewrite would probably take care of it. I’d still consider whether multiple loosely coupled apps would be suitable, even desirable – but in any case… > That brings up the question on how to handle URL generation, since a > URL for the admin controller would have to generate [admin.example.com](http://admin.example.com) > instead of [example.com/admin](http://example.com/admin). True. Again, if you’re willing to stick with Apache httpd, mod\_filter or mod\_substitute might be appropriate (rewrite the outbound URLs ). But generating them directly would obviously be preferable. Time to go experiment a bit 🙂 FWIW, ## H\* Hassan S. ------------------------ removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid