# Streaming, xml and daemons

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/streaming-xml-and-daemons/178579>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [November 6, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/streaming-xml-and-daemons/178579 "2009-11-06T22:28:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cadqc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/b487fb/32.png) [@cadqc](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/cadqc)\
**Post date:** [November 6, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/streaming-xml-and-daemons/178579/1 "2009-11-06T22:28:39Z")

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Hi everyone,

I am trying to find a way to use the new twitter streaming API  
(continuous XML or JSON stream) in a ruby/rails project.

I want to grab the stream on my server, process it with different  
algorithms, and then output the result to whoever has the flash front  
end and is asking for it.

I was suggested the xmpp protocol, but I might not have time to  
investigate this path… So I figured I could simply put a timer on  
the client and ask periodically the server for a bunch of “processed  
stream” through a regular http request…

I therefore believe that I will always have a process running (at  
least as soon as someone requests something at least). My algorithms  
are not a problem, I am getting the stream in real-time from a ruby  
script, BUT the part that leaves me clueless is how can I do all this  
processing only in a fixed amount of memory on the server and send it  
whenever someone asks for it. Of course, at one point the old  
processed elements get overwritten by new ones.

How can I pass information from the memory being handled by a daemon  
to a rails app?  
Perhaps I simply don’t understand something and I am asking the wrong  
question, but any pointers would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you