# The great Ruby web framework multi-app challenge **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [January 4, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-great-ruby-web-framework-multi-app-challenge/124960 "2008-01-04T01:44:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ducktyped)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-great-ruby-web-framework-multi-app-challenge/124960/1 "2008-01-04T01:44:14Z")
I’ve been thinking a lot about multi-app web projects, and how none of the Ruby web application frameworks I know offers a clean solution to build a site that conveniently integrates multiple apps (e.g. a core site and a forum). Integrating a rails app with beast (a rails forum engine) for example is just as cumbersome as integrating a rails app with a php forum engine. This shouldn’t be like that, when Ruby can offer so much more elegance. I would like to get some insights from the community and stimulate a productive discussion of multi-app capabilities for ruby web frameworks. I wrote a longer blog post detailing what I think sucks about current multi-app integration (exemplified by my works using rails), and how to fix some of it. There are currently a lot of promising, growing ruby web frameworks, and right now seems like a good time to put this out there for consideration. Here is the link to my full post: > **[DuckTyped.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=ducktyped.com)** > > Join thousands of people who own a premium domain. Affordable financing available. Thanks, Ben ---
**Author:** ![ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ducktyped)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 1:50am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-great-ruby-web-framework-multi-app-challenge/124960/2 "2008-01-04T01:50:53Z")
On Jan 3, 2008, at 6:44 PM, Ben (ducktyped) wrote: > I’ve been thinking a lot about multi-app web projects, and how none of > the Ruby web application frameworks I know offers a clean solution to > build a site that conveniently integrates multiple apps (e.g. a core > site and a forum). Camping has some support for this built-in. Like most things Camping it’s simple stuff, but still kind of neat. James Edward G. II ---
**Author:** ![ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ducktyped)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 3:31am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-great-ruby-web-framework-multi-app-challenge/124960/3 "2008-01-04T03:31:58Z")
On Fri, 4 Jan 2008, Ben (ducktyped) wrote: > productive discussion of multi-app capabilities for ruby web frameworks. > I wrote a longer blog post detailing what I think sucks about current > multi-app integration (exemplified by my works using rails), and how to > fix some of it. (_shrug_) I do it in IOWA all the time. Core site. Forum. Tools for managing site information. Reports. Dynamically generated tables. Multiple different apps for the customer’s customers. Whatever. Kirk H. ---
**Author:** ![ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ducktyped)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 6:19am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-great-ruby-web-framework-multi-app-challenge/124960/4 "2008-01-05T06:19:27Z")
On Jan 3, 2008 6:31 PM, [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Kirk H. I tend to do it with Rack. Either a bare metal app, Mongrel hosted, A Camping app, or the like. If there’s an adapter then rack can pipe to it. No restrictions on the toolchain. ---
**Author:** ![ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ducktyped)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2008, 6:42am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-great-ruby-web-framework-multi-app-challenge/124960/5 "2008-01-05T06:42:49Z")
I think part of the problem is the MVC approach taken by Rails. While it does allow for a relatively clean abstraction, it is “controller-driven”. This works well enough when all the logic is handled by _a single controller_. Wicket (Java) and Lift (Scala), on the other hand, follow a view-driven approach. I’m just diving into Lift, but the approach seems promising: It may work better for me. Or it may not. At the very least, it’s another approach to the same problem. ---
**Author:** ![ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@ducktyped](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/ducktyped)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/the-great-ruby-web-framework-multi-app-challenge/124960/6 "2008-01-06T01:19:38Z")
> (_shrug_) I do it in IOWA all the time. Core site. Forum. Tools for > managing site information. Reports. Dynamically generated tables. > Multiple different apps for the customer’s customers. Whatever. > > Kirk H. Kirk, I also saw your twitter message (“Multiple apps in 1 Rails instance is a problem? Maybe I should write an IOWA demo that does multiple apps + multiple domains in 1 instance.”) I think that’s a great idea (it could even be the start of IOWA’s home at swiftcore). Throwing in some ajax might help its marketing as well. Ben