Topic: Seek to understand how it works

Let me give you a model of what I know using Php.
One writes a Php script in a file say foo.php
Then one uploads it to the server where is located which runs the Apache server. A user out there on the net types the following into the URL field of her browser... and hits return...

The Apache server receives the request and obtains the foo.php file from the Server files realizes that its a php file then Apache uses its internally loaded PHP Interpreter to run the foo.php script. The script generates XHTML and sends it to the requesting user's browser... which interprets the XHTML code and renders up a page which appears in her browser window.

NOW I've been flipping through the Ruby books in my local technical bookstore and I have learned the following.  Ruby is a programming language - ok, AND I read that you can "use" Ruby on Rails to create web applications. OK! What does that mean and how does it work?


1) Is there a Ruby Interpreter that Apache Loads like the PhP-Interpreter or is there a server app like TomCat (which interprets JavaServerPages)that runs along side of Apache that interprets Ruby scripts?

2) Or is the output of running a ruby program on my development platform a web page encoded in XHTML or PhP or ASP or JSP which I then up load to the server?

Of course maybe I have the wrong operational model and need to be corrected.


Re: Seek to understand how it works

Generally you are deploying using a server-app like Tomcat. In the Ruby world this is usually the Mongrel server. Apache will dispatch requests to a Mongrel server listening on a specific port.

Toby Hede
FiniteStateMachine - Software Development for Social Networks

Re: Seek to understand how it works

Re: Seek to understand how it works

Thanks for the feedback guys. I see there is a Deployment section in the Forum - I'll poke about in there and I'll look up Mongrel as well. AND mod_rails for Apache looks interesting as well.

Thanks - AmandaG