This gem allows you to execute methods in a background task with a very intuitive and easy syntax. It is as easy as that:

class MyModel
  def complex_operation(argument)
    ...
  end
  background_method :complex_operation
end

Now, whenever MyModel#complex_operation is called, it will be run in the background process.

Refer to the Class#background_method documentation for details.

This gem is an easy-to-use interface for background processing frameworks. Theoretically, you can use it in combination with any of the messaging / background processing frameworks out there, though there are not many handlers implemented yet. However, implementing a handler is very easy.

This gem is NOT a background processing framework. To make it work efficiently, you need an existing framework installed and configured. Right now, support for the ActiveMessaging framework is implemented.

However, there is out-of-the-box support for using script/runner to perform background tasks, as well as forking.

• Your Rails process gets unresponsive due to some time-consuming task.

• The task does not need to show an immediate effect.

• Background processing using multiple background processing frameworks.

• Fallback processing, if your background processing framework isn’t responding correctly.

• Works out-of-the-box with script/runner and forking and DRb.

• Fallback handler that streams messages containing background tasks to disk, to later replay jobs that failed because of a temporary error.

• Error reporting through different channels, depending on the task at hand.

  • Exception notification.

  • Stdout (useful for debugging).

  • Stderr (useful for debugging).

  • Silent, which swallows all exceptions.

• Supported processing frameworks.

  • ActiveMessaging.

  • Resque

  • script/runner.

  • fork (works only on Unix-like environments).

  • DRb with an example runner executable “background_queue” (not really suitable for production use)

  • others might follow (it’s really easy to write a handler).

• Easy configuration, depending on the environment, in config/background.yml.

• Ability to override the configuration per method.

There are no dependencies besides ActiveSupport, which is required by Rails anyways.

gem install background_lite

or use Bundler

gem "background_lite"

Depending on the background processing framework that you are using, you might have to do some configuration. See the documentation of the respective background handler for details.

Copyright © 2008-2013 Thomas Kadauke, released under the MIT license