rails - x-sendfile + temporary files
ruby, ruby-on-rails, temporary-files, x-sendfile
Solution
Given that Rails3 uses x-sendfile when it is available, and there is no way to deactivate it, you just can't use send_file with a library such as TempFile. The best option is the one I mentioned in the question: use a regular File, and have a cron task that removes old temp files periodically.
EDIT: The removal of unused files has now been easier to deal with with the maid gem:
https://github.com/benjaminoakes/maid
Problem
Some time ago I wrote a question regarding the use of temporary files within a rails app. On thar particular case, I decided to use tempfile This causes a problem if I also want to use the `x-sendfile` directive (as a parameter in Rails 2, or as a configuration option in Rails 3) so that the file sending is handled by my web server directly, not my rails app. So I thought about doing something like this: ``` require 'tempfile' def foo() # creates a temporary file in tmp/ Tempfile.open('prefix', "#{Rails.root}/tmp") do |f| f.print('a temp message') f.flush send_file(f.path, :x_sendfile => true) # send_file f.path in rails 3 end end ``` This setup has one issue: the file is deleted before being sent! On one hand, `tempfile` will delete the file as soon as the `Tempfile.open` block is over. On the other, `x-sendfile` makes the send_file call asynchronous - it returns very quickly, so the server hardly has time to send the file. My best possible solution right now involves using non-temporary files (File instead of Tempfile), and then a cron task that erases the temp folder periodically. This is a bit inelegant since: - I have to use my own tempfile naming scheme - Files stay on the tmp folder longer than they are needed. Is there a better setup? Or, is there at least a "success" callback on the asynchronous `send_file`, so I can erase f when it's done? Thanks a lot.