What is TorqueBox?

TorqueBox is a small adaptation layer on top of Java application server from JBoss, JBoss AS.

It attempts to go beyond providing web-centric services (supporting Rails, Rack, Sinatra, etc), to also expose other enterprise-grade services to Ruby applications.

If it’s a small layer, why is it a 250mb download?

One goal of the TorqueBox distribution is a simplified end-user experience. To accomplish this, the distribution includes a pre-integrated combination of the TorqueBox code, the base JBoss AS application server, and the full JRuby distribution, plus some useful gems such as Rails, Rack and Sinatra.

The result is a 250mb distribution with everything you need (except for a JDK) right in the tin.

Why is TorqueBox still in “beta”?

TorqueBox is primarily developed by Bob McWhirter, the master of the perma-beta.

Ultimately, the APIs are still shifting with each release, while we attempt to figure out the correct way to make the power of JBoss technologies available naturally to Rubyists.

Will TorqueBox ever support [Python,Scala,Groovy,…]

Not directly, no.

Of those, Python is the most interesting, and could certainly benefit from a similar initiative.

Scala, Groovy, and any other more Java-natural language already integrate pretty well with Java application servers, so what’s there to do?