Ubuntu Manpage: unicorn_rails - a script/server-like command to launch the Unicorn HTTP server

NAME

       unicorn_rails - a script/server-like command to launch the Unicorn HTTP server

SYNOPSIS

       unicorn_rails [-c CONFIG_FILE] [-E RAILS_ENV] [-D] [RACKUP_FILE]

DESCRIPTION

       A  rackup(1)-like  command  to  launch Rails applications using Unicorn.  It is expected to be started in
       your Rails application root (RAILS_ROOT), but the  “working_directory”  directive  may  be  used  in  the
       CONFIG_FILE.

       It  is  designed  to  help  Rails  1.x and 2.y users transition to Rack, but it is NOT needed for Rails 3
       applications.  Rails 3 users are encouraged to use unicorn(1)  instead  of  unicorn_rails(1).   Users  of
       Rails 1.x/2.y may also use unicorn(1) instead of unicorn_rails(1).

       The  outward interface resembles rackup(1), the internals and default middleware loading is designed like
       the script/server command distributed with Rails.

       While Unicorn takes a myriad of command-line options for compatibility with ruby(1) and rackup(1), it  is
       recommended to stick to the few command-line options specified in the SYNOPSIS and use the CONFIG_FILE as
       much as possible.

UNICORN OPTIONS

-c, --config-file CONFIG_FILE
Path to the Unicorn-specific config file. The config file is implemented as a Ruby DSL, so Ruby
code may executed. See the RDoc/ri for the Unicorn::Configurator class for the full list of
directives available from the DSL. Using an absolute path for for CONFIG_FILE is recommended as
it makes multiple instances of Unicorn easily distinguishable when viewing ps(1) output.

-D, --daemonize
Run daemonized in the background. The process is detached from the controlling terminal and stdin
is redirected to “/dev/null”. Unlike many common UNIX daemons, we do not chdir to "/" upon
daemonization to allow more control over the startup/upgrade process. Unless specified in the
CONFIG_FILE, stderr and stdout will also be redirected to “/dev/null”. Daemonization will skip
loading of the Rails::Rack::LogTailer middleware under Rails >= 2.3.x. By default,
unicorn_rails(1) will create a PID file in "RAILS_ROOT/tmp/pids/unicorn.pid". You may override
this by specifying the “pid” directive to override this Unicorn config file.

-E, --env RAILS_ENV
Run under the given RAILS_ENV. This sets the RAILS_ENV environment variable. Acceptable values
are exactly those you expect in your Rails application, typically “development” or “production”.

-l, --listen ADDRESS
Listens on a given ADDRESS. ADDRESS may be in the form of HOST:PORT or PATH, HOST:PORT is taken
to mean a TCP socket and PATH is meant to be a path to a UNIX domain socket. Defaults to
“0.0.0.0:8080” (all addresses on TCP port 8080). For production deployments, specifying the
“listen” directive in CONFIG_FILE is recommended as it allows fine-tuning of socket options.

RACKUP COMPATIBILITY OPTIONS

       -o, --host HOST
              Listen  on  a  TCP  socket  belonging to HOST, default is “0.0.0.0” (all addresses).  If specified
              multiple times on the command-line, only the last-specified value takes effect.  This option  only
              exists  for compatibility with the rackup(1) command, use of “-l”/“--listen” switch is recommended
              instead.

       -p, --port PORT
              Listen on the specified TCP PORT, default is 8080.  If specified multiple times  on  the  command-
              line,  only the last-specified value takes effect.  This option only exists for compatibility with
              the rackup(1) command, use of “-l”/“--listen” switch is recommended instead.

       --path PATH
              Mounts the Rails application at the given PATH (instead of “/”).  This is  equivalent  to  setting
              the RAILS_RELATIVE_URL_ROOT environment variable.  This is only supported under Rails 2.3 or later
              at the moment.

RUBY OPTIONS

       -e, --eval LINE
              Evaluate  a  LINE  of Ruby code.  This evaluation happens immediately as the command-line is being
              parsed.

       -d, --debug
              Turn on debug mode, the $DEBUG variable is set to true.   For  Rails  >=  2.3.x,  this  loads  the
              Rails::Rack::Debugger middleware.

       -w, --warn
              Turn on verbose warnings, the $VERBOSE variable is set to true.

       -I, --include PATH
              specify  $LOAD_PATH.   PATH  will  be  prepended  to $LOAD_PATH.  The ':' character may be used to
              delimit multiple directories.  This directive may  be  used  more  than  once.   Modifications  to
              $LOAD_PATH take place immediately and in the order they were specified on the command-line.

       -r, --require LIBRARY
              require  a  specified  LIBRARY  before executing the application.  The "require" statement will be
              executed immediately and in the order they were specified on the command-line.

RACKUP FILE

       This defaults to "config.ru" in RAILS_ROOT.  It should be the same file used by rackup(1) and other  Rack
       launchers, it uses the Rack::Builder DSL.  Unlike many other Rack applications, RACKUP_FILE is completely
       optional for Rails, but may be used to disable some of the default middleware for performance.

       Embedded   command-line  options  are  mostly  parsed  for  compatibility  with  rackup(1)  but  strongly
       discouraged.

ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES

       The RAILS_ENV variable is set by the aforementioned -E switch.  The RAILS_RELATIVE_URL_ROOT is set by the
       aforementioned --path switch.  Either of these variables may also be set in  the  shell  or  the  Unicorn
       CONFIG_FILE.   All  application  or library-specific environment variables (e.g.  TMPDIR, RAILS_ASSET_ID)
       may always be set in the Unicorn CONFIG_FILE in addition  to  the  spawning  shell.   When  transparently
       upgrading  Unicorn,  all  environment  variables  set  in the old master process are inherited by the new
       master process.  Unicorn only uses (and will overwrite) the UNICORN_FD  environment  variable  internally
       when doing transparent upgrades.

SIGNALS

       The following UNIX signals may be sent to the master process:

       • HUP - reload config file, app, and gracefully restart all workers

       • INT/TERM - quick shutdown, kills all workers immediately

       • QUIT - graceful shutdown, waits for workers to finish their current request before finishing.

       • USR1  -  reopen  all logs owned by the master and all workers See Unicorn::Util.reopen_logs for what is
         considered a log.

       • USR2 - reexecute the running binary.  A separate QUIT should be sent to the original process  once  the
         child is verified to be up and running.

       • WINCH  -  gracefully  stops  workers  but  keep the master running.  This will only work for daemonized
         processes.

       • TTIN - increment the number of worker processes by one

       • TTOU - decrement the number of worker processes by one

       See the SIGNALS (http://unicorn.bogomips.org/SIGNALS.html) document for full description of  all  signals
       used by Unicorn.

AUTHORS

       The Unicorn Community <mongrel-unicorn@rubyforge.org>.

Unicorn User Manual                            September 17, 2009                               UNICORN_RAILS(1)