Enable single sign-on between a Rails app and other web apps such as Beast, Wordpress, or PunBB.

An online demo site has been set up.

The basic idea

The key idea is to add a web services API into the existing Rails application, allowing one or more 3rd party apps to get the information they need, when they need it. The API should be configurable enough and general enough that it can be added to any Rails app without modification. The Rails app stays in control of all sign-in and sign-out functions.

A 3rd party app, such as Vanilla, is installed in a subdirectory of the Rails app on the same host. If that is difficult to do, it can be installed running on a different port. These configurations will allow it to access the Rails cookie.

The Rails app will need no custom work. The third-party apps will need a small amount of programming.