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    Using Process Managers with React on Rails

    React on Rails requires running multiple processes simultaneously during development:

    • Rails server
    • Webpack dev server (client bundle)
    • Webpack watcher (server bundle)

    Running Your Development Server

    React on Rails includes bin/dev which automatically uses Overmind or Foreman:

    ./bin/dev

    This script will:

    1. Try to use Overmind (if installed)
    2. Fall back to Foreman (if installed)
    3. Show installation instructions if neither is found

    Installing a Process Manager

    Overmind provides easier debugging and better signal handling:

    # macOS
brew install overmind

# Linux
# See: https://github.com/DarthSim/overmind#installation

    Foreman (Alternative)

    Foreman is a widely-used Ruby-based process manager:

    # Install globally (NOT in Gemfile)
gem install foreman

    Important: Do NOT add Foreman to your Gemfile. Install it globally on your system.

    Why not in Gemfile?

    From Foreman's documentation:

    Foreman is not a library, and should not affect the dependency tree of your application.

    Key reasons:

    • Dependency conflicts: Including Foreman in your Gemfile can create dependency conflicts that break other projects
    • Security risk: Loading Foreman as an application dependency creates an unnecessary security vulnerability vector
    • Stability: Foreman is mature and stable; bundling it could introduce bugs from unnecessary dependency updates
    • Wrong abstraction: Foreman is a system tool, not an application dependency

    Install Foreman globally: gem install foreman

    Alternative: Run Process Managers Directly

    You can also run process managers directly instead of using bin/dev:

    # With Overmind
overmind start -f Procfile.dev

# With Foreman
foreman start -f Procfile.dev

    Customizing Your Setup

    Edit Procfile.dev in your project root to customize which processes run and their configuration.

    The default Procfile.dev includes:

    rails: bundle exec rails s -p 3000
wp-client: bin/shakapacker-dev-server
wp-server: SERVER_BUNDLE_ONLY=true bin/shakapacker --watch

    See Also