What is Sidekiq?

Sidekiq is a Ruby framework to perform background jobs. It is an open-source job scheduler written in Ruby that is very useful for handling expensive computations and processes that are better served outside of the main web application.

 

Setting up sidekiq in production

 

 Setting it up in a production environment requires several steps, including installing dependencies, configuring your Rails app, and setting up a service to manage Sidekiq. Here's a detailed guide to help you through the process.

 

Step 1: Install Redis

 

Sidekiq uses Redis as its backend for job management. First, install Redis on your server.

 

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install redis-server

 

Ensure Redis is running:

 

sudo systemctl start redis 
sudo systemctl enable redis

 

Step 2: Add Sidekiq to Your Rails Application

 

Add Sidekiq to your Gemfile:

 

gem 'sidekiq'

 

Then run 'bundle install' to install the gem.

 

Step 3: Configure Sidekiq

 

Create a Sidekiq configuration file at 'config/sidekiq.yml'

 

:concurrency: 5
:queues:
  - default
  - mailers

 

You can adjust the concurrency and queues based on your application's needs.

 

Step 4: Update Your Application's Configuration

 

Add the following to your 'config/application.rb' to configure Sidekiq as the background job processor.

 

config.active_job.queue_adapter = :sidekiq

 

Step 5: Create a Systemd Service File

       

To manage Sidekiq as a service, create a systemd service file. Run:

 

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/myapp-sidekiq.service

 

Add the following configuration to the file:

 

[Unit]
Description=Sidekiq Background Worker for MyApp
After=syslog.target network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
WorkingDirectory=/home/ror/myapp
ExecStart=/bin/bash -lc 'source /home/ror/.rvm/scripts/rvm && bundle exec sidekiq -e production -C config/sidekiq.yml'
User=root
Group=root
UMask=0002
RestartSec=1
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Step 6: Start and Enable the Sidekiq Service 

 

Reload systemd to recognize the new service:

 

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

 

Start the Sidekiq service:

 

sudo systemctl start myapp-sidekiq

 

Enable the service to start on boot:

 

sudo systemctl enable myapp-sidekiq

 

Step 7: Verify Sidekiq is Running

 

Check the status of the Sidekiq service:

 

sudo systemctl status myapp-sidekiq

 

You should see an active status indicating that Sidekiq is running successfully.

 

Step 8: Monitoring and Logging

 

To monitor Sidekiq, you can use the Sidekiq Web UI. Add the following to your 'config/routes.rb'.

 

require 'sidekiq/web'
mount Sidekiq::Web => '/sidekiq'

 

Conclusion 

By following these steps, you can set up Sidekiq to handle background jobs in your Rails application in a production environment. This includes installing Redis, configuring your application, and setting up a systemd service to manage Sidekiq. With Sidekiq running as a service, you can ensure that your background jobs are processed efficiently and reliably.