Not really. Reasonably complex java apps would use jndi to store a single db connect name, which the app server maps internally to db credentials. That way, th

Not really. Reasonably complex java apps would use jndi to store a single db connect name, which the app server maps internally to db credentials. That way, the app just says "connect me to /x" and the container gives the app /x, which might be the test or prod db connection, the app never knows, or cares. You get the db that the operations guys configured for -that- environment. Jndi is horrible in many ways, and so are app containers, but there are a few niceties that ruby-land could learn from.