Rails/Passenger/Apache2: Redirect from www.domain.com to domain.com

Question

I'm hosting a domain with both addresses www.domain.com and domain.com through an "alias" directive specified in the VirtualHost config file:

<VirtualHost *:80>
   ServerName domain.com
   ServerAlias www.domain.com
   DocumentRoot /var/www/domain.com/current/public/
   <Directory /var/www/domain.com/current/public/>
     AllowOverride all
     Options -MultiViews
     Order allow,deny
     Allow from all
   </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Now http://www.domain.com and http://domain.com go to the same content. I need to redirect every request for www.domain.com to domain.com as well as www.domain.com/something to domain.com/something.

I'm just wondering on best practice for redirecting all traffic from www.domain.com to domain.com. Is should be done at Apache, Passenger or Rails level? and how? 301 redirect?

Any ideas appreciated. Thank you.

EDIT:

The working configuration is now this one (with "Redirect permanent"):

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName www.domain.com
  Redirect permanent / http://domain.com/
</VirtualHost>


<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName domain.com
  DocumentRoot /var/www/domain.com/current/public/
  <Directory /var/www/domain.com/current/public/>
    LimitRequestBody 4096000
    AllowOverride all
    Options -MultiViews
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
  </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Answer 1

The very best way to solve this is by using Redirect directive placed in a virtual hosts.

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName www.example.com

  Redirect / http://example.com/
</VirtualHost>

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName example.com
</VirtualHost>

Refer here: http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/rewrite/remapping.html#canonicalhost