Practical Ruby Gems: Installation, Distribution and Beyond

by David Berube

Overview

Discover how to enhance your Ruby and Rails projects using Ruby Gems. Practical Ruby Gems, Second Edition is a comprehensive guide written to equip Ruby programmers and web developers with the knowledge and skills to effectively utilize existing Gems - and also create new Gem releases, allowing easy distribution, dependency management, and streamlined integration.

The modernized Second Edition is updated to reflect the latest version of Ruby Gems (7.0.4) and Ruby language (3.2). The author introduces new software tools and systems like Bundler, Docker, and Nix, demonstrating how to integrate them seamlessly with Ruby Gems, as well as a significantly expanded section on how to create your own gems – including practical examples of problems faced in real-world scenarios.

As dependency management creates challenges for Ruby developers, this is the only book of its kind to offer Ruby Gems as an important solution. Explore and embrace the modern Ruby Gems ecosystem and learn best practices for creation, distribution, and integration with other dependency management systems.

What You Will Learn:

• Understand the fundamentals of Ruby Gems as a solution for dependency management

• Install and configure RubyGems for seamless integration into your projects

• Learn how to debug common problems faced with RubyGems.

• Explore advanced topics like distributing gems via RPM and Apt packages, handling native dependencies, and hosting Gem infrastructure.

Who this Book is for:

Ruby programmers as well as web developers who use Rails and wish to extend the functionality of their projects.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798868818011
Publisher:	Apress
Publication date:	01/28/2026
Edition description:	Second Edition
Pages:	350
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

David Berube is an experienced software developer, author, and speaker with extensive experience in software development dating back over two decades. He became an early Ruby advocate after writing about the language for Dr. Dobb's Journal. David has worked on various open source projects, including RubyGems itself.

As a technology writer, David's work has been published in over 65 countries, appearing in prominent publications such as Linux Magazine, Dr. Dobb's Journal, ADMIN Magazine, and PHP International Magazine. He has shared his knowledge through college-level teaching and public speaking engagements, covering topics like "MySQL and You" and "Making Money with Open Source Software."

As an entrepreneur, David began freelancing as a software developer in 2001. He was a partner in the tech startup Casting Frontier until its sale in 2020. He is currently the President of Durable Programming, which specializes in helping organizations maintain and modernize enterprise applications. He is based in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Getting Started: An Introduction to RubyGems.- Chapter 2: Taming Project Dependencies: Learning Bundler.- Chapter 3: Juggling Ruby Versions: The rbenv Way.- Chapter 4: Streamlining Your Toolchain with Mise.- Chapter 5: Reproducible Ruby: RubyGems meets Nix.- Chapter 6: At Your Fingertips: Gem Command Reference.- Chapter 7: Bundler in Action: Commands That Save Your Day.- Chapter 8: Behind the Curtain: Exploring the RubyGems API.- Chapter 9: Bundler Under the Hood: API Power Tools.- Chapter 10: Close to Home: Working with Local Gems.- Chapter 11: Gems in Containers: Docker and Ruby in Harmony.- Chapter 12: Crafting Your Legacy: Building Custom Gems.- Chapter 13: Going Public: Your Guide to RubyGems.org.- Chapter 14: Gemstash: Your Private Gem Server Treasury.- Chapter 15: Gems on the Wire: Serving Gems over HTTP.- Chapter 16: From Gem to Package: Native Distribution Solutions.