Gems - Explaining the Concept of Rubygems

Ruby is a popular programming language that has become widely used for web development. Its gems are an essential aspect of developing applications in Ruby. In this article, we will explore what gems are, what they do, and how they work.

What are Gems?

Gems are collections of reusable code libraries that allow Ruby developers to easily integrate pre-existing code into their own applications. They contain code that can be used to perform tasks like generating PDFs, sending emails, and accessing databases. Without gems, a developer would need to build these functions from scratch or manually copy and paste code from other sources, causing them to waste valuable time on repetitive tasks.

Gems consist of a set of files and folders that contain the code, documentation, and test suites for a particular library. They can be accessed via the RubyGems package manager, which allows developers to easily search for, install, and manage gems from a central repository.

How do Gems Work?

When a developer adds a gem to their project, they “require” the gem in their code so that it can be used. The gem code will then be executed in the context of their application, allowing them to quickly utilize the functionality it provides.

Gems are designed to be easily sharable, which means that developers can contribute their own gems to the community, making them available for others to use. In fact, there are over 200,000 open-source gems available on RubyGems, making it an extensive collection of Ruby code that can significantly expedite development time and reduce overall costs.

Conclusion

Gems are an essential part of the Ruby programming language, providing developers with a large collection of reusable code libraries that can be easily integrated into any application. They allow developers to save time and increase productivity by avoiding the need to manually create scripts from scratch. By using open-source gems, the entire Ruby community benefits from the collective knowledge and experience of other developers, resulting in increasing innovation and collaboration.