RubyGems - Ruby Package Utility
RubyGems is a package utility for Ruby, which installs Ruby software packages and keeps them up-to-date.
Usage Syntax
$ gem command [arguments...] [options...]
Example
Check to see whether RubyGems is installed −
$ gem --version 0.9.0
RubyGems Commands
Here is a list of all important commands for RubyGems −
| Sr.No. | Command & Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | build Builds a gem from a gemspec. |
| 2 | cert Adjusts RubyGems certificate settings. |
| 3 | check Checks installed gems. |
| 4 | cleanup Cleans up old versions of installed gems in the local repository. |
| 5 | contents Displays the contents of the installed gems. |
| 6 | dependency Shows the dependencies of an installed gem. |
| 7 | environment Displays RubyGems environmental information. |
| 8 | help Provides help on the 'gem' command. |
| 9 | install Installs a gem into the local repository. |
| 10 | list Displays all gems whose name starts with STRING. |
| 11 | query Queries gem information in local or remote repositories. |
| 12 | rdoc Generates RDoc for pre-installed gems. |
| 13 | search Displays all gems whose name contains STRING. |
| 14 | specification Displays gem specification (in yaml). |
| 15 | uninstall Uninstalls a gem from the local repository. |
| 16 | unpack Unpacks an installed gem to the current directory. |
| 17 | update Updates the named gem (or all installed gems) in the local repository. |
RubyGems Common Command Options
Following is the list of common options −
| Sr.No. | Command & Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | --source URL Uses URL as the remote source for gems. |
| 2 | -p, --[no-]http-proxy [URL] Uses HTTP proxy for remote operations. |
| 3 | -h, --help Gets help on this command. |
| 4 | --config-file FILE Uses this config file instead of default. |
| 5 | --backtrace Shows stack backtrace on errors. |
| 6 | --debug Turns on Ruby debugging. |
RubyGems Install Command Options
This is a list of the options, which use most of the time when you use RubyGems while installing any Ruby package −
| Sr.No. | Command & Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | -v, --version VERSION Specifies version of gem to install. |
| 2 | -l, --local Restricts operations to the LOCAL domain (default). |
| 3 | -r, --remote Restricts operations to the REMOTE domain. |
| 4 | -b, --both Allows LOCAL and REMOTE operations. |
| 5 | -i, --install-dir DIR Where to install. |
| 6 | -d, --[no-]rdoc Generates RDoc documentation for the gem on install. |
| 7 | -f, --[no-]force Forces gem to install, bypassing dependency checks. |
| 8 | -t, --[no-]test Runs unit tests prior to installation. |
| 9 | -w, --[no-]wrappers Uses bin wrappers for executables. |
| 10 | -P, --trust-policy POLICY Specifies gem trust policy. |
| 11 | --ignore-dependencies Do not install any required dependent gems. |
| 12 | -y, --include-dependencies Unconditionally installs the required dependent gems. |
Examples
This will install 'SOAP4R', either from local directory or remote server including all the dependencies −
gem install soap4r --include-dependencies
This will install 'rake', only from remote server −
gem install rake --remote
This will install 'rake' from remote server, and run unit tests, and generate RDocs −
gem install --remote rake --test --rdoc --ri
Further Readings
The RubyGems User Guide gives you almost everything you need to know about using RubyGems.
The RubyGems Command Reference for RubyGems.