Browse our comprehensive collection of 45 documented Ruby gems with detailed version histories, statistics, and upgrade guidance.
GIO2 is a Ruby binding for GIO (GNOME Input/Output), providing high-level abstractions for file operations, network communication, and system integration. Part of the Ruby-GNOME project, it offers an object-oriented API for working with files, streams, network protocols, volume management, and application launching. GIO2 includes support for asynchronous I/O operations, file monitoring, settings management, and D-Bus integration, making it essential for building desktop applications that interact with the GNOME ecosystem.
Ruby gem: glib2
Ruby gem: google-protobuf
Grape is a framework for creating REST-like APIs in Ruby. It provides a domain-specific language (DSL) for defining API endpoints with built-in parameter validation, versioning, and documentation generation. Unlike full web frameworks, Grape focuses specifically on API development and can run standalone or mount within Rails, Sinatra, or other Rack applications. The gem includes features for parameter coercion, content negotiation, and automatic error handling.
Ruby gem: jls-grok
Kaminari is a pagination library for Ruby web applications. It works with Active Record, Mongoid, and other ORMs to paginate database queries, providing both the pagination logic and view helpers for rendering page navigation. Unlike older pagination solutions, Kaminari uses scopes and method chaining, integrating cleanly with modern Rails query patterns. The gem is designed to be theme-able, allowing you to customize the pagination UI without modifying the core functionality.
Ruby gem: libxml-ruby
lock-gemfile is a command-line tool that updates your Gemfile with locked versions from Gemfile.lock. It automatically rewrites gem declarations in your Gemfile to pin them to the exact versions currently in use, helping you create reproducible environments and avoid unexpected dependency updates. The gem uses the Ruby parser to intelligently rewrite your Gemfile while preserving formatting and comments, making it easy to transition from flexible version constraints to locked versions when needed.
Minitest is a complete testing suite for Ruby that provides unit testing, mocking, and benchmarking capabilities. It ships as part of Ruby's standard library, though the gem version may include newer features. Minitest offers both a traditional unit test style (similar to Test::Unit) and a spec-style DSL. Compared to RSpec, Minitest emphasizes simplicity and speed, using plain Ruby without extensive DSLs or magic. It's a practical choice for projects that value straightforward testing without additional complexity.
Ruby gem: nio4r
Nokogiri is an HTML and XML parser for Ruby. It provides a fast, robust interface for parsing, searching, and modifying XML and HTML documents using CSS selectors or XPath expressions. Built on top of libxml2 and libxslt, Nokogiri handles malformed HTML gracefully and supports document traversal, manipulation, and transformation. The gem is essential for web scraping, processing RSS feeds, or working with XML-based APIs.
Ruby gem: pango