Browse our comprehensive collection of 45 documented Ruby gems with detailed version histories, statistics, and upgrade guidance.
Ruby gem: rugged
Sequel is a database toolkit for Ruby that provides both an ORM layer and a lower-level database abstraction. It offers an alternative to ActiveRecord with a focus on performance, flexibility, and adherence to SQL standards. Sequel supports advanced database features like prepared statements, database-agnostic migrations, and complex query building. The gem works with multiple database systems and is particularly valued in applications where database efficiency and control are priorities.
Sidekiq is a background job processing framework for Ruby. It uses threads and Redis to process jobs asynchronously, allowing web applications to handle time-consuming tasks without blocking user requests. Sidekiq provides job scheduling, retries, concurrency controls, and a web interface for monitoring. Compared to other background job systems, Sidekiq emphasizes efficiency through its multi-threaded architecture and Redis-based queue management.
Ruby gem: snappy
Ruby gem: sqlite3
Stellar::Erb is a safe, easy-to-use wrapper for ERB views outside of Rails applications. It provides a method for reading ERB template files from disk and rendering them to strings with passed arguments. The gem excels at error handling, catching template errors with correct backtraces and context to make debugging straightforward. Rather than working directly with Ruby's standard ERB library, Stellar::Erb offers a cleaner API for file-based template rendering with enhanced error reporting, making it ideal for CLI tools, static site generators, or any Ruby application that needs ERB templates without Rails.
Ruby gem: test-unit
TTY::Command is a library for executing shell commands from Ruby with rich output handling. It provides a clean API for running external commands while capturing output, handling errors, and logging execution details. Unlike backticks or system calls, TTY::Command offers structured error handling, timeout support, and colored output formatting. The gem is part of the TTY toolkit and is useful for building command-line applications or automating system tasks.
Ruby gem: zstd-ruby