Bundler & RubyGems (2022)

RubyGems & Bundler provide library and software package management for the Ruby programming language, included with every copy of Ruby in the language standard library. RubyGems.org hosts publicly available software packages (called “gems”) which enables developers to quickly and securely integrate more functionalities into their projects, while Bundler downloads and installs the exact gems and versions needed for a given project. Using RubyGems and Bundler, hundreds of thousands of Ruby developers download billions of gems per month from RubyGems.org.

The Ruby programming language and the Ruby on Rails framework are widely used today, partly thanks to their flexibility. They are a crucial resource, used by well-known companies such as Github, Stripe and Airbnb, as well as open-source projects like Mastodon. All of these applications rely on the smooth functioning and security of bundler and RubyGems.

Both bundler and RubyGems are indispensable tools for using Ruby. Many applications in many contexts rely on their regular maintenance and improvement, as well as their ongoing usability. A failure of the RubyGem servers or Bundler losing functionality would have a major impact worldwide. The two tools are therefore critical infrastructure, not only for the developers who use them, but for countless public and private services used by hundreds of millions of people every day.

The funding will be used to perform urgently-needed maintenance work on Bundler, RubyGems, and the RubyGems.org service. It will ensure Bundler’s compatibility with current and upcoming operating systems, improve the performance of RubyGems.org for billions of monthly downloads, and ensure security and reliability issues can be addressed quickly and decisively. Investments will also be made in higher-level tools to improve the lives of Ruby developers, in projects like Gemstash, the Ruby Toolbox, and Ruby API online documentation.