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Gem

Ruby package manager for installing and managing Ruby libraries - Essential commands and usage patterns.

Overview

Gem is a package manager used for ruby package manager for installing and managing ruby libraries. This cheat sheet covers the most commonly used commands and workflows.

Platform Support: Cross-platform Category: Development

Installation

Linux/Ubuntu

# Package manager installation
sudo apt update
sudo apt install gem

# Alternative installation methods
wget -O gem https://github.com/example/gem/releases/latest
chmod +x gem
sudo mv gem /usr/local/bin/

macOS

# Homebrew installation
brew install gem

# Manual installation
curl -L -o gem https://github.com/example/gem/releases/latest
chmod +x gem
sudo mv gem /usr/local/bin/

Windows

# Chocolatey installation
choco install gem

# Scoop installation
scoop install gem

# Manual installation
# Download from official website and add to PATH

Basic Commands

Command Description
gem --help Display help information
gem --version Show version information
gem init Initialize gem in current directory
gem status Check current status
gem list List available options/items

Common Operations

Basic Usage

# Start gem
gem start

# Stop gem
gem stop

# Restart gem
gem restart

# Check status
gem status

Configuration

# View configuration
gem config show

# Set configuration option
gem config set <key> <value>

# Reset configuration
gem config reset

Advanced Operations

# Verbose output
gem -v <command>

# Debug mode
gem --debug <command>

# Dry run (preview changes)
gem --dry-run <command>

# Force operation
gem --force <command>

File Operations

Command Description
gem create <file> Create new file
gem read <file> Read file contents
gem update <file> Update existing file
gem delete <file> Delete file
gem copy <src> <dst> Copy file
gem move <src> <dst> Move file

Network Operations

# Connect to remote host
gem connect <host>:<port>

# Listen on port
gem listen --port <port>

# Send data
gem send --data "<data>" --target <host>

# Receive data
gem receive --port <port>

Security Features

Authentication

# Login with credentials
gem login --user <username>

# Logout
gem logout

# Change password
gem passwd

# Generate API key
gem generate-key

Encryption

# Encrypt file
gem encrypt <file>

# Decrypt file
gem decrypt <file>

# Generate certificate
gem cert generate

# Verify signature
gem verify <file>

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Command not found

# Check if installed
which gem

# Reinstall if necessary
sudo apt reinstall gem

Issue: Permission denied

# Run with sudo
sudo gem <command>

# Fix permissions
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/gem

Issue: Configuration errors

# Reset configuration
gem config reset

# Validate configuration
gem config validate

Debug Commands

Command Description
gem --debug Enable debug output
gem --verbose Verbose logging
gem test Run self-tests
gem doctor Check system health

Best Practices

Security

  • Always verify checksums when downloading
  • Use strong authentication methods
  • Regularly update to latest version
  • Follow principle of least privilege

Performance

  • Use appropriate buffer sizes
  • Monitor resource usage
  • Optimize configuration for your use case
  • Regular maintenance and cleanup

Maintenance

# Update gem
gem update

# Clean temporary files
gem clean

# Backup configuration
gem backup --config

# Restore from backup
gem restore --config <backup-file>

Integration

Scripting

#!/bin/bash
# Example script using gem

# Check if gem is available
if ! command -v gem &> /dev/null; then
    echo "gem is not installed"
    exit 1
fi

# Run gem with error handling
if gem <command>; then
    echo "Success"
else
    echo "Failed"
    exit 1
fi

API Integration

# Python example
import subprocess
import json

def run_gem(command):
    try:
        result = subprocess.run(['gem'] + command.split(),
                              capture_output=True, text=True)
        return result.stdout
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: \\\\{e\\\\}")
        return None

Environment Variables

Variable Description Default
GEM_CONFIG Configuration file path ~/.gem/config
GEM_HOME Home directory ~/.gem
GEM_LOG_LEVEL Logging level INFO
GEM_TIMEOUT Operation timeout 30s

Configuration File

# ~/.gem/config.yaml
version: "1.0"
settings:
  debug: false
  timeout: 30
  log_level: "INFO"

network:
  host: "localhost"
  port: 8080
  ssl: true

security:
  auth_required: true
  encryption: "AES256"

Examples

Basic Workflow

# 1. Initialize
gem init

# 2. Configure
gem config set host example.com

# 3. Connect
gem connect

# 4. Perform operations
gem list
gem create example

# 5. Cleanup
gem disconnect

Advanced Workflow

# Automated deployment
gem deploy \
  --config production.yaml \
  --environment prod \
  --verbose \
  --timeout 300

# Monitoring
gem monitor \
  --interval 60 \
  --alert-threshold 80 \
  --log-file monitor.log

Resources

Official Documentation

Community

Tutorials

Last updated: 2025-07-05