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Today, we are going to talk about why `bundle install` can be so slow, discuss some solutions we've implemented, and share our plans for future improvements.
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My name is André Arko, and this is Terence Lee. We work in the Ruby community and are associated with GitHub.
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As we know, the history of Bundler dates back to the earlier days of Ruby, when applications relied on using a `Gemfile` and managing gems manually. There was constant frustration in the community, as often, application authors would forget to update the listed gems to match the versions they were actually using.
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This oversight meant developers spent hours trying to resolve gem conflicts. They would wonder why one machine had a certain version of a gem while another had a different one, and which version would actually work.
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As a result, people believed they could fix this issue. By the time Rails attempted to solve it, the problem persisted; some gems were loaded before Rails even had a chance to manage them, further complicating things. Thus, there was a significant need in the community, and despite various solutions proposed, nothing seemed to work well.
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Then, Bundler 1.0 emerged, offering a revolutionary ecosystem for managing dependencies. It allowed developers to seamlessly work in development and production with the same code, eliminating inconsistencies.
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However, once we addressed the major issue of dependency management, developers began looking for even more enhancements. For instance, the aesthetic of `Gemfiles` became a point of contention.
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Some issues also arose regarding how many times developers had to invoke commands while using Rails. Thankfully, features were added to streamline workflows and increase productivity.
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However, the introduction of gem locking in Bundler 1.1 brought about new problems. When updating gems, users often found themselves unaware of which versions were available unless they deployed and faced issues.
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To remedy this, we introduced the `bundle outdated` command, which allows users to check available updates without having to deploy their application. This feature proved beneficial as it saved developers from headaches when newer gem versions became available.
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Despite these enhancements, users still complained about orphaned gem files left behind after updates. This often caused confusion and frustration. To resolve this, I implemented a cleanup feature that would scan for unused gems.
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Using this, developers are able to maintain a cleaner environment, as any unused gem files would be effectively removed. This cleanup method can be activated using the `--clean` flag during installation, ensuring that unneeded files no longer clutter the workspace.
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Additionally, there were concerns with subprocess shells in Bundler 1.0. Developers wanted their sub-shells to inherit the specific gem environment, but this required complexity.
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For instance, people faced issues when invoking command-line tools that were Ruby-based and not bundled with their applications. As a workaround, we implemented updates in Bundler 1.1 to ensure that sub-shells correctly recognized gem locations.
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Another feature that made its way into subsequent versions was the ability to manage global commands better. As developers began expressing desire for commands that searched only within their application’s bundle, we took several iterations to develop a solution.
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This feature will allow Bundler to return information specifically related to the user's application, enabling a much cleaner and more focused search experience.
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Over time, another frequent challenge emerged: some operations teams restricted the installation of Bundler and other gems, limiting developer capabilities. In response, we created a `--standalone` installation feature which enables users to deploy Bundler and their app anywhere without relying on a host’s system.
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This feature generates a setup script tailored to your application, allowing you to run the necessary code without additional dependencies on the environment.
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Now, let's highlight one of the major performance improvements we implemented: speeding up the `bundle install` process. Initially, users would face long wait times as Bundler fetched the necessary metadata and dependencies for each gem. In versions before 1.1, fetching could take significant time, often leading to frustrations.
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We implemented a new approach for fetching gem metadata that dramatically reduced wait times from about 18 seconds to less than 3 seconds in the new versions.
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Our new system fetches the required dependency data more efficiently, allowing developers to spend less time waiting and more time writing code.
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That said, we need to ensure backwards compatibility; when working with older Ruby versions and systems with fewer resources, keeping the operations lightweight is essential.
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While developers initially found the new version of Bundler significantly faster, they also raised points about ensuring broader access to the necessary metadata in the case of privately hosted gems.
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As various gems continue to be developed, we also continue to iterate on Bundler speed and reliability in environments with restrictive access.
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Moving forward, one of our primary goals is to further reduce the runtime burden imposed by gems not being directly accessible, while enhancing the overall efficiency of Bundler.
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We are also focusing on implementing features that will allow developers to easily determine Ruby version compatibility across their applications.
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As Bundler continues to evolve, we aim to introduce functionality that enables projects to specify exactly which Ruby version they intend to use, reducing the risk of incompatibilities down the line.
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Looking into future releases, we are actively working on establishing a smoother developer experience. For instance, we are considering ways to eliminate the necessity of using `bundle exec` in specific situations. This would help streamline workflows and improve the experience for developers across the board.
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We hope to simplify Bundler use so that developers can maintain only the necessary parts for their commands without additional layers of complexity.
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As we move into this new phase for Bundler, we’re excited about the future and the capability to assist developers more efficiently.
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We’d like to summarize by saying thank you for your attention today. If you have any questions regarding Bundler updates or our future plans, please feel free to ask.
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I will be answering questions about the 1.1 release right now. We are dedicated to ensuring that any issues or concerns are addressed as quickly as possible.
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Yes, we definitely want to pinpoint any obscure edge cases that could arise during the release process to maintain a stable version.
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We appreciate developers who actively engage with Bundler contributions. The community’s role in refining this tool is invaluable.
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If there are ways we can make Bundler more user-friendly, we are open to experimenting with ideas and implementing them into new versions.
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Thank you all for being part of this discussion.
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We’re looking forward to continuing these conversations in the future.
