Install Gem from Github Branch?

Question

In my gemfile I have this:

gem "authlogic", :git => "git://github.com/odorcicd/authlogic.git", :branch => "rails3"

How do I install that as a gem so I can test it?

Archonic · Accepted Answer · 2021-07-27T18:36:58.473

223

You don't need to build the gem locally. In your gemfile you can specify a github source with a ref, branch or tag.

gem 'rails', git: 'git://github.com/rails/rails.git', ref: '4aded'
gem 'rails', git: 'git://github.com/rails/rails.git', branch: '2-3-stable'
gem 'rails', git: 'git://github.com/rails/rails.git', tag: 'v2.3.5'

Then you run bundle install or the short form is just bundle.

Read more about it here: http://bundler.io/man/gemfile.5.html#GIT

Update: There's a github source identifier.

gem 'country_select', github: 'stefanpenner/country_select'

However, they warn against using it: NOTE: This shorthand should be avoided until Bundler 2.0, since it currently expands to an insecure git:// URL. This allows a man-in-the-middle attacker to compromise your system.

After Bundler 2.0, you can get around the above issue with this statement near the top of the Gemfile:

git_source(:github) { |repo| "https://github.com/#{repo}.git" }

edited Jul 27 '21 at 18:36

answered Dec 06 '12 at 18:56

Archonic

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update from 2017, I couldn't get the GitHub source identifier to work but the :git => ref works fine – Amias May 31 '17 at 08:21
Maybe its Windows shenanigans, but with RubyInstaller 2.3 on Windows 10, I have this same setup for a gem I have that is unreleased, and I issue the `bundle install` command, RubyGems says its fetching the git repo, and its installed, but when I do `gem list gemname` it doesn't show up in my locally installed gems. – FilBot3 Aug 26 '17 at 21:40
nvm, its because I'm expecting `bundle install` to install as though it were global, or for all rubygems. however, its doing it per project, or sometimes per user. https://github.com/bundler/bundler/issues/3070#issuecomment-46361014 – FilBot3 Aug 26 '17 at 21:47
At least for our environment, the `github:` identifier gives the `transmits data without encryption` warning that I'm looking to avoid. Converting to a `git:` identifier with `https` might not be enough, as I also have a branch to specify. – Pysis Dec 07 '17 at 15:07
Regarding installing with github source identifier: `NOTE: This shorthand should be avoided until Bundler 2.0, since it currently expands to an insecure git:// URL. This allows a man-in-the-middle attacker to compromise your system.` - per the [link you gave](http://bundler.io/man/gemfile.5.html#GITHUB) – Danny Bullis Jan 22 '18 at 22:00

score 65 · Answer 2 · edited Jun 23 '12 at 04:23

65

Clone the Git repository.

$ git clone git://github.com/odorcicd/authlogic.git

Change to the new directory.
```
cd authlogic
```

Checkout branch

$ git checkout -b rails3 remotes/origin/rails3

Build the gem.
```
$ rake build gem
```
Install the gem.
```
$ gem install pkg/gemname-1.23.gem
```

edited Jun 23 '12 at 04:23

patrick-fitzgerald

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answered May 14 '10 at 08:40

janic_

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14

I needed to change 4. to "rake build" to build the gem. – raphael_turtle Oct 19 '10 at 15:18
7

Instead of 4. I had to use gem build name-of-file.gemspec to build the gem rake build o rake gem did not work for me – marimaf Nov 17 '11 at 17:02
5

Instead of 4 and 5 you can do "rake install" – rjurado01 Mar 12 '13 at 23:06
3

Or straight from github: `gem 'rails', :github => 'rails', :branch => '5.0-stable'` - link: http://bundler.io/v1.3/git.html – Danny Jul 05 '14 at 02:56
@Danny that would be `github: 'rails/rails'` – Cameron Martin Feb 21 '15 at 17:44
1

For me `gem build .gemspec` worked. I didn't have `rake` listed in the Gemfile. So `rake build gem` threw **rake is not part of the bundle. add it to gemfile** – RajaRaviVarma Dec 16 '16 at 11:14

score 6 · Answer 3 · answered May 14 '16 at 06:15

I have to modify @janic_'s answer to make it work. Hope it will help other ruby noobs like myself.

Clone the Git repository.

$ git clone git://github.com/odorcicd/authlogic.git

Change to the new directory.
```
$ cd authlogic
```

Checkout branch

$ git checkout -b rails3 remotes/origin/rails3

Install bundles
```
$ bundle install
```
Build the gem.
```
$ rake build
```
Install the gem.
```
$ gem install pkg/gemname-1.23.gem
```

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 21 '22 at 18:14

2

To update @Archonic answer, you need to replace the git protocol per the https protocol

fatal: remote error:
  The unauthenticated git protocol on port 9418 is no longer supported.

Therefore, you need to write:

gem 'rails', git: 'https://github.com/rails/rails.git', ref: '4aded'
gem 'rails', git: 'https://github.com/rails/rails.git', branch: '2-3-stable'
gem 'rails', git: 'https://github.com/rails/rails.git', tag: 'v2.3.5'

answered Mar 21 '22 at 18:14

charlesdg

814
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If you read till the end of the accepted answer, it says you can use `git_source(:github) { |repo| "https://github.com/#{repo}.git" }` to solve the https issue. – Archonic Mar 14 '23 at 20:24

Install Gem from Github Branch?

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