# Create A Distributable Ruby Program With Minimal Install **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [March 31, 2008, 7:35am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-a-distributable-ruby-program-with-minimal-install/133392 "2008-03-31T07:35:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wrishel)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 7:35am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-a-distributable-ruby-program-with-minimal-install/133392/1 "2008-03-31T07:35:42Z")
Although I have started to use Ruby instead of Python, I very much miss one feature that I have not been able to find in Ruby. There is a Python utility that takes a python script, and creates a single installable file that contains the Python interpreter, the input script and a stripped down version of the Python library with just enough stuff to support the script. With it, I can share my treasures with people who might not be willing to do a full-blown install of Python. As far as they know, my script comes as just another EXE file for installing a program. Is there such a utility for Ruby? I have tried searching with Google and I haven’t been able to figure out a search string that wouldn’t give me 100s of citations to full-blown installs of the Ruby library. ---
**Author:** ![wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wrishel)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-a-distributable-ruby-program-with-minimal-install/133392/2 "2008-03-31T14:27:07Z")
This question keeps on appearing over time 🙂 Most often one is pointed to rubyscript2exe but does anyone know if Erik still maintains it? ---
**Author:** ![wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wrishel)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 8:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-a-distributable-ruby-program-with-minimal-install/133392/3 "2008-03-31T08:45:59Z")
Hey Wesley, There’s currently two available out there, in which allows you to create a Self-Contained Application, each with different methods of doing it. The first one, is rubyscript2exe (http:// www.erikveen.dds.nl/rubyscript2exe/). This lets you gather all of your libraries and the Ruby Interpreter executable itself, puts them all into an tar archive, then attaches it to what Erik describes as an Environment Embedding Executable. When it’s run, it’ll extract the files in the tar archive to a temporary directory, and run the ruby script, as if it was a normal executable. This solution works on Windows, and Linux, but takes a bit more trickery to make it work for MacOS X. There’s also Exerb ([Exerb Project](http://exerb.sourceforge.jp/index.en.html)), which does a similar method, however, it’s only for Windows, and it only extracts the Extensions to a temporary file, so that they can be linked to, your script and such still remains within the executable file itself. Exerb uses Microsoft’s Resource format, to store the files within the executable, which, like I said before, only the extensions are extracted, the rest stays in the executable. Hope this helps out, Mario S. ---
**Author:** ![wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wrishel)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-a-distributable-ruby-program-with-minimal-install/133392/4 "2008-03-31T15:14:27Z")
> … does anyone know if Erik still maintains it? Yes, he still maintains it. Actually, there will probably be a new release in a couple of days (read: weeks). gegroet, Erik V. - [http://www.erikveen.dds.nl/](http://www.erikveen.dds.nl/) ---
**Author:** ![wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wrishel)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 2:05am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-a-distributable-ruby-program-with-minimal-install/133392/5 "2008-04-01T02:05:44Z")
Erik V. wrote: > > … does anyone know if Erik still maintains it? > > Yes, he still maintains it. Actually, there will probably be a new > release in a couple of days (read: weeks). > > gegroet, > Erik V. - [http://www.erikveen.dds.nl/](http://www.erikveen.dds.nl/) Hello Erik: Please pat yourself on the back for me. I haven’t used rubyscript2exe yet but I’m grateful that you’ve provided the option. Michael ---
**Author:** ![wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@wrishel](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/wrishel)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2008, 2:16am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/create-a-distributable-ruby-program-with-minimal-install/133392/6 "2008-04-01T02:16:17Z")
removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid wrote: > Hey Wesley, > > There’s currently two available out there, in which allows you to > create a Self-Contained Application, each with different methods of > doing it. You can also use JRuby, then bundle up your app in a jar and use Java Web Start to deploy it. Installation is a matter of clicking a link on a Web page. Fellow Happy Camper Logan B. gave a demo of this at last weekend’s MountainWest RubyConf. – James B. “Tear it up and start again.” - Anonymous