# Requiring rubygems

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/requiring-rubygems/131190>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [March 6, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/requiring-rubygems/131190 "2008-03-06T20:41:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![tim](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@tim](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tim)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 8:41pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/requiring-rubygems/131190/1 "2008-03-06T20:41:12Z")

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I’m using the MySQL rubygem. In a code example in the book I’m  
reading it has:

require ‘rubygems’  
require ‘mysql’

in order to access the mysql functionality. However I tried it  
without requiring rubygems and it still works. When do you have to  
require rubygems when using a gem? What does requiring rubygems  
actually accomplish?

Thanks,

Tim

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**Author:** ![tim](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@tim](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tim)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/requiring-rubygems/131190/2 "2008-03-06T20:46:00Z")

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Tim wrote:

> I’m using the MySQL rubygem. In a code example in the book I’m  
> reading it has:
> 
> require ‘rubygems’  
> require ‘mysql’
> 
> in order to access the mysql functionality. However I tried it  
> without requiring rubygems and it still works. When do you have to  
> require rubygems when using a gem? What does requiring rubygems  
> actually accomplish?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Tim

[http://docs.rubygems.org/read/book/1](http://docs.rubygems.org/read/book/1)

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**Author:** ![tim](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@tim](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tim)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 10:19pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/requiring-rubygems/131190/3 "2008-03-06T22:19:58Z")

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On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 8:40 PM, Tim [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote:

> When do you have to  
> require rubygems when using a gem? What does requiring rubygems  
> actually accomplish?

You don’t need to require rubygems, if you defined the enviroment  
variable RUBYOPT=-rubygem. RUBYOPT is not set on Windows if you  
install Ruby with a normal user account.

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**Author:** ![tim](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ce73a5/32.png) [@tim](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/tim)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2008, 10:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/requiring-rubygems/131190/4 "2008-03-06T22:31:48Z")

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Hi,

On Fri, Mar 7, 2008 at 8:18 AM, Thomas W.  
[removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid)  
wrote:

> You don’t need to require rubygems, if you defined the enviroment  
> variable RUBYOPT=-rubygem. RUBYOPT is not set on Windows if you  
> install Ruby with a normal user account.

Or, if it was installed by your system’s packaging system directly.  
e.g. installing libmysql-ruby on Debian-based systems.

Arlen