Question 1

How do I embed mruby in my C application?

Accepted Answer

Use the amalgamation build by running 'rake amalgam' to generate mruby.c and mruby.h, then compile them with your C code using gcc, as shown in the README example. This creates a single-file integration for easy embedding.

Question 2

What are the main differences between mruby and standard Ruby (MRI)?

Accepted Answer

mruby is lightweight and embeddable with a smaller footprint and partial ISO compliance, while MRI is a full interpreter with complete standard library and gem ecosystem. mruby targets constrained environments, not general-purpose Ruby development.

Question 3

Can I use mruby for web development with frameworks like Rails?

Accepted Answer

No, mruby lacks the full runtime and libraries required for Rails or similar frameworks. It's designed for embedding in C/C++ applications, not for serving web applications with complex dependencies.

Question 4

mruby or Lua for embedded scripting?

Accepted Answer

mruby offers Ruby syntax familiarity and modern features, while Lua is more established in embedded systems with a smaller core and broader tooling. Choose mruby if your team prefers Ruby; otherwise, Lua might have better community support.

Question 5

How to add a custom gem to mruby?

Accepted Answer

Use mrbgems by creating a gem directory with a mrbgem.rake file and including it in the build config. Refer to the mrbgems.md guide and examples folder in the documentation for step-by-step instructions.

Question 6

What are the limitations of mruby compared to full Ruby?

Accepted Answer

mruby has a reduced standard library, partial ISO compliance, and a smaller gem ecosystem. Specific limitations are detailed in the 'About the Limitations of mruby' document, including missing features and performance trade-offs.

MRuby

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