Question 1

How do I format a US phone number with Phony?

Accepted Answer

Use Phony.format with a normalized number like '18884074747' and specify format options; for example, Phony.format('18884074747', format: :national) returns a nationally formatted string. Check the formatting docs for more details on international and local styles.

Question 2

Does Phony validate phone numbers for all countries?

Accepted Answer

Phony validates plausibility based on country rules, but it's not exhaustive—it checks structure, not carrier validity. The handled countries list is provided, but it may be incomplete or outdated for some regions.

Question 3

Phony vs phonelib for Ruby: which is better?

Accepted Answer

Phony focuses on E164 international numbers with memory efficiency and selective loading, while phonelib offers broader features like geocoding and carrier lookup. Choose Phony for lightweight, structured handling; phonelib for more comprehensive validation.

Question 4

How to reduce memory usage with Phony in a Rails app?

Accepted Answer

Use Phony::Config.load to load only needed country codes, which cuts memory significantly—e.g., loading just NANP rules reduces usage to ~63kB. This is ideal for constrained environments like Heroku dynas.

Question 5

Is Phony actively maintained?

Accepted Answer

The project has sponsors and recent updates (e.g., Phony 2.18.0+ features), but the country list is described as mildly unmaintained, suggesting slower updates for regional changes. Check GitHub for latest activity.

Question 6

Can Phony handle phone numbers without country codes?

Accepted Answer

No, Phony requires E164 international numbers with country codes; it will not process local numbers correctly. You must normalize inputs to include country codes, or pre-process them externally.

Phony

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