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Installation and Setup

This guide covers how to install and configure Red Arrow in your Ruby environment.

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Prerequisites

Red Arrow requires the Apache Arrow GLib library to be installed on your system. The installation process varies by platform.

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System Requirements

  • Ruby 2.7 or later (or JRuby)
  • Apache Arrow GLib (C library)
  • GObject Introspection library

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Quick Installation

The easiest way to install Red Arrow is using Bundler with the rubygems-requirements-system plugin, which automatically handles system dependencies. Add to your Gemfile: 
plugin "rubygems-requirements-system"

gem "red-arrow"
Then run: 
bundle install
The plugin will automatically:
  1. Detect your operating system
  2. Install Apache Arrow GLib if needed
  3. Install Red Arrow gem

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Using RubyGems

Install directly with gem: 
gem install rubygems-requirements-system red-arrow

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Platform-Specific Installation

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macOS with Homebrew

Install Apache Arrow using Homebrew: 
# Install Apache Arrow C++
brew install apache-arrow

# Install Apache Arrow GLib
brew install apache-arrow-glib

# Install Red Arrow
gem install red-arrow
For development with the latest version: 
brew install apache-arrow --head
brew install apache-arrow-glib --head

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Ubuntu/Debian

Add Apache Arrow APT repository and install: 
# Add Apache Arrow repository
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y -V ca-certificates lsb-release wget
wget https://apache.jfrog.io/artifactory/arrow/$(lsb_release --id --short | tr 'A-Z' 'a-z')/apache-arrow-apt-source-latest-$(lsb_release --codename --short).deb
sudo apt install -y -V ./apache-arrow-apt-source-latest-$(lsb_release --codename --short).deb
sudo apt update

# Install Arrow GLib
sudo apt install -y -V libarrow-glib-dev

# Install Red Arrow
gem install red-arrow

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CentOS/RHEL/AlmaLinux

Add Apache Arrow YUM repository: 
# For CentOS/RHEL 9
sudo dnf install -y epel-release
sudo dnf install -y https://apache.jfrog.io/artifactory/arrow/centos/$(cut -d: -f5 /etc/system-release-cpe | cut -d. -f1)/apache-arrow-release-latest.rpm
sudo dnf install -y arrow-glib-devel

# Install Red Arrow
gem install red-arrow

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Amazon Linux

sudo yum install -y https://apache.jfrog.io/artifactory/arrow/amazon-linux/$(cut -d: -f6 /etc/system-release-cpe)/apache-arrow-release-latest.rpm
sudo yum install -y arrow-glib-devel

gem install red-arrow

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Fedora

sudo dnf install -y libarrow-glib-devel
gem install red-arrow

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Conda

If you’re using Conda: 
conda install -c conda-forge arrow-c-glib
gem install red-arrow

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Windows (MSYS2)

pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-arrow
gem install red-arrow

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JRuby Installation

For JRuby, Arrow Java libraries are automatically managed: 
# Gemfile
gem "red-arrow", platform: :jruby
The required Java dependencies (arrow-vector and arrow-memory-netty) are specified in the gemspec and will be resolved automatically.

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Additional Packages

Install additional Red Arrow packages for extended functionality:

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Parquet Support

gem install red-parquet

require 'parquet'

table = Arrow::Table.load('data.parquet', format: :parquet)

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Dataset API (S3, Multiple Files)

gem install red-arrow-dataset

require 'arrow-dataset'

# Read from S3
table = Arrow::Table.load(URI('s3://bucket/data.parquet'))

# Read from folder
table = Arrow::Table.load(URI('file:///path/to/folder/'), format: :parquet)

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CUDA/GPU Support

gem install red-arrow-cuda

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Flight RPC

gem install red-arrow-flight

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Gandiva (Expression Compiler)

gem install red-gandiva

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Verification

Verify your installation: 
require 'arrow'

# Check version
puts Arrow::Version::MAJOR
puts Arrow::Version::MINOR
puts Arrow::Version::MICRO

# Create a simple table
table = Arrow::Table.new('x' => [1, 2, 3])
puts table.to_s
You should see output like: 
     x
(int64)
0      1
1      2
2      3

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Development Setup

For development work on Red Arrow itself: 
# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/apache/arrow.git
cd arrow/ruby/red-arrow

# Install dependencies
bundle install

# Run tests
bundle exec rake test

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Building from Source

To build Apache Arrow C++ and GLib from source, refer to:

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Troubleshooting

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Missing System Libraries

If you see errors about missing libraries: 
Gobject-introspection typelib file for arrow-glib not found
Ensure Apache Arrow GLib is properly installed and PKG_CONFIG_PATH includes Arrow’s .pc files: 
export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=/usr/local/lib/pkgconfig:$PKG_CONFIG_PATH

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Version Mismatch

Red Arrow requires matching versions with Arrow GLib. If you encounter version errors, ensure: 
# Check installed Arrow GLib version
pkg-config --modversion arrow-glib

# Should match Red Arrow gem version (major.minor.micro)

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macOS Library Paths

On macOS, you may need to set library paths: 
export PKG_CONFIG_PATH="$(brew --prefix)/lib/pkgconfig"
export DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH="$(brew --prefix)/lib:$DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH"

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Next Steps

Now that Red Arrow is installed, learn how to use it:

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