Parallel processing in Ruby allows developers to execute multiple tasks simultaneously, leveraging multi-core processors for improved performance. This technique is particularly useful for CPU-intensive operations and handling large datasets.
Ruby's Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) can limit true parallelism in multi-threaded applications. However, Ruby provides several ways to achieve parallel processing:
The 'parallel' gem is a popular choice for implementing parallel processing in Ruby. Here's a simple example:
require 'parallel'
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
result = Parallel.map(numbers) do |number|
number * 2
end
puts result.inspect
# Output: [2, 4, 6, 8, 10]
This code processes each number in parallel, potentially improving performance for larger datasets or more complex operations.
Ruby 3.0 introduced the Ractor class for concurrent execution without the GIL. Here's an example:
require 'prime'
r1 = Ractor.new { Prime.each(1000).to_a }
r2 = Ractor.new { Prime.each(1000, 2000).to_a }
puts r1.take + r2.take
This code calculates prime numbers in parallel using two Ractors, potentially speeding up the computation.
While parallel processing can significantly improve performance, it's important to consider:
Parallel processing is a powerful tool in Ruby programming, but it requires careful implementation and testing to ensure optimal results.
To further enhance your understanding of parallel processing in Ruby, explore these related topics: