In Ruby on Rails, the terms "gem" and "plugin" refer to different ways of extending the functionality of applications, but they serve distinct purposes and have different scopes of use.
Gems
Definition: A gem is a packaged library of Ruby code that can add specific functionality to any Ruby application, not just Rails applications.
Usage: Gems are used by requiring them in your project. They are installed system-wide and can be used across multiple projects.
Dependencies: Gems can have their own dependencies, which are managed by tools like Bundler to ensure compatibility and prevent conflicts.
Scope: Gems are generally useful for any Ruby application, making them more versatile and reusable across different types of projects.
Installation: Gems are installed using the gem install command or by including them in a Gemfile and running bundle install.
Plugins
Definition: A plugin is a piece of code specifically designed to extend or modify the core functionality of a Rails application.
Usage: Plugins are loaded by the Rails framework when it starts up. They are tightly integrated with Rails and often include hooks (like init.rb) to perform initialization tasks.
Dependencies: Plugins typically do not manage dependencies in the same way as gems. They are simpler and more focused on ex...
