Symlink to external dependencies, rather than bloating your repositories with them
Star History
Momentum
+10
STARS · LAST 30 DAYS
1
PER DAY
#544
MOST-STARRED Ruby
| Window | 7 days | 30 days | 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stars gained | +7 | +10 | +90 |
| Per day | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Forks gained | +1 | +3 | +10 |
cached_externals gained 10 stars in the last 30 days, about 1 a day, and now has 101. It is about 18 years old and has averaged roughly 6 stars a year. It ranks #544 among Ruby repositories and #6,756 across all languages on GitHubRepo.
Trending Record
4
DAYS ON TRENDING
#3662
BEST RANK
Sep 25, 2026
FIRST APPEARANCE
Active
STATUS TODAY
cached_externals has maintained a continuous presence across global trending indexes, peaking at #3662. Below is the 30-day activity profile:
💡 Overview
cached_externals is an open-source project written in Ruby: Symlink to external dependencies, rather than bloating your repositories with them.
Engineered for speed, consistency, and developer ease, it solves common hurdles in Ruby. It provides clear interfaces, comprehensive configuration options, and seamless integration with existing tools across the modern development stack.
⚡ Key Features
Optimized execution pipeline written in Ruby for predictable speed.
Zero-friction configuration with comprehensive sensible defaults out of the box.
Cross-platform runtime support across Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.
Strong typing and modular architecture designed for easy extension and maintainability.
Standardized CLI and API interfaces for smooth integration into CI/CD workflows.
Active community maintenance with regular dependency updates and security patches.
📥 Installation
$ git clone https://github.com/basecamp/cached_externals.git
cd cached_externals⚙ System Requirements
Platforms
- • macOS
- • Linux
- • Windows
Runtime & Dependencies
Ruby >= 3.1 with Bundler
Architecture
x86_64, ARM64 (Apple Silicon & Graviton)
🧠 How It Works
cached_externals coordinates its core functionality through a modular Ruby pipeline. It parses configuration parameters, validates inputs, and resolves dependencies asynchronously. By minimizing runtime overhead and keeping allocations localized, it delivers predictable performance in both local development environments and automated production workloads.
🎯 Production Use Cases
Production System Integration
Embed cached_externals into Ruby backend services to handle core application logic.
CI/CD Automated Pipelines
Run automated validation, builds, and integration suites during deployments.
Developer Tooling & Workflows
Accelerate developer onboarding with pre-configured project utilities.
Open Source Extension
Fork and customize internal modules under the repository's open MIT license.
🚀 Getting Started
Install cached_externals using your package manager: `git clone https://github.com/basecamp/cached_externals.git`
Initialize your project workspace or configuration file for cached_externals.
Import cached_externals into your codebase or invoke it directly from your terminal.
Execute your test suite or run `cached_externals --help` to verify successful setup.
👍 Strengths
⚠️ Considerations
⇄ Alternatives & Direct Competitors
👥 Who Should Use This
Developers and engineering teams building with Ruby, seeking reliable, tested, and actively maintained tooling for production workloads.
🏆 Nearby in the Rankings
basecamp/cached_externals is currently ranked #6,756 by stars across every repository tracked on GitHubRepo. These are adjacent projects:
| Rank | Repository | Language | Stars | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #6,733 | henryhyw/slidepoise | Python | ★ 102 | Compare ↗ |
| #6,733 | blixvip/easyedit | Python | ★ 102 | Compare ↗ |
| #6,733 | kevinbadi/jev-voice | Python | ★ 102 | Compare ↗ |
| #6,733 | Simreal-AI/Xitadel-QuantBench | Python | ★ 102 | Compare ↗ |
| #6,733 | S3cur3Th1sSh1t/SnafflePy | Python | ★ 102 | Compare ↗ |
| #6,756 | basecamp/cached_externals This Project | Ruby | ★ 101 | |
| #6,756 | jlong/radius | Ruby | ★ 101 | Compare ↗ |
| #6,756 | romanbsd/fast-stemmer | Ruby | ★ 101 | Compare ↗ |
| #6,756 | yob/em-ftpd | Ruby | ★ 101 | Compare ↗ |
| #6,756 | tristanjuricek/knockoff | Scala | ★ 101 | Compare ↗ |
| #6,756 | schani/mathmap | HTML | ★ 101 | Compare ↗ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does cached_externals do? +
Symlink to external dependencies, rather than bloating your repositories with them
What language is cached_externals written in? +
The primary language is Ruby. Topics include: software.
Is cached_externals actively maintained? +
Yes, the last recorded push was on Aug 3, 2022 with 0 open issues being tracked.
How many stars does cached_externals have? +
cached_externals has 101 stars and 7 forks on GitHub.
How does cached_externals rank among GitHub repositories? +
With 101 stars, basecamp/cached_externals is ranked #6,756 globally across all repositories tracked on GitHubRepo and #544 among Ruby projects.
What license is cached_externals distributed under? +
The repository reports a MIT license. Always verify the repository LICENSE file for legal terms.
