module

Rubellite::Docs::B_ADVANCED_FEATURES::CHANNEL_CONCURRENCY

Channel Concurrency & Fiber Interop

Crystal utilizes lightweight Fibers with non-blocking event loops, while CRuby relies on native OS threads constrained by the Global VM Lock (GVL / GIL).

Rubellite builds a thread-safe bridge (Rubellite::ChannelBridge) enabling Crystal fibers to stream values directly into Ruby scripts and vice versa without deadlocking the host process.

Executive Summary & Key Topics

Topic Method / Anchor Description
ChannelBridge Architecture .topic_01_channel_bridge Bidirectional asynchronous communication between Crystal fibers and Ruby.

Related Guides & Source References

  • src/rubellite/channel.cr
  • src/rubellite/concurrency.cr
  • examples/05_channel_and_fiber_concurrency.cr

Class methods

topic_01_channel_bridge

ChannelBridge Architecture: Bidirectional asynchronous communication between Crystal fibers and Ruby.

The Rubellite::ChannelBridge exposes send and receive primitives directly to Ruby scripts:

Action Crystal API Ruby Script Equivalent
**Send** `channel.send(value)` `Rubellite::Channel.send(channel_id, value)`
**Receive** `channel.receive` `Rubellite::Channel.receive(channel_id)`
**Close** `channel.close` `Rubellite::Channel.close(channel_id)`

Working Examples

require "rubellite"

Rubellite.init

# Create typed Crystal channel
chan = Channel(Int32).new

# Spawn a background Crystal fiber sending numbers
spawn do
  5.times do |i|
    chan.send(i * 10)
    Fiber.yield
  end
  chan.close
end

# Register channel in Rubellite bridge
bridge_id = Rubellite::ChannelBridge.register(chan)

# Consume from Ruby script
Rubellite.eval(<<-RUBY)
  while (item = Rubellite::Channel.receive(#{bridge_id}))
    puts "Ruby received: \#{item}"
  end
RUBY

Common Pitfalls & Safety Caveats

  • Warning: Always close channels when producers terminate to avoid leaving Ruby consumer fibers hanging.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • Q: Is Channel communication thread-safe? A: Yes, Rubellite synchronizes channel access using Crystal spinlocks and mutexes around Ruby GVL transitions.
Source