# matz/spinel

Repository: https://github.com/matz/spinel
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/spinel
Language: C
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Last push: 2026-08-26T08:47:56+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 59/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 35, longevity 11
- inputs: {"age_days": 161, "days_push": 7, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, young
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1771, forks 90 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:34.039727+00:00)

## What it is
Spinel is an ahead-of-time compiler that translates Ruby source code into standalone native executables via whole-program type inference and C code generation. It ships as a single self-contained C binary and includes a cargo-style project tool (`spin`) for scaffolding, dependency resolution, building, and testing.

## Use cases
- compile ruby scripts into standalone native binaries
- speed up ruby programs with ahead-of-time compilation
- build a ruby cli app without requiring a ruby runtime
- scaffold and manage a ruby project with a cargo-like tool
- run whole-program type inference on ruby code
- bundle ruby dependencies into a single executable

## When to choose
- you want to distribute Ruby programs as dependency-free native executables
- you need faster execution than CRuby for your Ruby code
- you prefer a self-contained compiler with a modern project workflow tool

## When to avoid
- you rely heavily on dynamic Ruby metaprogramming that static type inference cannot handle
- you need runtime gem loading or C extension builds at runtime
- you want a compiler installable as a RubyGem

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: compiler, programming-language, build-tool, type-system, cli
- domain: compilers, programming-languages, developer-tools, performance
- platform: cli, cross-platform
- tags: ruby, aot-compilation, type-inference, native-executables, package-manager, prism-parser, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- matz/spinel (main) score 59

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:34.039727+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:26:00.884273+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/matz/spinel (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:34.039727+00:00, sha 4302f30f4a9c)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.