How can I get zbar to deploy on Heroku?

Question

I am using the ruby-zbar gem in a rails app to scan barcodes from jpgs. I installed the zbar library using homebrew on my local machine and everything works fine. However, when deploying to Heroku I consistently get errors such as the following:

remote:        LoadError: Didn't find libzbar on your system
remote:        Please install zbar (http://zbar.sourceforge.net/) or set ZBAR_LIB if it's in a weird place
remote:        FFI::Library::ffi_lib() failed with error: library names list must not be empty

I've tried following the advice from this Stack Overflow post (Heroku Zbar Didn't find libzbar on your system (LoadError)), namely to set the ZBAR_LIB ENV variable to /app/vendor/lib/libzbar.so, or failing that to run heroku bash and try to find a file named libzbar.so and point ZBAR_LIB to its path.

However, I can't seem to find the heroku buildpack referenced in the original Stack Overflow post (the link to https://github.com/ballantyne/heroku-buildpack-zbar goes to a 404 page), so I can't replicate the solution outlined there.

I have tried all of the following buildpacks:

https://github.com/generalui/heroku-buildpack-zbar
https://github.com/robert-wallis/heroku-buildpack-zbar
https://github.com/robert-wallis/heroku-buildpack-zbar/tree/patch-1

During the build process I can see hopeful messages like this:

remote: -----> Multipack app detected
remote: -----> Fetching custom git buildpack... done
remote: -----> ZBAR app detected
remote: -----> Downloading and installing ZBAR
remote: -----> Configuring ZBAR
remote: -----> Make!
remote: -----> Make install !!!
remote: -----> Writing profile script
remote: -----> Fetching custom git buildpack... done
remote: -----> Ruby app detected
remote: -----> Compiling Ruby/Rails
remote: -----> Using Ruby version: ruby-2.2.1

But setting ZBAR_LIB to /app/vendor/lib/libzbar.so gives me some version of this error:

remote:        LoadError: Didn't find libzbar on your system
remote:        Please install zbar (http://zbar.sourceforge.net/) or set ZBAR_LIB if it's in a weird place
remote:        FFI::Library::ffi_lib() failed with error: Could not open library '/app/vendor/lib/libzbar.so': /app/vendor/lib/libzbar.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

And trying to find libzbar.so on heroku run bash has not been successful for me -- I can see many files that are similar in name (even a libzbar.rc) but none that fits the bill.

~ $ find / -name '*libzbar*'
find: `/var/lib/polkit-1': Permission denied
/app/vendor/zbar/plugin/.deps/plugin_libzbarplugin_la-plugin.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/qt/.deps/qt_libzbarqt_la-QZBar.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/qt/.deps/qt_libzbarqt_la-QZBarThread.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/qt/.deps/qt_libzbarqt_la-moc_QZBarThread.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/qt/.deps/qt_libzbarqt_la-moc_QZBar.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/gtk/.deps/gtk_libzbargtk_la-zbargtk.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/gtk/.deps/gtk_libzbargtk_la-zbarmarshal.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-symbol.lo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-video.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-error.lo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/processor/zbar_libzbar_la-lock.lo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/processor/.libs/zbar_libzbar_la-lock.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/processor/zbar_libzbar_la-lock.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/processor/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-null.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/processor/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-x.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/processor/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-posix.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/processor/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-lock.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/processor/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-win.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-config.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-processor.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-refcnt.lo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-convert.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-video.lo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-window.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/video/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-null.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/video/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-v4l1.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/video/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-v4l2.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/video/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-vfw.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-processor.lo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-image.lo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-refcnt.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-error.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/qrcode/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-qrdectxt.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/qrcode/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-binarize.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/qrcode/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-isaac.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/qrcode/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-rs.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/qrcode/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-qrdec.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/qrcode/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-bch15_5.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/qrcode/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-util.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.libs/zbar_libzbar_la-video.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.libs/zbar_libzbar_la-config.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.libs/zbar_libzbar_la-processor.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.libs/zbar_libzbar_la-convert.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.libs/zbar_libzbar_la-window.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.libs/zbar_libzbar_la-refcnt.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.libs/zbar_libzbar_la-error.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.libs/zbar_libzbar_la-img_scanner.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.libs/zbar_libzbar_la-image.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.libs/zbar_libzbar_la-symbol.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-img_scanner.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-image.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/window/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-null.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/window/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-dib.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/window/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-xv.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/window/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-x.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/window/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-ximage.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/window/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-win.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-img_scanner.lo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/libzbar.rc
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-symbol.o
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-config.lo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-decoder.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-config.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-convert.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-processor.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-symbol.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-scanner.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-error.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-jpeg.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-video.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-window.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-refcnt.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-svg.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-img_scanner.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-image.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-window.lo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/decoder/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-code39.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/decoder/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-pdf417.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/decoder/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-qr_finder.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/decoder/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-i25.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/decoder/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-ean.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/decoder/.deps/zbar_libzbar_la-code128.Plo
/app/vendor/zbar/zbar/zbar_libzbar_la-convert.lo

Has anyone had success getting zbar to run on heroku? If so, what buildpack did you use? I would be thrilled to learn how to make this work.

Answer 1

I was having a really tough time getting not just Heroku to use the right Zbar, but Circle CI as well. I tried using Apt on the CI server to get the dev version, but could not get it working because of weird dependency issues. I ended up creating a heroku buildpack to take care of patching and building the right version, and I wrote a script to get the CI server to do the same.

Heroku: https://github.com/sheck/heroku-buildpack-zbar

Circle CI: https://gist.github.com/sheck/475e0c8f2d9f618f1eca

Answer 2

This is what ultimately worked for me:

1) I needed to use the apt-buildpack and the ruby buildpack in tandem.

Command line:

heroku buildpacks
https://github.com/ddollar/heroku-buildpack-apt
https://github.com/heroku/heroku-buildpack-ruby

2) Then I created a file called Aptfile (no extension), placed it at the root of my project folder, and the only line in it is:

Aptfile:

libzbar-dev

Finally, I had to not require zbar in my gemfile, and require it separately in the code where I was processing the barcode:

Gemfile:

gem 'zbar', :require => false

Controller:

class HomeController < ApplicationController
  require 'zbar'

  def index
    path = "#{Rails.public_path}/barcode.jpg"
    jpeg = File.binread(path)
    z = ZBar::Image.from_jpeg(jpeg)
    r = z.process
    @barcode = r.first.data
  end
end

Answer 3

andy they have a success stories coming out of here check it out

https://github.com/willglynn/ruby-zbar/issues/8