LoadError – cannot load such file — ffi_c when running "pod install"

August 25, 2024

I encountered the following error when trying to run pod install for my iOS project:

LoadError - cannot load such file -- ffi_c
/System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/2.6/usr/lib/ruby/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:130:in `require'
/System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/2.6/usr/lib/ruby/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:130:in `rescue in require'
/System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/2.6/usr/lib/ruby/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:34:in `require'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/ffi-1.17.0-arm64-darwin/lib/ffi.rb:5:in `rescue in <top (required)>'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/ffi-1.17.0-arm64-darwin/lib/ffi.rb:2:in `<top (required)>'
/System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/2.6/usr/lib/ruby/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:54:in `require'
/System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/2.6/usr/lib/ruby/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:54:in `require'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/ethon-0.16.0/lib/ethon.rb:3:in `<top (required)>'
/System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/2.6/usr/lib/ruby/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:54:in `require'
/System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/2.6/usr/lib/ruby/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:54:in `require'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/typhoeus-1.4.1/lib/typhoeus.rb:2:in `<top (required)>'
/System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/2.6/usr/lib/ruby/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:54:in `require'
/System/Library/Frameworks/Ruby.framework/Versions/2.6/usr/lib/ruby/2.6.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:54:in `require'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-core-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods-core/cdn_source.rb:440:in `download_typhoeus_impl_async'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-core-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods-core/cdn_source.rb:372:in `download_and_save_with_retries_async'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-core-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods-core/cdn_source.rb:365:in `download_file_async'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-core-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods-core/cdn_source.rb:338:in `download_file'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-core-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods-core/cdn_source.rb:78:in `deprecated_local_podspecs'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-core-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods-core/cdn_source.rb:60:in `preheat_existing_files'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-core-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods-core/cdn_source.rb:257:in `update'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/sources_manager.rb:144:in `block (3 levels) in update'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/user_interface.rb:64:in `section'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/sources_manager.rb:143:in `block (2 levels) in update'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/sources_manager.rb:142:in `each'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/sources_manager.rb:142:in `block in update'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/sources_manager.rb:140:in `open'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/sources_manager.rb:140:in `update'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/installer/analyzer.rb:146:in `block in update_repositories'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/installer/analyzer.rb:144:in `each'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/installer/analyzer.rb:144:in `update_repositories'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/installer.rb:240:in `block in resolve_dependencies'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/user_interface.rb:64:in `section'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/installer.rb:239:in `resolve_dependencies'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/installer.rb:162:in `install!'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/command/install.rb:52:in `run'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/claide-1.1.0/lib/claide/command.rb:334:in `run'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/lib/cocoapods/command.rb:52:in `run'
/Library/Ruby/Gems/2.6.0/gems/cocoapods-1.15.2/bin/pod:55:in `<top (required)>'
/usr/local/bin/pod:23:in `load'
/usr/local/bin/pod:23:in `<main>'

It seems that there is an issue with loading the ffi_c file. I’m not sure what could be causing this error. Can someone help me resolve this issue so that I can successfully run pod install?

>Solution :

The error you’re encountering is likely due to a conflict between the CocoaPods installation done using sudo gem install cocoapods and the system’s Ruby environment. To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

Uninstall CocoaPods that was installed using the gem command:
```
sudo gem uninstall cocoapods
```
Install CocoaPods using Homebrew:
```
brew install cocoapods
```
This will ensure that CocoaPods is installed using the Homebrew-managed Ruby environment, which should resolve the ffi_c loading issue.
If you have previously installed CocoaPods using Homebrew without uninstalling the gem version, you might still encounter issues. In this case, uninstall the Homebrew version of CocoaPods first:
```
brew uninstall cocoapods
```
Then, reinstall CocoaPods using Homebrew:
```
brew install cocoapods
```
After successfully installing CocoaPods using Homebrew, navigate to your project directory in the terminal and run:
```
pod install
```
This should now execute without the "LoadError – cannot load such file — ffi_c" error.

By uninstalling the gem version of CocoaPods and installing it using Homebrew, you ensure that CocoaPods is using the correct Ruby environment and dependencies managed by Homebrew. This should resolve the ffi_c loading issue and allow you to run pod install successfully.

If you still encounter any issues after following these steps, please let me know, and I’ll be happy to provide further assistance.