rv - Extremely fast Ruby version and gem manager

When I started learning 2013 and working on Ruby 2018, I used RVM (rvm.io) on my workstation. On commercial projects, rbenv (rbenv.org) was very popular when setting up deployment (with Capistrano).

#Ruby #RV #RVM #Rbenv #VersionManager

Managing Ruby installations using rbenv and ruby-build ### Installing `rbenv` and `ruby-build` on Debian-based systems to manage Ruby versions > "rbenv is a version manager tool for the Ruby programming language on Unix-like systems. It is useful for switching between multiple Ruby versions on the same machine and for ensuring that each project you are working on always runs on the correct Ruby version." -- rbenv's README * Introduction * Installation * Installing System Prerequisites * Installing rbenv * Installing ruby-build * Verifying installation * Installing Ruby * Set Default Ruby Version * Removing unneeded Ruby versions * Updating rbenv and ruby-build * Updating rbenv * Updating ruby-build * Further Reading * rbenv alternatives ### Introduction In this article, I will provide steps to install and configure `rbenv` and `ruby-build` on a Debian-based Linux system. Similar to other programming languages(e.g. Python, Perl, and Rust, etc.), I prefer to keep the version of Ruby I use separate from the version installed by my system. This includes any plugins, or packages(in Ruby's case `gems`). Aside from giving me more granular control, it also helps prevent me from potentially breaking my system by installing an incompatible version of the language. I've chosen to use rbenv and ruby-build to provide me with a user-controlled environment in which to manage my Ruby installations. There are several other tools(e.g. rvm and asdf that provide similar functionality. My reasoning for selecting `rbenv` as my tool of choice is simple. I've been using pyenv for several years to manage my Python installations. Pyenv is a direct fork of `rbenv`, their developers contribute upstream to `rbenv` and has a familiar command set. Among other features, `rbenv` provides support for specifying application-specific Ruby versions(via the `rbenv local` command). See `rbenv`'s README for additional details on installation and functionality. For additional information on `rbenv`, managing gems, or installing Ruby on Rails, take a look a the links provided in the Further Reading section. ### Installation ### Installing System Prerequisites Before installing `rbenv`, we need to ensure that the system has some necessary dependencies installed. From the command line, enter the following commands: sudo apt update sudo apt install git curl libssl-dev \ libreadline-dev zlib1g-dev autoconf \ bison build-essential libyaml-dev \ libreadline-dev libncurses5-dev \ libffi-dev libgdbm-dev libsqlite3-dev Depending on your system, you may already have some of these packages installed, or you may need to install additional dependencies. The output from `sudo apt install` should provide additional guidance. system. ### Installing rbenv 1. Clone rbenv into `~/.rbenv`. * `git clone https://github.com/rbenv/rbenv.git ~/.rbenv` 2. Configure your shell to load rbenv when starting the terminal: * `echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.rbenv/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc` * `echo 'eval"$(rbenv init - bash)"' >> ~/.bashrc` 3. Reload your shell configuration for changes to take effect. `source ~/.bashrc` NOTE: If you are using a shell other than `bash`, replace `~/.bashrc` in the above commands with the appropriate filename(e.g. `~/.zshrc` or `~/.config/fish/config.fish`) ### Installing ruby-build `ruby-build` will need to be installed to help compile Ruby binaries. Run the following commands to create a directory for the ruby-build plugin and then download it to the proper directory: mkdir -p "$(rbenv root)"/plugins git clone https://github.com/rbenv/ruby-build.git "$(rbenv root)"/plugins/ruby-build ### Verifying installation 1. Check installed version of `rbenv` ~$rbenv -v (or --version) rbenv 1.3.2-16-gba96d7e To check which version of Ruby is installed, use `rbenv version`(no dashes). 1. Run `rbenv-doctor` The rbenv-doctor script analyzes your system setup for common problems. Run this script to verify that the installation was successful. `curl -fsSL https://github.com/rbenv/rbenv-installer/raw/HEAD/bin/rbenv-doctor | bash` or `wget -q https://github.com/rbenv/rbenv-installer/raw/HEAD/bin/rbenv-doctor -O- | bash` Either of the commands should produce output similar to the following: Checking for rbenv shims in PATH: OK Checking `rbenv install' support: ~/.rbenv/plugins/ruby-build/bin/rbenv-install (ruby-build 20260121) Counting installed Ruby versions: 1 versions Auditing installed plugins: OK For additional troubleshooting assistance, refer to the rbenv wiki ### Installing Ruby With `rbenv` installed, an updated list of the available Ruby versions can be viewed with the command: rbenv install -l #Output 3.2.10 3.3.10 3.4.8 4.0.1 jruby-10.0.2.0 mruby-3.4.0 picoruby-3.0.0 truffleruby-33.0.1 truffleruby+graalvm-33.0.1 Only latest stable releases for each Ruby implementation are shown. Use `rbenv install --list-all' to show all local versions. As of this writing(20260128), the latest version of Ruby is 4.0.1. rbenv install 4.0.1 --verbose This command should take roughly fifteen minutes to complete. Using the `--verbose` flag will produce output to the console so that the installation progress can be observed. ### Set Default Ruby Version Once Ruby is installed, set the default version using the `global` option: rbenv global 4.0.1 Next, verify that Ruby was properly installed by checking its version number: ruby --version #Output ruby 4.0.1 (2026-01-13 revision e04267a14b) +PRISM [x86_64-linux] To install and use a different version of Ruby, run the `rbenv` commands with a different version number, such as `rbenv install 3.4.8` and `rbenv global 3.4.8.` ### Removing unneeded Ruby versions The `rbenv uninstall` command can be used to remove old versions of Ruby that are no longer needed. rbenv uninstall 4.0.1 ### Updating rbenv and ruby-build ### Updating rbenv cd ~/.rbenv git pull ### Updating ruby-build cd ~/.rbenv git -C plugins/ruby-build pull ### Further Reading * Ruby Main Page * rbenv code repository * rbenv wiki * ruby-build * ruby-installer * pyenv * rbenv cheatsheet * How to Install rbenv on Ubuntu or Debian-based System * Using rbenv to Manage Rubies and Gems * How to Install Ruby on Rails with rbenv on macOS * How to manage multiple Ruby versions with rbenv on Ubuntu ### rbenv alternatives * asdf - Ruby Version Manager * rvm - Ruby Version Manager

After a loong eight months, I've managed to get motivated to dig into my archives and publish another one of my basic #HOWTO articles.

This time, it's with rbenv & Ruby.

suburbanalities.blogspot.com/2026/01/managing-ruby-in...
#Ruby #Debian #rbenv #ruby-build

Whenever I have to re-familiarize myself with the wonderful world of Ruby, this simple chart is extremely helpful. #ruby #rbenv #rubygems