Installation with RVM

What is RVM?

RVM (Ruby Version Manager) is a command-line tool that allows you to easily install, manage, and work with multiple Ruby environments.

Prerequisites

Before installing RVM, ensure you have the required dependencies:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install curl gnupg2

Installing RVM

Method 1: Using the installation script

curl -sSL https://get.rvm.io | bash

Method 2: Using GPG key (recommended)

# Import GPG key
curl -sSL https://rvm.io/mpapis.asc | gpg2 --import -

# Install RVM
curl -sSL https://rvm.io/pkuczynski.asc | gpg2 --import -

curl -sSL https://get.rvm.io | bash -s stable

Loading RVM

After installation, load RVM in your shell:

source ~/.rvm/scripts/rvm

Or restart your terminal.

Verifying Installation

rvm --version

Installing Ruby

Install latest stable Ruby

rvm install ruby

Install specific version

rvm install 3.2.0

List available Ruby versions

rvm list known

Using Ruby Versions

Set default Ruby

rvm use 3.2.0 --default

Switch between versions

rvm use 3.1.0
rvm use 3.2.0

Check current Ruby

ruby --version
which ruby

Managing Gemsets

RVM allows you to create isolated gem environments:

Create gemset

rvm gemset create myproject

Use gemset

rvm gemset use myproject

List gemsets

rvm gemset list

RVM Configuration

Auto-switching Ruby versions

Create .ruby-version file in project directory:

echo "3.2.0" > .ruby-version

Auto-switching gemsets

Create .ruby-gemset file:

echo "myproject" > .ruby-gemset

Updating RVM

rvm get stable

Troubleshooting

PATH issues

If Ruby commands don't work, check your PATH:

echo $PATH

Make sure ~/.rvm/bin is in your PATH.

GPG key issues

If you get GPG errors, try:

curl -sSL https://rvm.io/mpapis.asc | gpg --import -
curl -sSL https://rvm.io/pkuczynski.asc | gpg --import -

Permission issues

If you get permission errors, you might need to fix ownership:

sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ~/.rvm

Alternatives to RVM

rbenv: Lightweight alternative
chruby: Another simple version manager
System Ruby: Using Debian's package manager (not recommended for development)

Next Steps

After installing Ruby with RVM:

Verify installation: ruby --version
Install Bundler: gem install bundler
Start coding!

RVM makes it easy to manage multiple Ruby versions and gemsets, which is essential for Ruby development.