How to Install Ruby on Ubuntu 20.04

October 28, 2021

Introduction

Ruby is a popular open-source programming language focusing on simplicity and efficiency. The language serves as the basis of the Ruby on Rails framework and is used for general-purpose programming, data analysis, and web applications.

In this tutorial, we provide a step-by-step guide to installing Ruby using the official repositories and third-party tools.

How to install Ruby on Ubuntu 20.04

Prerequisites

Install Ruby via Ubuntu Repository

Using the built-in apt package manager offers the fastest and easiest way to install Ruby on Ubuntu:

1. Update the system repositories with:

sudo apt update

2. Use the following command to install Ruby:

sudo apt install ruby-full

3. When prompted, type Y and press Enter to confirm the installation.

Confirming the Ruby installation using the official repository

4. Once the installation is complete, verify it by checking the current version of Ruby:

ruby --version
Verifying the Ruby installation

Install Ruby Using Rbenv

Rbenv is a command line tool that lets you switch between installed versions of Ruby. It can also install new versions of Ruby using the ruby-build plugin.

Step 1: Download Updates and Dependencies

1. Start by updating the system repositories:

sudo apt update

2. Download and install the libraries and compilers Ruby needs to run:

sudo apt install git curl autoconf bison build-essential libssl-dev libyaml-dev libreadline6-dev zlib1g-dev libncurses5-dev libffi-dev libgdbm6 libgdbm-dev libdb-dev

3. Type Y and press Enter to confirm the installation.

Step 2: Install Rbenv

1. Download and run the shell script used to install Rbenv:

curl -fsSL https://github.com/rbenv/rbenv-installer/raw/HEAD/bin/rbenv-installer | bash

2.  You need to add $HOME/.rbenv/bin to your PATH environment variable to start using Rbenv.

Use the following commands if you are using the Bash shell:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.rbenv/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'eval "$(rbenv init -)"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

For the Zsh shell, use:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.rbenv/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'eval "$(rbenv init -)"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

3. Verify the installation by checking the version of Rbenv:

rbenv -v
Verifying the Rbenv installation

Step 3: Install Ruby

1. List all of the versions of Ruby available for installation through Rbenv with:

rbenv install -l
Listing all versions of Ruby available through Rbenv

2. Select a version of Ruby and install it using:

rbenv install [version number]

In this example, we are installing Ruby 3.0.2:

rbenv install 3.0.2
Installing Ruby using Rbenv

Note: Installing Ruby using Rbenv might take some time. If you want the command output to list each step of the installation process, enable the verbose output by adding the --verbose flag: rbenv install --verbose [version number].

3. Set the newly installed version of Ruby as the global version:

rbenv global [version number]

For this example:

rbenv global 3.0.2

4. Verify the installation by checking the current version of Ruby:

ruby --version
Verifying the Ruby installation using Rbenv

Install Ruby Using RVM

RVM is a command line tool that helps you install and manage multiple Ruby environments on the same system.

Step 1: Download Updates and Dependencies

1. Update the system repositories by using:

sudo apt update

2. Download and install dependencies Ruby needs to run properly:

sudo apt install curl g++ gcc autoconf automake bison libc6-dev libffi-dev libgdbm-dev libncurses5-dev libsqlite3-dev libtool libyaml-dev make pkg-config sqlite3 zlib1g-dev libgmp-dev libreadline-dev libssl-dev

3. Type Y and press Enter to confirm the installation when prompted.

Step 2: Install RVM

1. Add the GPG key used to verify the RVM installation file:

gpg --keyserver hkp://pgp.mit.edu --recv-keys 409B6B1796C275462A1703113804BB82D39DC0E3 7D2BAF1CF37B13E2069D6956105BD0E739499BDB
Adding GPG keys used when installing RVM

2. Download and install RVM using the installation script:

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

3. Load the RVM script environment variables using the source command:

source ~/.rvm/scripts/rvm

Note: Learn more about using the Linux source command.

Step 3: Install Ruby

1. List all versions of Ruby available through RVM:

rvm list known
Listing all versions of Ruby available through RVM

2. Select a version of Ruby and install it using the following syntax:

rvm install ruby-[version number]

Omitting the version number installs the latest stable version of Ruby:

rvm install ruby

3. When prompted, enter your administrator password and press Enter to proceed.

Installing Ruby using RVM

4.  Set the new version of Ruby as the default:

rvm --default use ruby-[version number]

In this example, we are using the default option without the version number:

rvm --default use ruby
Setting the default version of Ruby using RVM

5. Verify the Ruby installation by checking the current version:

ruby --version
Verifying the Ruby installation using RVM

Note: Learn also how to check Ubuntu version.

Conclusion

After following this tutorial, you should have a copy of Ruby installed and ready to use. Next, you may want to install the Ruby on Rails stack, which should help simplify and speed up app development.

Was this article helpful?
YesNo
Aleksandar Kovačević
With a background in both design and writing, Aleksandar Kovacevic aims to bring a fresh perspective to writing for IT, making complicated concepts easy to understand and approach.
Next you should read
How To Install Ruby on Ubuntu 18.04
February 25, 2019

In this article, you will find three options to install Ruby for Ubuntu 18.04 – either from the Ubuntu repository or from third-party tools (RVM or rbenv).
Read more
How to Install Ruby on Windows 10
July 29, 2020

Ruby is often used in web applications, games, and simple scripts. Follow this simple tutorial and install Ruby on your Windows 10 by using the RubyInstaller Tool or with the Linux Subsystem.
Read more
How to Install Helm on Ubuntu, Mac and Windows
December 10, 2020

Helm is a package manager for Kubernetes that simplifies deployment process. Follow this step-by-step tutorial to learn how to install Helm on Ubuntu, Mac and Windows.
Read more
How to Install Docker Compose on Ubuntu 20.04
September 17, 2020

Docker Compose is used to launch, execute, communicate, and close containers with a single coordinated command. It is used for defining and running multi-container Docker applications.
Read more