Environment Setup in Ruby Language

Ruby is a versatile and powerful programming language known for its simplicity and productivity. If you’r

e new to Ruby or looking to set up your development environment, this guide will help you get started. We’ll cover the basics of installing Ruby, managing gems, and using a code editor to create and run your Ruby programs.

Installing Ruby

To begin working with Ruby, you need to install the Ruby interpreter on your system. Here are the steps for installing Ruby on different platforms:

Windows

1. Download the RubyInstaller from the official Ruby website (https://www.ruby-lang.org/en/downloads/).
2. Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.
3. Make sure to check the option to add Ruby to your system’s PATH during installation. This allows you to run Ruby commands from the command prompt.
4. To verify the installation, open a Command Prompt and run the following command: ruby -v You should see the installed Ruby version.

macOS

Ruby is pre-installed on macOS, so you don’t need to do anything to set it up.

To check the installed Ruby version, open a terminal and run:

ruby -v

Linux (Ubuntu)

1. Open a terminal.
2. Run the following command to install Ruby:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install ruby

3. After installation, verify the Ruby version by running:

   ruby -v

Managing Gems

Gems are Ruby’s package manager. They allow you to install and manage libraries and packages for your Ruby projects. To work with gems, use the following commands:

• To install a gem: gem install gem_name
• To list installed gems: gem list
• To update a gem to the latest version: gem update gem_name
• To uninstall a gem: gem uninstall gem_name

Code Editor

Choosing a code editor is a personal preference, but some popular choices for Ruby development include:

• Visual Studio Code: A versatile and highly customizable editor with a Ruby extension.
• Sublime Text: A lightweight and fast code editor that supports Ruby syntax highlighting.
• RubyMine: A dedicated Ruby and Rails IDE with advanced features for Ruby development.

Select a code editor that suits your needs and style, and install any necessary Ruby-related extensions or plugins to enhance your development experience.

Writing Your First Ruby Program

Now that you have Ruby installed and a code editor set up, let’s create a simple “Hello, World!” program:

1. Open your code editor.
2. Create a new file with a .rb extension (e.g., hello.rb).
3. Add the following code to your hello.rb file:

   puts "Hello, World!"

4. Save the file.
5. Open a terminal or command prompt.
6. Navigate to the directory where you saved hello.rb.
7. Run the Ruby program:

   ruby hello.rb

You should see “Hello, World!” printed to the console.

Congratulations! You’ve set up your Ruby development environment and written your first Ruby program. Now you’re ready to explore Ruby further and build more complex applications.