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Install Ruby with ruby-full
The Ruby project’s installation guide gives this command for Debian and Ubuntu systems: Installing Ruby, ruby-lang.org.
- Open a terminal emulator.
- Refresh the package index so apt sees current Noble packages:
sudo apt update - Install the full Ruby distribution package:
sudo apt-get install ruby-full - Enter your password when prompted and confirm the installation with
Yif apt asks.
What ruby-full pulls in
Ubuntu describes ruby-full as the full Ruby installation. Its listed dependencies include the default ruby package, the ruby-dev header files needed to compile some gems with native extensions, and the ri documentation. The ruby-full package listing is the Jammy (22.04) release page, so the dependency list may differ slightly on Noble. To see exactly what your system will install, run apt show ruby-full before installing.
Check the installed version
Run:
ruby -vThe Ruby installation guide uses this same command to report the installed version. On a Noble system, expect output in the Ruby 3.2 series. The Ubuntu Noble ruby3.2 package page lists version 3.2.3, with the amd64 security build 3.2.3-1ubuntu0.24.04.8 at the time of the source review. Security updates change that revision number over time, and the package build can vary by architecture, so treat that string as an example rather than a guarantee. Confirm your own build with:
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apt policy ruby3.2The Ubuntu Noble ruby package page is the reference for the default ruby package on this release.
Choose between apt and a version manager
Use the apt method when the Ruby 3.2 package meets your application’s requirements and you want the operating system to handle updates. The Ruby project describes the system package manager as the easiest route on Unix-like systems, while noting that packaged Ruby may not be the newest release.
Consider a version manager when one of these is true:
- A project pins a Ruby version that Noble does not package.
- You work on several projects that need different Ruby versions and must switch between them.
- You want a newer upstream Ruby than the Ubuntu archive provides.
The Ruby installation page lists rbenv, chruby, asdf, mise, and RVM among available tools. It does not name one as the best choice for everyone, so pick based on how you want to manage versions. Keep in mind that the Ubuntu-packaged Ruby is the version you get from apt; a version manager installs its own copy alongside it.
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RubyGems is the package management framework that Ubuntu’s Ruby packages include. If your project has a Gemfile, change into the project directory and run:
bundle installThis installs the dependencies declared in the Gemfile. The Ubuntu Noble bundle-install(1) manual page documents the command and its options. The RubyGems source package for Noble is listed at packages.ubuntu.com, rubygems source, Noble.
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Troubleshooting
- ruby -v reports no such command. The install did not complete. Re-run
sudo apt-get install ruby-fulland check for errors in the output. - Your Ruby is older or newer than expected. Another Ruby, often from a version manager, may be first in your
PATH. Runwhich rubyto see which binary the shell is using. - A gem fails to compile. Confirm that
ruby-devis installed, since ruby-full depends on it and native-extension gems need its headers. - The package is not found. Run
sudo apt updateagain and confirm your Ubuntu release withlsb_release -a.
Exact package versions depend on your architecture, enabled repositories, and current updates. Always verify the version on your own machine with ruby -v.
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