Getting Started with Ruby & Rails on Windows

Question

If you're on Windows, you can still develop with Ruby and Rails . Let's walk through your options and the steps involved.

There are two main options:

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️ Option A: Use WSL (Recommended)

WSL stands for Windows Subsystem for Linux — it lets you run a full Linux environment on Windows without dual-booting or using a virtual machine.

Best for: Developers who want a smooth Rails experience and compatibility with Linux tools.

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Steps to Set Up Rails with WSL

1. Install WSL

   wsl --install
   

   This will install Ubuntu by default.

2. Update and install dependencies inside Ubuntu terminal

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
   sudo apt install curl git build-essential libssl-dev libreadline-dev zlib1g-dev
   

3. Install Ruby (using a version manager like rbenv or rvm)

   curl -fsSL https://github.com/rbenv/rbenv-installer/raw/main/bin/rbenv-installer | bash
   echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.rbenv/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
   echo 'eval "$(rbenv init -)"' >> ~/.bashrc
   source ~/.bashrc
   
   rbenv install 3.3.0
   rbenv global 3.3.0
   

4. Install Rails

   gem install rails
   

5. Verify installations

   ruby -v
   rails -v
   

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️ Option B: Use RubyInstaller for Windows (Native Ruby)

If you don’t want to use WSL, you can install Ruby directly in Windows.

Steps for Native Windows Setup

1. Download Ruby Installer
   Go to: https://rubyinstaller.org

   Download a version like Ruby+Devkit 3.3.X.

2. Run the Installer

   • Make sure you check the box that says “Add Ruby executables to your PATH”.
   • Choose to run ridk install after installation (this installs DevKit, MSYS2).

3. Install Rails
   Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and run:

   gem install rails
   

4. Check Versions

   ruby -v
   rails -v
   

Note: Some gems (e.g., pg for PostgreSQL) can be tricky to install on native Windows due to compilation issues. That’s why WSL is highly recommended.

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Database Setup for Windows

• SQLite is supported out of the box.
• PostgreSQL: Download from https://www.postgresql.org/download/windows/
• You’ll need to install the dev libraries if using native Ruby (which can be difficult).

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Common Tools

Tool	Windows Option
Ruby	RubyInstaller OR rbenv via WSL
Rails	gem install rails
Git	Git for Windows
Code Editor	VS Code
Terminal (WSL)	Ubuntu app from Microsoft Store

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Summary: Which Setup is Best?

Setup	Pros	Cons
WSL	Most compatible, Linux-like environment	Slightly more setup effort
RubyInstaller	Simple to install, native Windows	Compatibility issues with some gems/tools

Recommendation: Use WSL + Ubuntu for the best Rails development experience on Windows.

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