# postmodern/ruby-install

Installs Ruby, JRuby, TruffleRuby, or mruby

Repository: https://github.com/postmodern/ruby-install
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/ruby-install
Language: Shell
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: ruby, installer, jruby, truffleruby, mruby, rubies, ruby-install, bash-script, bash-utility, ruby-installer, ruby-builder
Last push: 2026-01-14T01:32:41+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 66/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 62, release rhythm 53, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4938, "days_push": 232, "days_rel": 232, "gap_med": 53, "n_releases_24m": 4}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1973, forks 258 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:01.119791+00:00)

## What it is
A Bash-based command-line tool that downloads, builds, and installs Ruby implementations including CRuby, JRuby, TruffleRuby, and mruby. It handles dependency installation, checksum verification, mirrors, patches, and custom configure options across Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD.

## Use cases
- install a specific ruby version from the command line
- install jruby or truffleruby on linux
- build ruby from source with custom configure flags
- install ruby into a custom directory for version management
- install ruby build dependencies automatically via the package manager
- verify ruby tarball checksums before installing
- install ruby with a patch applied

## When to choose
- you want a lightweight shell script to install multiple Ruby implementations without a version manager
- you need custom build options, patches, or mirrors when installing Ruby
- you are setting up Ruby on Linux, macOS, or FreeBSD servers or workstations

## When to avoid
- you only need to switch between already-installed Ruby versions (use a version manager like chruby or rbenv)
- you want to install nightly/trunk Ruby builds, which are unsupported
- you prefer prebuilt binary packages over compiling from source

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: cli, developer-tools, package-manager, build-tool
- domain: developer-tools, programming-languages
- platform: bsd, cli
- tags: ruby-installer, bash-script, jruby, truffleruby, mruby, version-management, command-line, linux, macos

## Member repositories
- postmodern/ruby-install (main) score 66

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:01.119791+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:04:59.435812+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/postmodern/ruby-install (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:01.119791+00:00, sha 66be2e84cb0c)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.