'sudo gem install' or 'gem install' and gem locations

user_256917 0
Viewed 149076

Running 'sudo gem list --local' and 'gem list --local' give me differing results. My gem path is set to my home folder and only contains the gems from 'gem list --local'.

It's probably not good to have gems installed in different directories on my computer, so should I have the gem path set differently, and should I always use sudo when installing something?

my ~/.profile
export PATH=/opt/local/bin:/opt/local/sbin:$PATH
export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/mysql/bin:$PATH"

~/.bash_profile is empty.

rubygems macos ruby-on-rails ruby
8 Answers

Contrary to all the other posts I suggest NOT using sudo when installing gems.

Instead I recommend you install RVM and start a happy life with portable gem homes and different version of Ruby all living under one roof.

For the uninitiated, from the documentation:

RVM is a command line tool which allows us to easily install, manage and work with multiple ruby environments and sets of gems.

The reason why installing gems with sudo is worse than just gem install is because it installs the gems for ALL USERS as root. This might be fine if you're the only person using the machine, but if you're not it can cause weirdness.

If you decide you want to blow away all your gems and start again it's much easier, and safer, to do so as a non-root user.

If you decide you want to use RVM then using sudo will cause all kinds of weirdness because each Ruby version you install through RVM has its own GEM_HOME.

Also, it's nice if you can make your development environment as close to your production environment as possible, and in production you'll most likely install gems as a non-root user.

jonnii_45900

Installing Ruby gems on a Mac is a common source of confusion and frustration. Unfortunately, most solutions are incomplete, outdated, and provide bad advice. I'm glad the accepted answer here says to NOT use sudo, which you should never need to do, especially if you don't understand what it does. While I used RVM years ago, I would recommend chruby in 2020.

Some of the other answers here provide alternative options for installing gems, but they don't mention the limitations of those solutions. What's missing is an explanation and comparison of the various options and why you might choose one over the other. I've attempted to cover most common scenarios in my definitive guide to installing Ruby gems on a Mac.

user_9281910
Related