Tag: RubyMine

Installing ⚙️ and Setting Up 🔧 Ruby 3.4, Rails 8.0 and IDE on macOS in 2025

Ruby on Rails is a powerful framework for building web applications. If you’re setting up your development environment on macOS in 2025, this guide will walk you through installing Ruby 3.4, Rails 8, and a best IDE for development.

1. Installing Ruby and Rails

“While macOS comes with Ruby pre-installed, it’s often outdated and can’t be upgraded easily. Using a version manager like Mise allows you to install the latest Ruby version, switch between versions, and upgrade as needed.” – Rails guides

Install Dependencies

Run the following command to install essential dependencies (takes time):

brew install openssl@3 libyaml gmp rust

…..
==> Installing rust dependency: libssh2, readline, sqlite, python@3.13, pkgconf
==> Installing rust

zsh completions have been installed to:
/opt/homebrew/share/zsh/site-functions
==> Summary
🍺 /opt/homebrew/Cellar/rust/1.84.1: 3,566 files, 321.3MB
==> Running brew cleanup rust…
==> openssl@3
A CA file has been bootstrapped using certificates from the system
keychain. To add additional certificates, place .pem files in
/opt/homebrew/etc/openssl@3/certs

and run
/opt/homebrew/opt/openssl@3/bin/c_rehash
==> rust
zsh completions have been installed to:
/opt/homebrew/share/zsh/site-functions

Install Mise Version Manager

curl https://mise.run | sh
echo 'eval "$(~/.local/bin/mise activate zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Install Ruby and Rails

mise use -g ruby@3
mise ruby@3.4.1 ✓ installed
mise ~/.config/mise/config.toml tools: ruby@3.4.1

ruby --version   # output Ruby 3.4.1

gem install rails

# reload terminal and check
rails --version  # output Rails 8.0.1

For additional guidance, refer to these resources:

2. Installing an IDE for Ruby on Rails Development

Choosing the right Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is crucial for productivity. Here are some popular options:

RubyMine

  • Feature-rich and specifically designed for Ruby on Rails.
  • Includes debugging tools, database integration, and smart code assistance.
  • Paid software that can be resource-intensive.

Sublime Text

  • Lightweight and highly customizable.
  • Requires plugins for additional functionality.

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) (Recommended)

  • Free and open-source.
  • Excellent plugin support.

Install VS Code

Follow the official installation guide.

Enable GitHub Copilot for AI-assisted coding:

  1. Open VS Code.
  2. Sign in with your GitHub account.
  3. Enable Copilot from the extensions panel.

To use VS Code from the terminal, ensure code is added to your $PATH:

  1. Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P).
  2. Search for Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH.
  3. Restart your terminal and try: code .

3. Your 15 Essential VS Code Extensions for Ruby on Rails

To enhance your development workflow, install the following VS Code extensions:

  1. GitHub Copilot – AI-assisted coding (already installed).
  2. vscode-icons – Better file and folder icons.
  3. Tabnine AI – AI autocompletion for JavaScript and other languages.
  4. Ruby & Ruby LSP – Language support and linting.
  5. ERB Formatter/Beautify – Formats .erb files (requires htmlbeautifier gem): gem install htmlbeautifier
  6. ERB Helper Tags – Autocomplete for ERB tags.
  7. GitLens – Advanced Git integration.
  8. Ruby Solargraph – Provides code completion and inline documentation (requires solargraph gem): gem install solargraph
  9. Rails DB Schema – Auto-completion for Rails database schema.
  10. ruby-rubocop – Ruby linting and auto-formatting (requires rubocop gem): gem install rubocop
  11. endwise – Auto-adds end keyword in Ruby.
  12. Output Colorizer – Enhances syntax highlighting in log files.
  13. Auto Rename Tag – Automatically renames paired HTML/Ruby tags.
  14. Highlight Matching Tag – Highlights matching tags for better visibility.
  15. Bracket Pair Colorizer 2 – Improved bracket highlighting.

Conclusion

By following this guide, you’ve successfully set up a robust Ruby on Rails development environment on macOS. With Mise for version management, Rails installed, and VS Code configured with essential extensions, you’re ready to start building Ruby on Rails applications.

Part 2: https://railsdrop.com/2025/03/22/setup-rails-8-app-rubocop-actiontext-image-processing-part-2

Happy Rails setup! 🚀