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Ruby on Rails · install guide

RailsInstaller

“Get to work.” — the one-click installer that took you from zero to a working Ruby on Rails setup on Windows or Mac.

For years, RailsInstaller was the fastest way to start building Ruby on Rails applications. Instead of assembling Ruby, Rails, Git and a database by hand, you ran a single installer and got a complete toolchain ready to go.

railsinstaller.org now points here. RailsInstaller itself is no longer actively maintained — so this page keeps its story and its original downloads, and adds the current, recommended way to get Ruby on Rails running in 2026.

Downloads

Original RailsInstaller downloads

The final RailsInstaller packages, kept for reference. These bundle Ruby and Rails versions that reached end-of-life years ago — use them only to keep a legacy project running, not to start new work. To install a current setup, follow the step-by-step guide further down this page.

Windows
Ruby 2.3 · Rails 5.1
railsinstaller-3.4.0.exe
Windows
Ruby 2.2 · Rails 5.0
railsinstaller-3.2.1.exe
Windows
Ruby 1.9.3 (legacy)
railsinstaller-2.2.5.exe
macOS 10.7 & 10.8
Ruby 1.9.3 · Rails 4.1
RailsInstaller-1.0.4-osx-10.7.app.tgz
macOS 10.6
Ruby 1.9.3 · 64-bit only
RailsInstaller-1.0.4-osx-10.6.app.tgz

Skip to the current install guide →

Background

What was RailsInstaller?

RailsInstaller was an open-source, one-click installer that bundled everything needed to develop Ruby on Rails applications into a single package for Windows and macOS. It was championed in the Rails community with backing from Engine Yard, and maintained by contributors including Wayne Seguin and Michał Papis.

The problem it solved was a familiar one: setting up a development machine from scratch can eat hours. RailsInstaller streamlined that to a single download — Ruby, the Rails gem, Git, SQLite and the build tools, all configured and working together. Its tagline, “Get to work.”, captured the idea exactly.

Its last releases shipped several years ago, bundling Ruby 2.x and Rails 5.x. Ruby and Rails have moved well beyond those versions since, so RailsInstaller is best thought of as a piece of Rails history — and the guide below is the way to get a current setup.

Get started · Windows

Install Ruby on Rails on Windows

Two routes: a Linux environment via WSL (recommended for real development), or a native install with RubyInstaller.

Use WSL for the smoothest setup (recommended)

Windows Subsystem for Linux runs Ubuntu inside Windows, matching what production servers actually run. In an Administrator PowerShell:

# PowerShell (Administrator) wsl --install

Restart when prompted, open the Ubuntu app, then follow the macOS & Linux steps below inside it.

Or install Ruby natively with RubyInstaller

Prefer a native Windows install? Download the latest Ruby+Devkit (x64) package from rubyinstaller.org and run it — accept the MSYS2/DevKit step when prompted. That DevKit is the build toolchain RailsInstaller used to bundle for you.

Install Rails

With Ruby in place, install the Rails gem from RubyGems:

$ gem install rails

Get started · macOS

Install Ruby on Rails on macOS

The same three steps work on Linux and inside WSL. A version manager keeps Ruby easy to upgrade.

Install the Xcode command-line tools

These provide the compilers Ruby needs to build native extensions:

$ xcode-select --install

Install Homebrew and a Ruby version manager

Homebrew (brew.sh) handles dependencies; a version manager such as mise installs Ruby and lets you switch versions per project. rbenv and asdf work equally well.

$ brew install mise $ mise use --global ruby@3

Install Rails

Finally, install the Rails gem:

$ gem install rails

First app

Create your first Rails app

With Ruby and Rails installed, you are exactly where RailsInstaller used to leave you — just on current versions.

$ rails new myapp $ cd myapp $ bin/rails server

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser and you will see your new Rails application running. For the authoritative, always-current instructions, the official Install Ruby on Rails guide is the place to check the exact recommended Ruby and Rails versions.

Reference

What RailsInstaller bundled

The complete toolchain it set up for you — today these are installed individually or through a version manager, but the goal is the same.

  • Ruby — the programming language Rails is written in
  • Rails — the web application framework itself
  • Bundler — manages a project's gem dependencies
  • Git — version control for your code
  • SQLite — a zero-configuration database for development
  • DevKit / build tools — the compiler toolchain for native gem extensions
  • TinyTDS & the SQL Server adapter — optional Microsoft SQL Server support
  • RVM & the SM Framework — Ruby version management on the macOS builds

Keep going

What’s next

Once Rails is installed, the Rails Guides are the best reference for building applications — start with “Getting Started”.

For a thorough, project-based introduction, the Ruby on Rails Tutorial by Michael Hartl walks you through building real applications from the ground up.

Curious how Ruby on Rails stacks up against other frameworks today? See its popularity ranking and key facts on HotFrameworks.