Ruby on Rails, often referred to as Rails, is a powerful web application framework built using the Ruby programming language. It follows the Model-View-Controller (MVC) design pattern and emphasizes “convention over configuration,” making it particularly friendly and efficient for developers to work with.
Developers love Rails for its elegance, rapid development capabilities, and vast ecosystem of gems (libraries). Whether you’re building an MVP, a full-scale SaaS app, or just experimenting with backend APIs, Rails provides a clean and opinionated structure to work with.
However, if you’re on Windows 11, installing Ruby on Rails can be a bit of a roller coaster. Between missing dependencies, path mismatches, and environment configuration chaos, it’s not always straightforward, especially when compared to Unix-based systems like macOS or Linux.
This blog captures our dev team’s real-world experience. We hit roadblocks, scratched our heads, but finally found a stable and repeatable way to install and run Ruby on Rails smoothly on Windows 11.
👉 New to Rails? Learn What is Ruby on Rails & Why Use it for Web Application?
When we set out to install Ruby on Rails on Windows 11, we underestimated the complexity. Here’s a rundown of the hurdles we encountered:
Many Ruby and Rails dependencies are optimized for Unix-like systems. Windows 11, with its different file system and process handling, often throws errors during gem installations or when running the Rails server.
Configuring the PATH environment variable and ensuring tools like Node.js, Yarn, and Ruby worked well together was trickier than expected. We frequently ran into version mismatches.
Gems like nokogiri, psych, ffi, and pg require native extensions, which often fail to compile without the correct development tools or libraries installed.
On Windows, we also face the tzinfo gem cannot find a valid timezone data source on your Windows system. On Linux/macOS, this data usually exists at locations like /usr/share/zoneinfo, but on Windows, it’s not present by default.
Windows 11’s security settings and User Account Control (UAC) caused permission errors when installing gems or accessing certain directories. Incorrect PATH settings also led to “command not found” errors.
These issues left us frustrated, but after trial and error, we pieced together a process that worked consistently. Below, we share the exact steps, complete with code snippets and resources.
After trial and error, here’s the exact sequence that worked flawlessly for us. This guide assumes a fresh Windows 11 installation and will help avoid 90% of typical issues.
Node is required for Rails’ JavaScript runtime (Webpack, ESBuild, etc.).
node -v // To check the node version.
npm -v // To check the npm version.Yarn helps with managing JavaScript dependencies in Rails projects using Webpacker or similar tools.
Once installed, verify:
yarn -v // To check the yarn version.Use the official RubyInstaller with MSYS2 toolchain support (v3. x recommended).
Choose a version like:
▪️Ruby 3.2.x (with DevKit)
During installation, make sure you check:
▪️Add Ruby executables to your PATH
▪️Run ridk install (to install MSYS2 toolchain)
Verify:
ruby -v // Checks the Ruby version.
gem -v // Checks if the gem is ready or not.Then run:
ridk installChoose option 3 (Install MSYS2 and development toolchain).
We recommend using the RailsInstaller for a bundled installation of Ruby, Rails, and essential dependencies:
This simplifies setup, especially for beginners or those unfamiliar with environment configurations.
Alternatively, if you already have Ruby configured, you can manually install Rails via gem:
gem install rails
Verify installation:
rails -vIf your app uses PostgreSQL, install both:
During setup:
▪️Set a password for the postgres user (you’ll use it in database.yml)
▪️Install pgAdmin for GUI database management
After installation, confirm:
psql --versionrails new app-name
cd app-nameIf you want to add API and database configuration at the time of creating an app:
rails new app-name --database=postgresql --api
cd app-nameOr, clone an existing repo:
git clone <your_repo_url>
cd your_projectbundle installMake sure Bundler is installed:
gem install bundlerEdit config/database.yml to use PostgreSQL:
default: &default
adapter: postgresql
encoding: unicode
host: localhost
username: postgres
password: your_password
pool: 5
development:
<<: *default
database: your_db_nameThen create the DB:
rails db:createpg_restore --verbose --clean --no-acl --no-owner --host=localhost --username=postgres --dbname=your_db_name path/to/dump_file.dumprails db:migraterails sOpen your browser and go to:
http://localhost:3000Get instant solutions to common setup problems.
Use Git Bash or PowerShell. CMD is fine for basic use, but we faced fewer permission issues and better Ruby behavior in Git Bash.
We recommend Visual Studio Code for Windows. Install the Ruby, Rails, and Solargraph extensions for code completion and syntax support.
Stick to one Ruby version and ensure you’re not mixing system vs custom installations. Use where ruby to check if multiple versions exist.
This file caused the most issues during cloning and DB restoration. Ensure:
▪️Proper spacing (YAML is sensitive)
▪️Correct credentials
▪️No tabs, only spaces!
Sometimes bundle install throws permission errors. Use:
bundle install --path vendor/bundleOr run Git Bash as an administrator.
Start
↓
Install Node.js → Install Yarn (Optional)
↓
Install Ruby + DevKit → run `ridk install`
↓
Install Rails via RailsInstaller or `gem install rails`
↓
Install PostgreSQL + pgAdmin (if needed)
↓
Create or clone a Rails app
↓
Configure DB & run migrations
↓
Run Rails server
[Client Browser]
↓
[Rails App – Controller]
↓
[Model ↔ Database (PostgreSQL)]
↓
[View → HTML Response]
development:
adapter: postgresql
encoding: unicode
database: dev_db
pool: 5
username: postgres
password: secret
host: localhost
Getting Ruby on Rails running on Windows 11 is possible, but it requires careful steps and a few lessons from the trenches. Our dev team’s initial frustration gave way to a working solution that now serves as our official onboarding guide for Windows developers.
While many developers traditionally prefer Ubuntu or macOS for Rails development—largely due to the challenges of setting it up on Windows—we hope this guide helps change that perception. With the right configuration, you can enjoy the power of Rails without leaving the comfort of your Windows OS.
Whether you’re prototyping or contributing to a large Rails codebase, this setup will save you time, avoid dependency nightmares, and help you focus on building features.
We’d love to hear from you! If you encounter a unique setup issue or discover a helpful tweak, drop a comment or share your experience. Let’s make Rails on Windows smoother for everyone.
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