For both new and experienced users of the Ruby programming language, the significance of available Ruby versions and runtimes can be daunting. In many cases, the “pre-installed” Ruby is too old, even on operating systems released as frequently as a year ago.

Different versions of Ruby offer different features and benefits, and different runtimes are better suited for certain workloads. It is not sufficient, as a Ruby programmer, to ignore the existence of alternate versions and runtimes. Luckily, the differences are quite simple and easy to understand.

Unfortunately, while there are a spattering of blog posts covering specific differences between different versions and runtimes, there isn’t a single definitive source that covers the high-level differences. This tutorial aims to be that source.

Read Ruby Versions Demystified