[Ruby](https://www.ruby-lang.org) is a dynamic, open-source programming language known for its simplicity and productivity. With an expressive and elegant syntax, part of the Ruby philosophy is to make developers happy. It is often used for web development with a range of different frameworks, and for scripting, allowing for fast iterations when building prototypes.
While Ruby is installed by default on some operating systems (such as macOS and some distributions of Linux), we recommend using a version manager such as [rbenv](https://github.com/rbenv/rbenv) to be able to access newer versions of Ruby on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Follow the [installation guidance](https://github.com/rbenv/rbenv#installation) for your platform.
>**Note**: As with installing any new toolset on your machine, you'll want to make sure to restart your terminal/Command Prompt and VS Code instances to use the updated toolset location in your platform's PATH variable.
We'll discuss many of Ruby LSP features in this topic but you can also refer to the extension's [documentation](https://shopify.github.io/ruby-lsp) and [repository](https://github.com/Shopify/ruby-lsp).
After installing, check the language status item to see the status of the Ruby LSP server. If the version manager has been configured, it should display the right Ruby version for your project. The server status should display starting or running, but not error.
The extension generates a `.ruby-lsp` folder automatically with a custom bundle that includes the language server gem `ruby-lsp`. No configuration should be required.
By default, the extension tries to automatically detect the Ruby version manager you're using and use the right versions and paths accordingly. If you want to customize that behavior, set the following configuration in your user [settings](/docs/getstarted/settings.md):
The extension will automatically try to update the `ruby-lsp` language server gem periodically; if you want to force that to happen, use the Command Palette (`kb(workbench.action.showCommands)`) to execute **Ruby LSP: Update language server gem**.
Ruby LSP is able to display useful information about inferred or implicit values in your code. In the example below, you can see `StandardError` being shown as the implicit exception class being rescued in an empty `rescue` call.
While inlay hints can be helpful for understanding your code, you can also disable the feature via the **Editor > Inlay Hints: Enabled** setting (`setting(editor.inlayHints.enabled)`) or use the following to disable this feature only for Ruby LSP:
Ruby LSP is able to use [semantic syntax highlighting](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/wiki/Semantic-Highlighting-Overview) and styling due to its rich understanding of a project source code.
For example, it can highlight:
* Method invocations consistently, without confusing it with local variables.
* Local arguments (such as method, block or lambda arguments) consistently inside the scope in which they exist.
>**Note**: This screenshot is using the Spinel theme included in the [Ruby extension pack](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=Shopify.ruby-extensions-pack). Themes must use the information surfaced by the Ruby LSP in order to provide rich highlighting for Ruby files.
By default, Ruby LSP provides linting and formatting through an integration with [RuboCop](https://github.com/rubocop/rubocop). You can format your Ruby file using `kb(editor.action.formatDocument)` or by running the **Format Document** command from the Command Palette (`kb(workbench.action.showCommands)`) or the context menu in the editor.
You can also run the formatter on each save (**Editor: Format On Save**) to keep your Ruby code properly formatted automatically while you are working. To do that, you must enable format on save.
The Ruby LSP extension also provides some convenient completions using format on type. For example, it will auto-continue comment lines and auto-close `end` tokens, pipes, or string interpolation curly braces. To use format on type, make sure it's enabled in the editor with:
When the linter finds errors and warnings in your source code, Ruby LSP can often provide suggested Quick Fixes (also called Code Actions), which are available via a light bulb hover in the editor. You can quickly open available Quick Fixes via the `kb(editor.action.quickFix)`.
Additionally, **Code Action Widget: Include Nearby Quick Fixes** (`setting(editor.codeActionWidget.includeNearbyQuickFixes)`) is a setting that is enabled on default, which will activate the nearest Quick Fix in a line from `kb(editor.action.quickFix)` (command ID `editor.action.quickFix`), no matter where your cursor is in that line.
The command highlights the source code that will be refactored or fixed with Quick Fixes. Normal Code Actions and non-fix refactorings can still be activated at the cursor location.
In addition to Quick Fixes, the Ruby LSP also provides refactor options through Code Actions. For example, it can extract a Ruby expression into a local variable with a single click.
2. Start debugging by selecting the desired task under **Run and Debug** and clicking the start debugging button (default keyboard shortcut `kb(workbench.action.debug.start)`).
This has been a brief overview showing the Ruby LSP extension features within VS Code. For more information, see the details provided in the Ruby LSP [documentation](https://shopify.github.io/ruby-lsp), including how to tune specific [VS Code editor](https://github.com/Shopify/ruby-lsp/blob/main/vscode/README.md) configurations.
To stay up to date on the latest features/bug fixes for the Ruby LSP extension, see the Releases page for the [monorepo](https://github.com/Shopify/ruby-lsp/releases), which includes both the server and VS Code extension implementations.
* [Install an Extension](/docs/editor/extension-marketplace.md) - Learn about other extensions are available in the [Marketplace](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/vscode).
