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RVM Review

Depends

Should I use RVM?

Support - rvm.io

· 1 week ago

A free, workable Ruby version manager best suited to developers maintaining older or multi-version Ruby setups. New projects pick rbenv, asdf, or mise, community momentum has moved on.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~40 public sources; most describe unrelated 'RVM' namesakes (crypto, vending machines, monitoring), so only Ruby Version Manager evidence was used.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelDonations
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Legacy Ruby codebases pinned to old Rubies
  • Solo devs juggling multiple Ruby versions
  • Rails apps that rely on gemsets

Not for

  • New Ruby projects, asdf or mise is today's default
  • Polyglot teams needing one tool for many languages
  • Anyone wanting vendor-backed support or SLAs
  • Non-developers, it's a command-line tool, nothing more

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

No paid support or SLA; volunteer-maintained, so fix speed varies.

medium

CVE-2017-1000037 is on record; verify your installed version is patched.

low

Guess: RVM overrides shell cd and builds its own Rubies, surprising scripts and CI.

low

Ruby-only; polyglot teams need a second tool for Python or Node versions.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free, open source, and donation-funded
  • Manages multiple Ruby versions and gemsets for Rails apps
  • Long-established with abundant documentation and tutorials
  • Publishes dedicated product security pages

Cons

  • Community momentum shifted toward rbenv, asdf, and mise
  • Users report weird unresolved issues versus rbenv
  • Donation-funded; public funding appeals raised since 2022
  • A 2017 CVE remains on record

Sources & method

- 10 sources - One 2017 CVE (CVE-2017-1000037) on record; official security pages published at rvm.io.

official x4review x4security x2
  • CVE-2017-1000037, NVD lists a 2017 vulnerability affecting RVM (Ruby Version Manager). Check NVD for affected versions and remediation details.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free, open source, no paid tiers
  • Ease of use: 3/5. Works, but users report friction versus rbenv
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Multiple Rubies plus gemsets; richer than minimal alternatives
  • Support quality: 2/5. Volunteer-maintained; public funding appeals
  • Security posture: 3/5. One 2017 CVE; official security pages exist
  • $0 Price Free, open source, donation-funded
  • Yes Free tier Entirely free; donations accepted
  • 1 Known CVEs CVE-2017-1000037, dated 2017
  • Donations Funding model Linode donated hosting infrastructure

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Full tool, open source
  • Community support only
  • Donation-funded upkeep

Security

One 2017 CVE (CVE-2017-1000037) on record; official security pages published at rvm.io.

  • CVE-2017-1000037NVD lists a 2017 vulnerability affecting RVM (Ruby Version Manager). Check NVD for affected versions and remediation details.⁵

What users say

Rubyists on Reddit and forums report friction with RVM and frequently discuss switching to rbenv.

“I had weird unresolvable”
Reddit, r/ruby
“What are the alternatives to Ruby Version Manager (rvm)?”
Stack Overflow question

Alternatives

Compare RVM with each alternative.

  • rbenv

    Simpler, lighter Ruby switcher; current community favorite.

  • asdf

    One version manager for every language, not just Ruby.

  • mise

    Modern, fast successor to asdf for polyglot projects.

    RVM vs mise
Full analysis

Based on ~40 public sources; most describe unrelated 'RVM' namesakes (crypto, vending machines, monitoring), so only Ruby Version Manager evidence was used.

Free Ruby version manager; solid but aging. Most Rubyists now choose rbenv, asdf, or mise instead.

Methodology

Based on ~40 public sources; most describe unrelated 'RVM' namesakes (crypto, vending machines, monitoring), so only Ruby Version Manager evidence was used.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Product security pagervm.io
    official
  2. Tag fundingrvm.io
    official
  3. Who Funds RVM? — Ruby Version Managerrvm_io.global.ssl.fastly.net
    official
  4. more open source funding available from Gitpodgithub.com
    official
  5. CVE-2017-1000037 Detail — NVDnvd.nist.gov
    security
  6. CVE-2017-1000037: Fix & Detailsstrix.ai
    security
  7. RVM vs RBEnv?reddit.com
    review
  8. Comparison of version managers — rbenv wikigithub.com
    review
  9. What are the alternatives to Ruby Version Manager (rvm)?stackoverflow.com
    review
  10. State of Ruby: What version manager to usedev.to
    review

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