Documentation > Rubies > Named

Named Rubies

RVM allows you to install the same ruby multiple times using suffixes. This can be useful for a number of purposes, such as making and testing patches for a ruby itself. You may also want to read about how to patch and how to alias rubies.

Creating a named Ruby

The process is the same as installation, just use the -n {name} switch:

$ rvm install rbx -n default_19 -- --default-version=1.9
rbx-head-default_19 installing #dependencies
...
$ rvm use rbx-default_19
Using /home/mpapis/.rvm/gems/rbx-head-default_19

or simply add a hyphen and the name as a suffix to a valid ruby version:

$ rvm install 2.1.1-named
...
ruby-2.1.1-named - #configuring
...
$ rvm use 2.1.1-named
Using /Users/rys/.rvm/gems/ruby-2.1.1-named

Selecting names for your Rubies

There are strict rules for the names of named rubies. First, the name of a named ruby must match the following regexp pattern:

[[:alpha:]][[:alnum:]_]*

Second, the name must also not match any other version specifier, nor any of the following regexp patterns:

head
system
nightly
preview.*
rc[[:digit:]].*
p[[:digit:]].*
r[[:digit:]].*
s[[:alnum:]].*
tv[[:digit:]].*
t[[:digit:]].*
m[[:digit:]].*
u[[:alnum:]].*
a[[:digit:]][[:digit:]].*
b[[:digit:]].*
ruby
rbx
jruby
macruby
ree
kiji
rubinius
maglev
ironruby
goruby

If the above list is incomplete or you find exceptions please feel free to contribute.