# Ruby debugger prerequisites [edit]

This Help topics lists the system requirements for using the Ruby debugger.

## Introduction

RDT has the ability to run one of two debuggers: classic or ruby-debug.

The 'classic' debugger is a pure-ruby debugger based on the debug.rb script included in Ruby distributions. This version suffers from significantly slower execution times and has compatibility issues across Ruby versions and OSes.

We also offer the ability to run a debugger using the ruby-debug gem as the backend. ruby-debug is a faster debugging library based off of the debug.rb script with native code and minor changes in functionality for performance reasons.

## Classic Debugger Compatibility

Whether you can debug your ruby application using the classic debugger depends on the version of the ruby interpreter you are using, as well as your OS:

- Ruby 1.6.8 works on Linux or Windows
- 1.8.0 and 1.8.2 also work on Windows.

## Using ruby-debug

We have worked with the author of the ruby-debug gem to provide ruby-debug as a backend debugger. To use ruby-debug as your debugger you'll need to install the ruby-debug-ide gem and it's dependencies. You can install it using the Ruby Gems View.

You'll also need to make sure that the preference flag to use ruby-debug is enabled. You can find that preference in Window > Preferences... > Ruby > Debugger. Please note that we will attempt to automatically enable the use of ruby-debug if we detect that the ruby-debug-ide gem is installed.

## Related Topics

- Ruby Debugger
- Starting a Ruby debug session
- Ruby Debug Views
- Automatic Ruby code reloading
- Inspection shortcuts (Ruby)
- Debugging into ruby libraries
- Known Ruby debugging limitations
- Fast Rails Debugging using Aptana Rails IDE

Retrieved from "http://aptana.com/docs/index.php/Ruby_debugger_prerequisites"

Categories: AptanaHelp | RadRails | RDT