# Gem installation

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-installation/51873>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [January 8, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-installation/51873 "2006-01-08T16:03:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![markcasio](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@markcasio](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/markcasio)\
**Post date:** [January 8, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-installation/51873/1 "2006-01-08T16:03:14Z")

</div>

I see that when I install a gem, it gets installed under  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/{gem-name}.

What does the 1.8 represent?  
Is it the version of Ruby required to use the gem?  
Depending on what other gems I install, could I also have a  
/usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.6 directory?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![markcasio](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@markcasio](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/markcasio)\
**Post date:** [January 9, 2006, 9:55am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/gem-installation/51873/2 "2006-01-09T09:55:22Z")

</div>

Mark V. wrote:

> I see that when I install a gem, it gets installed under  
> /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.8/gems/{gem-name}.
> 
> What does the 1.8 represent?  
> Is it the version of Ruby required to use the gem?  
> Depending on what other gems I install, could I also have a  
> /usr/local/lib/ruby/gems/1.6 directory?

If you used Ruby 1.6 to execute “gem install foo”, then foo would be  
installed in “…/ruby/gems/1.6/…”. I’m pretty sure that’s what the  
1.8 means.

Except, that is, that “gem” requires Ruby 1.8 to run 🙂

Gavin