Homebrew
The Missing Package Manager for macOS (or Linux)
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Install Homebrew
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Paste that in a macOS Terminal or Linux shell prompt.
The script explains what it will do and then pauses before it does it. Read about other installation options.
If you're on macOS, try our new
.pkginstaller.Download it from Homebrew's latest GitHub release.
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What Does Homebrew Do?
Homebrew installs the stuff you need that Apple (or your Linux system) didn’t.
$ brew install wget -
Homebrew installs packages to their own directory and then symlinks their files into
/opt/homebrew(on Apple Silicon).$ cd /opt/homebrew $ find Cellar Cellar/wget/1.16.1 Cellar/wget/1.16.1/bin/wget Cellar/wget/1.16.1/share/man/man1/wget.1 $ ls -l bin bin/wget -> ../Cellar/wget/1.16.1/bin/wget -
Homebrew won’t install files outside its prefix and you can place a Homebrew installation wherever you like.
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Trivially create your own Homebrew packages.
$ brew create https://foo.com/foo-1.0.tgz Created /opt/homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-core/Formula/foo.rb -
It’s all Git and Ruby underneath, so hack away with the knowledge that you can easily revert your modifications and merge upstream updates.
$ brew edit wget # opens in $EDITOR! -
Homebrew formulae are simple Ruby scripts:
class Wget < Formula desc "Internet file retriever" homepage "https://www.gnu.org/software/wget/" url "https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/wget/wget-1.24.5.tar.gz" sha256 "fa2dc35bab5184ecbc46a9ef83def2aaaa3f4c9f3c97d4bd19dcb07d4da637de" license "GPL-3.0-or-later" def install system "./configure", "--prefix=#{prefix}" system "make", "install" end end -
Homebrew complements macOS (or your Linux system). Install your RubyGems with
gemand their dependencies withbrew. -
“To install, drag this icon…” no more. Homebrew Cask installs macOS apps, fonts and plugins and other non-open source software.
$ brew install --cask firefox -
Making a cask is as simple as creating a formula.
$ brew create --cask https://foo.com/foo-1.0.dmg Editing /opt/homebrew/Library/Taps/homebrew/homebrew-cask/Casks/foo.rb -
brewcommand documentation -
Further Documentation
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Community Discussion
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Homebrew Blog
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Homebrew Packages
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Analytics Data
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Donate to Homebrew
