Homebrew is a developer’s heartthrob.
Advanced Mac users may appreciate using the Homebrew package manager, which greatly simplifies the process of installing command line software and tools on a Mac. For example, if you want to easily install favorite command line tools on a Mac like cask, htop, wget, nmap, tree, irssi, links, colordiff, or virtually any other familiar unix.
- When the “cask” option is used, the user has access to over 3800 Mac OS X GUI programs that can be installed and updated. With the “mas” option, the user can download and update programs from the Apple App Store. The Homebrew developer’s describe Homebrew very concisely: “Homebrew installs the stuff you need that Apple didn’t.”.
- $ brew update $ brew install imagemagick -disable-openmp -build-from-source Apparently that seemed to fix it for me on Mac OS 10.8 (Mountain Lion). Previously I checked out the latest imagemagick brew recipe with 'brew versions imagemagick' and 'git checkout e68e443', see here and here.
- Download Brew Mac Software Mystic Emporium for Mac OS v.1.0.1 Take over a musty old magic shop and turn it into the best business in town in this fun-filled time management game. Brew potions, sell artifacts and tend to a variety of magical customers as you build your very own magic shop.
- Download the latest version of Homebrew for Mac - Manage the installation process of other open source software. Read 2 user reviews of Homebrew on MacUpdate.
If you have never heard of it then it’s basically just a package manager that makes it super easy to install different kinds of software and tools onto your Mac. Say if you’re looking to install Git, Ruby or NodeJS or a Unix command-line utility, then simply just by entering one line of code you can install the software on the get-go.
It also helps to avoid issues that relate to using the
sudo
command when installing certain software. Now whether you are a technical demigod or a newbie who just learned how to type “Hello World” for the first time, this guide is written in such a way it guides you step-by-step on how to install Homebrew on Mac.
If you have any questions or if you do not understand what a certain command does, feel free to Google it or comment down below and one of us or our amazing readers will help you. ?
So without further ado, let’s first discuss what you’ll be needing.
What you will need
- A Mac running at least Mac OS X 10.10 or later.
- Have Command Line Tools installed. You may refer to this Stack Overflow thread for the guide until we write up an updated guide on this in the coming weeks.
- It’s recommended to have some knowledge of using the Mac Command Line and using both bash and zsh. Regardless, we will still show you step-by-step on how to install Homebrew.
Once you have the above ‘stuff’, then you’re ready to proceed with the installation which is shown below. Before that, we like to give our thanks for the guys over at brew.sh for making this Homebrew installation possible for all of us Mac users. ?
Let’s jump right in.
How to Install Homebrew on Mac
- Grab your Macbook Pro, Macbook Air or Macbook or hop onto your iMac or Mac Pro and then simply open the Terminal application (as shown below).
Help! I can’t find the Terminal application on my Mac?
The Terminal application can also be located using the Finder on your Mac and then referring to the following path /Applications/Utilities/. Alternatively, you can also just type “Terminal” into Spotlight Search.
- Sweet. Next, copy-paste the following command into your Terminal:
/usr/bin/ruby -e '$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)'
- Then hit the Enterkey.
- You will find that there will be a few lines where it will provide instructions and explain what Homebrew does and what the script will install as well as where those installs will be located, etc. Simply just hit the Enter or Return key to agree. You can quit by pressing the Escape key.
- One last thing before Homebrew is fully installed on your Mac, you will be prompted to enter your administrator password in order to proceed. So when prompted, enter the password to begin the installation.
- Lastly, simply give it anywhere from 2-5 minutes depending on your Mac’s specs as well as your internet connection speeds. When it is complete you should see the message “Installation successful!”.
That’s all there is to it!
Now you can go ahead and install packages via the Homebrew. You may refer to the Commands Guide below to grasp the various commands used in Homebrew.
Helpful Commands Guide
The
help
command will help if you want to figure out what a certain command does or learn any other parts of Homebrew which you may have not known. The command is entered as follows:
brew help
The command to install any packages such as Docker, MongoDB or just about any software or tool that you find then use the
install [enter-package-name-here]
command. The command is entered as follows: brew install [enter-package-name-here]
![Brew Brew](/uploads/1/2/9/3/129384535/540602764.png)
For example, if you wish to install Docker using Homebrew onto your Mac, the command is written as follows:
brew install docker
What about keeping Homebrew updated? Good question and an important one too! There is a command for that too and yes you guessed it,
update
. It is important that you keep your Homebrew updated frequently as suggested by the original developers of Homebrew themselves. There are frequent updates released for it so be sure to check for it always. Simply enter the command as written below whenever you want to check if there are any updates waiting for the Homebrew to be completed:Download Brew For Mac
brew update
Whilst you’re at it, you may also want to learn how to turn off Homebrew’s analytics tracking. Turning it off can benefit your machine by reducing the network traffic as well as protect your privacy. The command is entered as follows:
![Mac Mac](/uploads/1/2/9/3/129384535/553764858.png)
brew analytics off
Wait, I Change My Mind. How Do I Remove Homebrew From My Mac?
If you installed Homebrew onto your Mac but you had a change of heart then you can uninstall. Simply copy-paste the following command into your Terminal and then hit the Enter key:
ruby -e '$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/uninstall)'
Homebrew Install
This will download and run the uninstaller script which will proceed to uninstall Homebrew from your Mac.
Mac Install Brew In China
We hope that this guide has helped you install Homebrew on your Mac. If you have questions, please feel free to leave a comment below and we will love to help you out. ❤