Introduction to Homebrew and Installation

What is Homebrew?

Hombrew has become an indispensable tool for my workflow. It’s the first software I always install on a my Mac.Homebrew is a free and open-source package management system that simplifies the installation of software on macOS and Linux. Often referred to as “The Missing Package Manager for macOS” because it doesn’t ship with a package manager by default. Homebrew allows developers and users to easily install command-line tools, applications, and libraries that aren’t included in the operating system.

Key Benefits

• Simple Installation: Install software with a single command
• Dependency Management: Automatically handles software dependencies
• Up-to-date Packages: Maintains current versions of software
• Uninstall Easily: Remove packages cleanly when no longer needed
• Large Repository: Access to thousands of packages through formulae and casks

Installation

Run the official installation script:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

You will be prompted to enter your password. This is because Homebrew needs to modify your system files. When entering the password, you will not see any characters being typed. This is normal.

Post-Installation Setup

After installation, you need to add Homebrew to your PATH. Otherwise, you will get command not found error when you try to use Homebrew. The installer will provide specific instructions, but typically you’ll need to run:

For Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2):

echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

For Intel Macs:

echo 'eval "$(/usr/local/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/usr/local/bin/brew shellenv)"

Verify Installation

Run the built-in diagnostics:

brew doctor

You should see an output like this:

Your system is ready to brew.

Understanding Formulae and Casks

Homebrew uses two main package types to organize different kinds of software:

Formulae

Formulae are packages for command-line tools, libraries, and other software that runs in the terminal. These are typically developer tools, utilities, and services that don’t have a graphical user interface.

Examples of formulae:

• git - Version control system
• neovim - An awesome text editor

Casks

Casks are packages for GUI applications - the kind of software you would normally download as a .dmg file and drag to your Applications folder. Casks make it easy to install and manage desktop applications from the command line. This is one of the most powerful features of Homebrew in my opinion.

Examples of casks:

• zen - A minimalistic web browser
• spotify - Music streaming app

Basic Usage

Install a Package

brew install [package-name]

Install a GUI Application

brew install --cask [application-name]

Finding Packages

You can search for available formulae and casks:

brew search [search-term]

Or browse them online by going to brew.sh and then pressing CMD + K to open the search bar. This is my preferred way to find packages if you don’t have the Brew extension installed in Raycast.

List Installed Packages

brew list
# Or
brew ls

Upgrade Packages

brew upgrade

Uninstall a Package

brew uninstall [package-name]
# Or
brew rm [package-name]