Install Packages with Homebrew for OS X

 

Install Homebrew and Homebrew Cask

First, you’ll need the command-line tools for Xcode installed. On a modern Mac OS X system, you can install these just by running the following command in a Terminal window. You could also install the full Xcode application from Apple, if you prefer — but that takes up more space on your Mac and isn’t necessary.

xcode-select --install

Next, install Homebrew. You can just open a Terminal window, copy-paste the following command, and press Enter:

ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

Update: Run the following command instead. if you run the ruby script using the command above, it will ask you to run the following command:

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

This script informs you what it will do. Press Enter and then provide your password to install it. By default, it installs Homebrew so you can use the brew command without typing the sudo command and providing your password.

Run the following command once you’re done to ensure Homebrew is installed and working properly:

brew doctor

UPDATE: The below command is no longer necessary. Homebrew Cask is now automatically installed as part of Homebrew itself.

Once you’re done, run the following command to install Homebrew Cask. It uses Homebrew to install Cask:

brew install caskroom/cask/brew-cask

Install Graphical Apps With Homebrew Cask

Now you can get started installing those graphical apps you want. This involves some very simple commands. To search for one, use the following command:

brew cask search name

To install an app, run the following command. Homebrew Cask will automatically download it, extract the app, and install it to your Applications folder.

brew cask install name

To uninstall an app with Homebrew Cask, run the following command:

brew cask uninstall name

Install Open-Source Utilities With Homebrew

The Homebrew command is the underlying package manager that installs all those UNIX and open-source utilities you might want. It’s the easiest way to install them on Mac OS X, just as it is on Linux. Like Homebrew Cask, it uses simple commands.

To search for a utility:

brew search name

To download and install that package:

brew install name

To remove that package from your system later:

brew remove name