Homebrew

Homebrew is the Mac package manager. Install it:

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

Common Homebrew Commands

Command	What It Does
brew install <package>	Install a CLI tool
brew install --cask <app>	Install a GUI app
brew list	Show installed packages
brew update	Update Homebrew itself
brew upgrade	Upgrade all packages
brew uninstall <package>	Remove a package
brew search <name>	Search for packages
brew cleanup	Remove old versions

Homebrew. Your Package Manager

Homebrew is the unofficial (but universal) package manager for macOS. If you used apt, yum, choco, or winget: same idea.

Install Homebrew

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

Core Commands

Command	What It Does
brew install <name>	Install a command-line tool (git, node, python)
brew install --cask <name>	Install a GUI app (firefox, visual-studio-code, discord)
brew update	Refresh the list of available packages
brew upgrade	Upgrade all installed packages
brew upgrade <name>	Upgrade a specific package
brew list	Show everything you've installed
brew search <name>	Search for a package
brew uninstall <name>	Remove a package
brew info <name>	Show details about a package
brew doctor	Diagnose common issues

Keeping Everything Current

# Update and upgrade everything in one shot
brew update && brew upgrade

# Clean up old versions
brew cleanup

Tip: Run brew update && brew upgrade weekly. Or add it to your shell profile to run on terminal open.

Homebrew vs Alternatives

Method	Best For	Auto-Update?
Homebrew	CLI tools + GUI apps	Manual (brew upgrade)
Mac App Store	Apple-curated apps, sandboxed	Automatic
Direct download (.dmg/.pkg)	Apps not in Homebrew or App Store	Varies (app-specific)

Mac App Store (mas)

The mas CLI lets you manage App Store apps from the terminal.

Install

brew install mas

Commands

Command	What It Does
mas list	Show installed App Store apps
mas search <name>	Search the App Store
mas install <id>	Install by app ID
mas upgrade	Upgrade all App Store apps
mas outdated	Show apps with available updates

Finding App IDs

mas search "Xcode"
# Output: 497799835  Xcode (16.0)

mas install 497799835

One-Command Update Strategy

Create an alias that updates everything at once:

# Add to ~/.zshrc
alias update-all='brew update && brew upgrade && brew cleanup && mas upgrade'

Then just run:

update-all

App Installation Methods Compared

.dmg Files (Disk Images)

1. Double-click the .dmg to mount it
2. Drag the app to the Applications folder
3. Eject the disk image (right-click → Eject)
4. Delete the .dmg from Downloads

.pkg Files (Installers)

1. Double-click the .pkg
2. Follow the installer wizard
3. These can install system-level components (drivers, services)

.app Files (Standalone)

Just drag to /Applications. That's it.

Homebrew Casks

brew install --cask firefox

Installs to /Applications automatically. Uninstall with brew uninstall firefox.

What to Install Where

App Type	Recommended Method
Developer tools (git, node, python)	Homebrew (brew install)
Popular GUI apps	Homebrew Cask (brew install --cask)
Apple apps (Xcode, iMovie)	Mac App Store
Corporate/enterprise apps	Your IT department's method (Intune, Jamf)
Niche apps without Homebrew formula	Direct download from developer

Uninstalling Apps

GUI Apps

1. Open Finder → Applications
2. Drag the app to Trash (or right-click → Move to Trash)
3. Empty Trash

Note: Some apps leave behind preferences in ~/Library/Preferences/ and support files in ~/Library/Application Support/. For a clean uninstall, use brew uninstall or an app like AppCleaner.

Homebrew Apps

brew uninstall <name>

Checking What's Installed

# Homebrew packages
brew list

# App Store apps
mas list

# Everything in /Applications
ls /Applications