HomeBrew Setup

1. Install Xcode’s Command Line Tools

xcode-select --install

Xcode is an integrated development environment (IDE) that consists of software development tools for macOS. You won’t need Xcode to use Homebrew, but some of the software and components you’ll want to install will rely on Xcode’s Command Line Tools package.

2. Install Homebrew

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

The above command will download the installation script and then execute the script with the bash command.

3. Configuring Homebrew

You need to add Homebrew’s executable directory to the front of the PATH to prioritize its tools over macOS defaults.

Run the following command to determine your shell. You’ll see either bash or zsh.

echo $0

If you’re using ZSH, open the file ~/.zshrc in your editor:

nano ~/.zshrc

If you’re using the Bash shell, use the file ~/.bash_profile:

nano ~/.bash_profile

Add the following lines to the end of the file:

export PATH=/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH

To save your changes, press ^ and O, and when prompted, press the RETURN key. Then exit the editor by pressing ^ and X. This will return you to your Terminal prompt.

Use the below source command to activate the changes, based on which file you modified:

source ~/.zshrc

or

source ~/.bash_profile

4. Verify Homebrew Setup

brew doctor

If no updates are required at this time, you’ll see this in your Terminal:

Your system is ready to brew.