brew
Install, update, and manage software packages
TLDR
Install the latest stable version of a formula or cask
List all installed formulae and casks
Upgrade an installed formula or cask (if none is given, all installed formulae/casks are upgraded)
Fetch the newest version of Homebrew and of all formulae and casks from the Homebrew source repository
Show formulae and casks that have a more recent version available
Search for available formulae (i.e. packages) and casks (i.e. native macOS .app packages)
Display information about a formula or a cask (version, installation path, dependencies, etc.)
Check the local Homebrew installation for potential problems
SYNOPSIS
brew [global-options...] command [formula|cask]... [options]
PARAMETERS
--help
Show general help or for specific command
--version
Display Homebrew version
--verbose
More logging during execution
--quiet
Suppress output
--debug
Enable debug mode
--force
Override safeguards
install
Install formula/cask with dependencies
uninstall
Remove formula/cask and dependencies
list
List installed formulae/casks
search
Search available formulae/casks
update
Fetch latest formulae/cask definitions
upgrade
Upgrade outdated formulae/casks
info
Show details about formula/cask
doctor
Check system for common issues
cleanup
Remove old downloads and cache
DESCRIPTION
brew is the primary command for Homebrew, an open-source package manager that installs, updates, and manages software on macOS, Linux, and Windows (via WSL). On Linux, it creates a self-contained cellar in ~/.linuxbrew or /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew, preventing conflicts with native managers like apt or dnf.
It handles formulae (CLI apps, libraries) and casks (GUI apps on macOS), resolving dependencies automatically from a vast GitHub repository. Core workflow: update formulae lists, install packages, and upgrade as needed. For example, brew install wget fetches, compiles, and links wget.
Benefits include version pinning, easy rollbacks, and portability. It supports taps (external repos) for niche software. On Linux, it excels for developer tools absent or outdated in distro repos, like recent Node.js or Rust. However, large installs consume disk space due to source builds.
With over 8,000 formulae, brew empowers users with a Ruby-based DSL for custom packages, fostering a community-driven ecosystem.
CAVEATS
On Linux, adjust PATH carefully to prioritize /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin; avoid mixing with system packages to prevent DLL hell. Builds from source are slow/resource-intensive. Not for production servers.
INSTALLATION
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
QUICK START
brew update
brew upgrade
brew install git wget htop
brew doctor to verify setup
HISTORY
Created by Max Howell in 2009 for macOS to ease Ruby dev. Linuxbrew forked in 2014 by Michka Popov for portability. Projects merged in 2020, unifying under Homebrew with native Linux support. Now maintained by Homebrew team on GitHub.
