Homebrew

Homebrew (also known as Linuxbrew on Linux) is a free and open-source package manager that simplifies installing software.

1. Installation on Ubuntu

Before installing, install the required dependencies (compiler tools and curl):

# Update APT package indexes
sudo apt update

# Install build dependencies
sudo apt install build-essential curl git -y

Run the official Homebrew installation script:

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

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2. Post-Installation Path Configuration

After installation completes, you must add Homebrew to your shell environment so the brew command is available in the terminal.

For Bash (default on Ubuntu), run the following commands:

# Add Homebrew environment script to your shell startup file
echo 'eval "$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.bashrc

# Apply changes to your current terminal session
eval "$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

For Zsh (if using Zsh), run:

echo 'eval "$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zshrc
eval "$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

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3. Essential Commands

Basic usage of brew CLI commands.

Package Installation & Removal

# Install a package (formula)
brew install <formula>

# Uninstall a package
brew uninstall <formula>

# Reinstall a package
brew reinstall <formula>

Search & Information

# Search for available packages
brew search <formula>

# Show detailed information about a package (dependencies, homepage, etc.)
brew info <formula>

# List all packages installed via Homebrew
brew list

Updates & Upgrades

# Update Homebrew itself and all package definitions (formulae)
brew update

# Show what packages would be upgraded (dry run)
brew upgrade --dry-run

# Upgrade all outdated packages to their latest versions
brew upgrade

# Upgrade a specific package
brew upgrade <formula>

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4. Maintenance & Diagnostics

Keep Homebrew running smoothly.

# Run system diagnostics to find potential configuration issues
brew doctor

# Remove old lock files, outdated downloads, and prune cache
brew cleanup

# Show where Homebrew is installed and its current environment variables
brew shellenv

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5. Backup & Restore (Brewfile)

Homebrew Bundler allows you to share, backup, or restore your entire package setup using a single Brewfile.

Dumping (Backing up) your current setup

# Export all installed formulae, casks, taps, and apps to a Brewfile
# --force will overwrite any existing Brewfile, and --file specifies the output path
brew bundle dump --force --file=~/Brewfile

Installing (Restoring) from a Brewfile

# Install all packages listed in a Brewfile
brew bundle install --file=~/Brewfile

# Check if there are any missing dependencies listed in the Brewfile
brew bundle check --file=~/Brewfile

# Uninstall any packages not listed in the Brewfile
# (Caution: this cleans up your environment to match the Brewfile exactly)
brew bundle cleanup --force --file=~/Brewfile