Homebrew is an open source package manager for macOS. It is known as the missing package manager for macOS. Homebrew is also written in the Ruby programming language.
The reason why package managers are so important is when developers connect their applications, redirect or write scripts, software packages become so interdependent. With a package manager, compatibility check and system dependency are removed and installing applications is a lot easier.
1. Cask
Cask provides simplicity and speed to install and manage GUI applications on macOS. Put simply, it's a way to install applications on your Mac without the hassle of googling it and installing it online.
1 2 | $ brew install cask |
- List apps: brew search —- casks
- Search apps: brew search (app_name)
- Install: brew cask install (app_name)
- Update: brew cask upgrade
- Help: brew cask help
https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-cask
2. Youtube-dl
Youtube-dl is a command line program used to download YouTube videos or videos from any platform in high resolution. There are also many other functions that you can test and you can test them at their GitHub repository below.
1 2 | $ brew install youtube-dl |
- Install ffmpeg: brew install youtube-dl ffmpeg
- Download highest-res: youtube-dl -f bestvideo + bestaudio 'link'
- Help: youtube-dl —- help
https://github.com/ytdl-org/youtube-dl
3. Speedtest
Speedtest-cli is a command line interface for checking internet bandwidth. It allows you to test specific servers and even gives you a URL so you can brag about your internet speed to your friends.
1 2 | $ brew install speedtest-cli |
- Run: speedtest-cli
https://github.com/sivel/speedtest-cli
4. Imagemagick
Imagemagick is a multifunctional tool that can be used to convert an image format to another format (eg JPEG to PNG). It can also be used to add borders, effects, and resize.
1 2 | $ brew install imagemagick |
- Add border (sample): convert testing.png -border 1×1 -bordercolor black result.png
- Add effect (sample): convert testing.png -charcoal 2 example.png
- Resize (sample): convert testing.png -resize 1920 (or x1080) example.png
- Help: convert help
https://imagemagick.org/index.php
5. mas
mas is the command line interface of the Mac App Store that allows you to install Mac applications from the App Store directly from the command line.
You can search for apps, install all available updates, print the version number of an app in the store, and more. There is also an interesting option called luck that will install search results first.
1 2 | $ brew install mas |
- List all apps: mas list
- Search for apps: mas search Xcode
- Install apps: mas install 497799835 (the version number of the app)
- Pending update apps: mas outdated
- Update apps: mas upgrade
https://github.com/mas-cli/mas
6. wifi-password
wifi-password does exactly what its name suggests, it displays the Wi-Fi password of the network you are currently connected to. After entering your Keychain authentication, the password is displayed in bright green.
1 2 | $ brew install wifi-password |
- Run: wifi-password
7. tree
Tree is a tool that lists the contents of folders in a directory in a tree-like format. This handy tip is a lifesaver for those who want to quickly visualize the project file structure.
1 2 | $ brew install tree |
- Run: tree
http://mama.indstate.edu/users/ice/tree/
8. archey
archey displays your system information inside the terminal with a text-based retro Apple logo.
1 2 | $ brew install archey |
- Run: archey
- Color: archey -c
- Black and white: archey -b