Mac Developer Setup

Step 1: Run the installation script

Open Terminal and execute the official Homebrew installation command:

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

The script will prompt you for your password and explain what it will install before proceeding.

Step 2: Add Homebrew to your PATH

After installation, you may need to add Homebrew to your shell configuration. Follow the instructions shown at the end of the installation, or run:

echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

Step 3: Verify installation

Confirm Homebrew is correctly installed and in your PATH:

brew --version

You should see output like "Homebrew 4.x.x" confirming the installation.

Step 1: Install Git via Homebrew

Install the latest version of Git:

brew install git

Step 2: Set your name and email

Configure Git with your identity. This information will be associated with your commits:

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"

Replace "Your Name" and "your.email@example.com" with your actual name and email address.

Step 3: Set default branch name

Configure Git to use "main" as the default branch name for new repositories:

git config --global init.defaultBranch main

Step 4: Verify configuration

Check that your configuration was applied correctly:

git config --global --list

Step 1: Install Node.js via Homebrew

Install the latest LTS (Long Term Support) version of Node.js:

brew install node

Step 2: Verify Node.js installation

Confirm Node.js is installed and check the version:

node --version

Step 3: Verify npm installation

npm is installed automatically with Node.js. Verify it's available:

npm --version

Step 1: Generate a new SSH key pair

Create a new SSH key using the Ed25519 algorithm (recommended for security and performance):

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your.email@example.com"

Replace "your.email@example.com" with your email. When prompted for a file location, press Enter to accept the default. You can optionally set a passphrase for added security.

Step 2: Start the SSH agent

Ensure the SSH agent is running in the background:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

Step 3: Add your SSH key to the agent

Add your newly generated private key to the SSH agent:

ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Step 4: Copy your public key

Display and copy your public key to add to GitHub or GitLab:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub | pbcopy

This copies your public key to the clipboard. Now add it to your GitHub account (Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key) or GitLab account (Preferences → SSH Keys).

Step 5: Test your connection

Verify your SSH connection to GitHub:

ssh -T git@github.com

You should see a message like "Hi username! You've successfully authenticated" if everything is configured correctly.

Step 1: Install VS Code via Homebrew

Install Visual Studio Code using Homebrew Cask:

brew install --cask visual-studio-code

Step 2: Install the code command

Enable the "code" command in your terminal to open files and folders in VS Code:

Open VS Code, press Cmd + Shift + P to open the Command Palette, then type "shell command" and select "Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH".

Step 3: Verify installation

Test that the code command works by opening VS Code from the terminal:

code --version

Step 4: Recommended extensions

Install essential extensions for web development. Run these commands or install through the VS Code Extensions panel:

code --install-extension dbaeumer.vscode-eslint
code --install-extension esbenp.prettier-vscode
code --install-extension eamodio.gitlens
code --install-extension bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss

• ESLint – JavaScript/TypeScript linting
• Prettier – Code formatting
• GitLens – Enhanced Git integration
• Tailwind CSS IntelliSense – Autocomplete for Tailwind classes