---
title: Homebrew for WordPress Development
date: 2019-01-01T16:45:01+00:00
modified: 2019-01-01T17:19:05+00:00
permalink: https://kaspars.net/blog/homebrew-wordpress-macos
post_type: post
author:
  name: Kaspars
  avatar: https://reverse.kaspars.net/gravatar/avatar/92bfcd3a8c3a21a033a6484d32c25a40b113ec6891f674336081513d5c98ef76?s=96&d=mm&r=g
category:
  - Development
  - WordPress
---

# Homebrew for WordPress Development

[Homebrew](https://brew.sh/) is an awesome command-line software management solution for macOS (similar to [MacPorts](https://www.macports.org/)). It can install pretty much all software required for WordPress development and keep it organised ([under ](https://docs.brew.sh/FAQ)`<a href="https://docs.brew.sh/FAQ">/usr/local</a>`) and updated with a single command.

## Why is it awesome?

- Installs packages quickly without having to download and run the installers via a web browser.
- Builds everything from source (unless installing from cask) which makes it secure. Compares checksums of the download files against known references.
- Places everything under `/usr/local` and doesn’t use root privileges for added security and limited system access.

## Use It

Here is how to install some of the most popular packages. In most cases you just need to run `brew install PACKAGENAME` or `brew cask install PACKAGENAME` for packages that are distributed as binaries.

## Development Tools

Install [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en/) and [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/):

```
brew install node
```

Install [Composer](https://getcomposer.org/):

```
brew install composer
```

## Editors

Install Visual Studio Code:

```
brew cask install visual-studio-code
```

Install Atom:

```
brew cask install atom
```

## Virtual Development Environments

Install VirtualBox:

```
brew cask install virtualbox
```

Install Vagrant:

```
brew cask install vagrant
```

Install Docker and Docker Compose:

```
brew install docker docker-compose
```

## Useful Commands

Update Homebrew and the package information:

```
brew update
```

Update all installed packages:

```
brew upgrade
```

Remove old versions of packages:

```
brew cleanup
```

List all installed packages:

```
brew list
```