Homebrew Tips¶
Glossary¶
Formula¶
Homebrew package definition built from upstream sources
Formulae are the definitions of how to install the various command line packages/ applications available through Homebrew. These are the things that make brew install work.
Tap¶
A directory (and usually Git repository) of formulae, casks and/or external commands
The default tap is “homebrew/core”
Casks¶
Essentially Casks are Homebrew packages for GUI applications. Casks allow you to leverage the command line to install applications such as Google Chrome and (at the time of writing) 3,381 other applications.
Brewfile¶
Similar to Ruby's Gemfile (a way to list Ruby gems necessary for a project), a Brewfile allows you to list Homebrew packages, Casks, taps, and even App Store applications to install on your system.
Keg¶
Installation destination directory of a given formula version e.g. /usr/local/Cellar/foo/0.1
Rack¶
A directory containing one or more versioned kegs e.g. /usr/local/Cellar/foo
Keg-only¶
A formula is keg-only if it is not symlinked into Homebrew’s prefix (e.g. /usr/local)
Cellar¶
A directory containing one or more named racks e.g. /usr/local/Cellar
Caskroom¶
A directory containing one or more named casks e.g. /usr/local/Caskroom
External command¶
A brew subcommand defined outside of the Homebrew/brew GitHub repository
Bottle¶
A pre-built keg poured into the cellar/rack instead of building from upstream sources
List Formula¶
brew list
Install Formula¶
How to Install an Older Brew Package
Uninstall Formula¶
Search for Formula¶
brew search <searchterm>
Search for Mac Apps¶
mas search <searchterm>
Search Cask Tokens and Formula Names¶
Show Formula Information¶
brew info ffmpeg
Show Dependency Tree of Installed Formulas¶
brew deps --tree --installed
Show Leaf Formulas and their Dependencies¶
brew leaves | xargs brew deps --installed --for-each | sed "s/^.*:/$(tput setaf 4)&$(tput sgr0)/"
Update Brew¶
Update home-brew itself:
brew update
Update all individual packagers and formula:
brew upgrade
Bundle/Brewfile¶
Create .Brewfile: brew bundle dump --describe --global --all --force
Install from .Brewfile: brew bundle install --global