Homebrew (package manager)
| Homebrew | |
|---|---|
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 Homebrew 4.2.2 man page in the Mac Terminal | |
| Original author | Max Howell |
| Release | 20 May 2009 |
| Stable release | 7.0.1 
/ 13 September 2026 |
| Written in | Ruby, shell script |
| Operating system | macOS, Linux, Windows Subsystem for Linux |
| Available in | English |
| Type | system-level package manager, free and open-source software |
| License | 2-clause BSD License |
| Website | brew |
| Repository | |
Homebrew is a free and open-source software package management system that simplifies the installation of software on Apple's operating system, macOS, as well as Linux. The name is intended to suggest the idea of building software on the Mac depending on the user's taste. Originally written by Max Howell, the package manager has gained popularity in the Ruby on Rails community and earned praise for its extensibility. Homebrew uses a beer-themed naming convention for its features; for example, third-party repositories are called "taps", and binary packages are called "bottles". It has been recommended for its ease of use as well as its integration into the command-line interface. Homebrew is a member of the Open Source Collective, and is run entirely by unpaid volunteers.
Homebrew has made extensive use of GitHub to expand the support of several packages through user contributions. In 2010, Homebrew was the third-most-forked repository on GitHub. In 2012, Homebrew had the largest number of new contributors on GitHub. In 2013, Homebrew had both the largest number of contributors and issues closed of any project on GitHub.
Homebrew has spawned several sub-projects such as Linuxbrew, a Linux port now officially merged into Homebrew; Homebrew Cask, which builds upon Homebrew and focuses on the installation of GUI applications; and "taps" dedicated to specific areas or programming languages like PHP.