mac-dev-setup | A beginner 's guide to setting up a development environment | Configuration Management library

This document describes how I set up my developer environment on a new MacBook or iMac. We will set up popular programming languages (for example Node (JavaScript), Python, and Ruby). You may not need all of them for your projects, although I recommend having them set up as they always come in handy. The document assumes you are new to Mac, but can also be useful if you are reinstalling a system and need some reminder. The steps below were tested on macOS High Sierra (10.13), but should work for more recent versions as well.
System update
System preferences
Security
iTerm2
Homebrew
Git
Visual Studio Code
Vim
Python
Node.js
Ruby
Heroku
PostgreSQL
Redis
Elasticsearch
Projects folder
Apps
Since we're going to be spending a lot of time in the command-line, let's install a better terminal than the default one. Download and install iTerm2. In Finder, drag and drop the iTerm Application file into the Applications folder. You can now launch iTerm, through the Launchpad for instance. Let's just quickly change some preferences. In iTerm2 > Preferences..., under the tab General, uncheck Confirm closing multiple sessions and Confirm "Quit iTerm2 (Cmd+Q)" command under the section Closing. In the tab Profiles, create a new one with the "+" icon, and rename it to your first name for example. Then, select Other Actions... > Set as Default. Under the section General set Working Directory to be Reuse previous session's directory. Finally, under the section Window, change the size to something better, like Columns: 125 and Rows: 35. When done, hit the red "X" in the upper left (saving is automatic in macOS preference panes). Close the window and open a new one to see the size change.
An important dependency before Homebrew can work is the Command Line Developer Tools for Xcode. These include compilers that will allow you to build things from source. You can install them directly from the terminal with:.
The recommended way to install Ruby is to use rbenv, which allows you to manage multiple versions of Ruby on the same machine. You can install rbenv with Homebrew:.
Elasticsearch runs on Java, so check if you have it installed by running:.