Episode 2: macOS Package Manager — Homebrew

After the basic Mac mini setup, the next step is installing a package manager: Homebrew.

Homebrew makes it much easier to install and manage apps and tools on macOS. Instead of installing everything one by one, I use a script and a Brewfile to set up the basics quickly.

Install Homebrew

Then run:

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

Source: https://brew.sh/

Clone the dotfiles repository

If you have never done dotfiles before, I don't recommend trying this.

Before running the install script, clone my macos branch from GitHub:

bashCopy
1cd $HOME
2git clone -b macos https://github.com/xs1128/dotfiles.git .dotfiles-xs

The Brewfile contains the basic tools and casks I use for my macOS setup. Adjust the Brewfile according to your needs, adding comments by putting # in front of the line. Then:

bashCopy
1cd .dotfiles-xs
2chmod u+x brew.sh
3./brew.sh

This will finish the brew and tools installation needed for this guide.

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Adding more packages later

If you want to install more tools later, you have two easy options:

1. Add them to your Brewfile and run the script again

2. install them directly with:

bashCopy
1brew install <package>

For GUI apps, you can use

bashCopy
1brew install --cask <app>

This makes it easy to keep your setup organized while still allowing quick one-off installs.

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Final Notes

Homebrew is one of the most useful tools to set up early on macOS. It saves time, keeps installations consistent, and works especially well with a dotfiles-based setup.

For my homelab series, it gives me a simple way to prepare the Mac mini with the tools I need before moving on to the more interesting parts.

In the next episode, I will continue building out the software side of the setup.