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Mac developer tools

1. Must-have base setup

Install Xcode from the App Store or Apple Developer, then install Command Line Tools. Apple provides separate Xcode resources and command line developer tools through Apple Developer downloads. (Apple Developer)

xcode-select --install

Install Homebrew first, because it will manage most CLI tools and apps. Homebrew officially supports Apple Silicon Macs and macOS Sonoma or later, with Xcode Command Line Tools installed. (Homebrew)

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

Then:

brew update
brew upgrade

2. Core CLI tools

brew install git gh wget curl jq yq tree ripgrep fd fzf bat eza zoxide
brew install htop btop watch tmux mas

Recommended:

brew install git-delta
brew install lazygit
brew install starship
brew install zoxide

These make terminal work much nicer:

brew install --cask iterm2
brew install --cask raycast
brew install --cask rectangle
brew install --cask appcleaner

3. Shell setup

Use zsh with Starship prompt:

echo 'eval "$(starship init zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc

Useful aliases:

cat <<'EOF' >> ~/.zshrc

alias ll='eza -la --icons'
alias gs='git status'
alias gc='git commit'
alias gp='git push'
alias gl='git log --oneline --graph --decorate'
alias cat='bat'
alias cd='z'
EOF

4. iOS / macOS development

Install:

brew install swiftlint swiftformat xcodegen xcbeautify
brew install --cask xcodes
brew install --cask proxyman

I strongly recommend Xcodes for managing multiple Xcode versions, especially if you work with iOS beta SDKs.

Also install:

brew install mint

For App Store / CI tooling:

brew install fastlane

5. Node.js / web / backend

Use a version manager rather than installing Node directly. Node’s official download page currently lists Node v24.18.0 as Latest LTS and v26.4.0 as Latest Release, but for production you should generally stay on LTS. (Node.js)

I’d install fnm:

brew install fnm
echo 'eval "$(fnm env --use-on-cd)"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
fnm install --lts
fnm use --lts

Then:

corepack enable
npm install -g pnpm
npm install -g firebase-tools
npm install -g vercel
npm install -g typescript tsx nodemon

For API testing:

brew install --cask postman
brew install --cask bruno

6. Flutter / Android

Flutter’s official docs provide the current macOS install path and upgrade guidance. (Flutter Documentation)

brew install --cask flutter
brew install --cask android-studio

Then:

flutter doctor

For Android command line tools, install via Android Studio first, then accept licences:

flutter doctor --android-licenses

7. Firebase / Google Cloud / AWS / DevOps

brew install google-cloud-sdk
brew install awscli
brew install terraform
brew install kubectl
brew install k9s
brew install helm

For containers:

brew install --cask docker

Alternative if you want lighter local containers:

brew install colima docker docker-compose

For your Firebase/GCP work, I’d definitely install:

npm install -g firebase-tools
gcloud components install beta

8. Databases

brew install postgresql@16
brew install redis
brew install sqlite
brew install mysql-client

GUI tools:

brew install --cask tableplus
brew install --cask db-browser-for-sqlite

9. AI coding tools

Install these:

brew install --cask cursor
brew install --cask visual-studio-code

Then install CLI tools depending on what you use:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
npm install -g @openai/codex

Also useful:

brew install aider

For Xcode, keep an eye on Apple’s latest Xcode releases because Apple has been adding more AI-assisted coding and agent-style workflow features into Xcode recently. (TechRadar)

10. Security / secrets

brew install gnupg
brew install age
brew install sops
brew install 1password-cli
brew install git-secrets

Apps:

brew install --cask 1password
brew install --cask little-snitch

For SSH:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"

11. Productivity apps

brew install --cask notion
brew install --cask obsidian
brew install --cask slack
brew install --cask zoom
brew install --cask microsoft-teams
brew install --cask google-chrome
brew install --cask firefox

My recommended “minimum install” for you

For your actual workflow, I’d start with this:

brew install git gh jq yq ripgrep fd fzf bat eza zoxide tmux lazygit starship
brew install swiftlint swiftformat xcodegen xcbeautify fastlane
brew install fnm pnpm firebase-tools google-cloud-sdk awscli terraform
brew install docker kubectl k9s helm
brew install postgresql@16 redis sqlite
brew install --cask iterm2 raycast rectangle appcleaner
brew install --cask xcodes cursor visual-studio-code android-studio flutter
brew install --cask docker tableplus proxyman postman 1password

Nice structure for your Mac

Create this folder structure:

mkdir -p ~/Developer
mkdir -p ~/Developer/work
mkdir -p ~/Developer/personal
mkdir -p ~/Developer/playground
mkdir -p ~/Developer/scripts
mkdir -p ~/.config

For your stack, the most important installs are Xcode, Homebrew, GitHub CLI, Xcodes, fnm/Node LTS, pnpm, Firebase CLI, gcloud, Docker, Cursor, VS Code, Flutter, Android Studio, Proxyman, TablePlus, and 1Password.