Setting Up a New Mac for Development

21 items · Technical · Medium difficulty · 1 hour

Essential steps to set up a new Mac for software development.

• Update macOS and install Xcode Command Line Tools

  Install system headers and compilers required by many dev tools.

• Install Homebrew

  Use the official install script at brew.sh for package management.

• Run brew update and brew doctor

  Refresh formulas and check for common Homebrew issues.

• Install Git and essential build tools via Homebrew

  brew install git git-lfs cmake make openssl as needed.

• Add Homebrew to PATH if required

  Follow Homebrew's post-install message to update your shell profile.

• Configure Git (user.name, user.email, default branch)

  Set global name/email and git config --global init.defaultBranch main.

• Generate SSH key and add it to your Git hosting account

  Use ssh-keygen and paste the public key into GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket.

• Install a terminal emulator (iTerm2 or Warp)

  Choose an emulator you like for tabs, profiles, and key bindings.

• Install and configure your shell and prompt (zsh, oh-my-zsh, starship)

  Pick zsh or fish and add starship or a plugin manager for convenience.

• Install language version managers

  Manage multiple runtimes with nvm/fnm, pyenv, and rbenv.

• Install nvm or fnm for Node

  Use nvm or fast-node-manager to switch Node versions per project.

• Install pyenv for Python

  Install pyenv to manage multiple Python interpreters cleanly.

• Install rbenv for Ruby

  Use rbenv to install and switch Ruby versions per project.

• Install required Node/Python/Ruby versions and set defaults

  Install the project versions and set a sensible global default.

• Install VS Code and set it as your default editor

  Download from code.visualstudio.com and open code from terminal.

• Install recommended VS Code extensions

  Examples: GitLens, Prettier, ESLint, Python, Docker — install what's needed.

• Clone or create dotfiles and symlink your configs

  Use a dotfiles repo to manage .zshrc, .gitconfig, .vimrc, etc.

• Set macOS system preferences for development

  Adjust UI and keyboard settings for a smoother dev workflow.

• Show filename extensions and hidden files

  Enable Finder options to reveal extensions and dotfiles.

• Set key repeat rate and configure useful keyboard shortcuts

  Speed up key repeat and add shortcuts for window management.

• Enable automatic macOS updates and App Store installs

  Turn on auto-updates to stay secure and up to date.

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