From a Ruby script to a developer standard

Max Howell created Homebrew.

He wrote the original code in Ruby in May 2009. He built the tool to solve the lack of easy package management on macOS. Developers used to download files manually or use MacPorts and Fink. Fink arrived in 2000 and MacPorts followed in 2002. MacPorts uses /opt/local and stays isolated from the system. Homebrew allows installation in a user’s home directory without root access. While MacPorts builds most packages from source and requires elevated privileges for many operations, Homebrew provides pre-compiled binaries to ensure that installation remains nearly instant for the user during the process.

Homebrew works well.

Max Howell designed the tool to be easy to use. He included commands like brew create and brew edit to allow users to participate in the ecosystem. He eventually left maintenance to the community. The project remains one of the largest open source projects of all time. He originally built it to address a personal need at a company in London. He aimed to provide the command line tools that developers used on Linux. MacPorts attempts to prevent conflicts with the system, but Homebrew aims for simplicity. He wanted a tool that would get out of the way of the developer.

The project grew through many versions. Homebrew 2.0.0 brought support for Linux and Windows Subsystem for Linux in February 2019. In February 2021, Homebrew 3.0.0 provided official support for Apple Silicon and introduced a new bottle format. In February 2023, Homebrew 4.0.0 transitioned from Git-cloned taps to faster JSON downloads to reduce the significant amount of time required to refresh package definitions for the millions of users who rely on it today. The tool handles both command-line software and many GUI apps through casks.

The software provides formulas for command-line tools and casks for desktop applications. Formulas install command-line software and libraries. Casks install macOS applications, fonts, and plugins. Users can use brew bundle to document dependencies in a Brewfile. This feature helps set up new machines or keep team environments consistent. Version 4.3.0 added SBOM support and uninstall autoremove in May 2024. The tool uses the Cellar to store versioned package installations. The prefix is the Homebrew root exposed to users. Version 4.2.0 brought performance upgrades using Ruby 3.1. Version 4.1.0 improved the security and reliability of the JSON API in 2023. Some users find the permission requirements for /usr/local frustrating when macOS updates reset directory permissions.

Homebrew 5.0 expanded its reach.

In November 2025, Homebrew 5.0 added official support for Linux ARM64 and AArch64 and it began the process of deprecating macOS Intel support and removing certain macOS Gatekeeper bypass behaviors for many of its many users.

The latest stable release, version 6.0.21, arrived on September 1, 2026. Version 6.0.0 in June 2026 introduced a new tap trust security mechanism and sandboxing on Linux. The project also provides initial support for macOS 27, known as Golden Gate. Homebrew provides nearly 5,000 formulae and thousands of casks. This compares to the 20,000 ports available in MacPorts. If you use the terminal for work, you should install Homebrew.

The software is reliable.

Does Homebrew need to support every single legacy package?