Homebrew

Spec sheet

Purpose

Homebrew installs command-line tools and applications across macOS, Linux and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).Read 12 Oct 2026 · brew.sh

Support

Homebrew directs users to GitHub Discussions and its issue form for help; support coverage varies by system configuration tier.Read 12 Oct 2026 · brew.sh

Anonymous analytics

Homebrew displays a notice before enabling aggregate anonymous usage analytics, which users can opt out of; events are retained for 365 days.Read 12 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Binary packages

When a matching bottle is available, Homebrew downloads and installs it automatically with brew install.Read 11 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Bundle integrations

Homebrew Bundle supports formulae, casks, taps, Mac App Store apps, WinGet packages on WSL, VS Code extensions, Go, Cargo, npm, uv, Flatpak, krew and background services.Read 12 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Casks

Casks install upstream pre-built binaries such as applications, fonts and plugins.Read 12 Oct 2026 · brew.sh

Creator

Homebrew was originally created by Max Howell.Read 12 Oct 2026 · brew.sh

Custom repositories

Taps let anyone maintain formulae and casks outside Homebrew’s officially supported repositories.Read 12 Oct 2026 · brew.sh

Dependency resolution

YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · brew.sh

Environment setup

Homebrew Bundle uses Brewfiles to describe packages for setting up an environment.Read 11 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Formulae

Formulae define how to build command-line tools, libraries and services from upstream source code.Read 12 Oct 2026 · brew.sh

Install options

The site provides a terminal installation script and links to a macOS package installer for interactive or unattended MDM installs.Read 12 Oct 2026 · brew.sh

Installation requirement

The macOS .pkg installer supports Apple Silicon only; the installation page lists macOS Sequoia 15 or higher for officially supported hardware.Read 11 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Linux support

Homebrew installs on Linux under the default prefix /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew.Read 11 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Lockfile support

NoRead 21 Sep 2026 · brew.sh

macOS security

Homebrew applies macOS quarantine attributes to cask downloads so Gatekeeper can perform its checks, but says these controls do not guarantee an application is harmless.Read 11 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Offline installation

YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · brew.sh

Package formats

formulae,casksRead 21 Sep 2026 · brew.sh

Package manager

Homebrew installs UNIX tools on macOS and software not packaged for a Linux distribution.Read 11 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Package review

Formulae and casks in the official repositories require human review before acceptance, changes or updates.Read 12 Oct 2026 · brew.sh

Packages

Homebrew packages are formulae and casks; formulae define command-line tools, libraries and services built from upstream source code.Read 11 Oct 2026 · brew.sh

Platform limits

The site lists macOS Sequoia 15 and newer, Linux and WSL as supported; FreeBSD and macOS Catalina 10.15 and earlier are unsupported.Read 12 Oct 2026 · brew.sh

Project model

Homebrew is a non-profit project run entirely by volunteers, not employees, and donations support its software, hardware and hosting costs.Read 12 Oct 2026 · brew.sh

Repeatable setup

A Brewfile describes the desired package state so projects or machines can install dependencies consistently.Read 12 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Supply-chain security

Homebrew applies download cooldowns to selected ecosystems, including Bundler, npm and pip defaults, PyPI resource resolution, and npm and PyPI bump operations.Read 11 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Support resources

Homebrew's documentation lists installation, troubleshooting, FAQ, common issues and support-tier guides for users.Read 11 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Support tiers

Homebrew's support tiers describe support for the host system and do not guarantee that every third-party formula or cask will remain runnable indefinitely.Read 11 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Supported platforms

macOS,Linux,Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)Read 21 Sep 2026 · brew.sh

Tap security

Non-official taps require explicit trust by default, because loading their package definitions can execute Ruby code with the user’s privileges.Read 12 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Third-party repositories

Anyone can create a tap to provide formulae, casks or external commands to Homebrew users.Read 11 Oct 2026 · docs.brew.sh

Plans and prices

Every Homebrew plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• App Installation#4 of 248.6
• Cli Tools#6 of 328.4
• Package Managers#19 of 938.6
• Command Line Tools#8 of 278.4