Quick macOS Setup for Web Devs

New Mac? Let's get coding quickly! This guide provides the essential setup for web development on a fresh macOS install. You'll be coding in about 30 minutes .

Quick System Tweaks

1. Mouse:
   • Increase tracking speed.
   • Enable "Natural scrolling."
   • Right-click on the right side.
   • Enable Smart zoom.
2. Keyboard:
   • Set key repeat to "fast" and delay to "short".
3. Appearance:
   • Consider Light Mode.
   • Enable Night Shift (Sunset to Sunrise) for eye protection.

Essential Apps & Tools

1. Web Browser: Install Google Chrome (or your preferred browser).

2. iTerm2: Download and install iTerm2 (a better terminal). Use your favorite theme, like Solarized Light.

3. Homebrew: Install Homebrew, a macOS package manager:

   xcode-select --install
   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
   brew doctor # verify installation

4. Git: Install and configure Git:

   brew install git
   which git # verify installation
   git config --global user.name "your-github-username"
   git config --global user.email "your@email.com"

5. Visual Studio Code: Install VS Code (or your preferred IDE). Consider these extensions:

   • EditorConfig
   • Code Spell Checker
   • DotENV
   • Git Blame
   • Supermaven
   • Turbo Console Log
   • TailwindCSS IntelliSense
   

6. Python: Install Python using Pyenv:

   brew install pyenv
   # Follow terminal instructions, and add `eval "$(pyenv init -)"` to .bash_profile
   source ~/.bash_profile
   pyenv install --list # List available versions
   pyenv install 3.12.x # Install the latest (example)

7. Node.js: Install Node.js with NVM:

   curl -o- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.40.1/install.sh | bash
   command -v nvm # Verify installation
   nvm install node # Install latest
   nvm use node # Use latest

   Install pnpm for fast package management:

   npm install -g pnpm

8. Ruby: Install Ruby using rbenv:

   brew install rbenv
   # add `eval "$(rbenv init -)"` to .bash_profile
   source ~/.bash_profile
    rbenv install --list
    rbenv install 3.x.x # Replace 3.x.x with the latest

9. Databases:

   • PostgreSQL:

     brew install postgresql
     brew services start postgresql

     # Create a new user
     sudo -u postgres createuser -s <username>
      
     #  Create a database
     sudo -u postgres createdb <database-name> -O <username>
      
     # Connect to the database to verify if it works
     psql -d <database-name> -U <username>

   • Redis:

     brew install redis
     brew services start redis
      redis-cli ping # Test the connection to the server

10. Applications:

    • Cloudflare WARP (faster, secure internet)
    • Postman (API testing)
    • Slack (team messaging)
    • Monosnap (screenshot tool)
    • Spotify (music)
    • EVKey (Vietnamese typing, if applicable)
    

Optional Tools:

• Docker
• Git GUI (Sourcetree, etc)
• direnv

That's it – the essentials for quick web development setup on macOS!

Let me know if you have questions .