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2025 macOS Development Environment Setup Guide

#macos #development #terminal #ohmyzsh

A comprehensive guide to setting up a modern development environment on macOS with essential tools, terminal customization, and productivity applications.

Full Configurations: https://github.com/binbingoloo/.dotfiles

📋 Table of Contents

🎯 Overview

This guide provides a step-by-step approach to setting up a professional development environment on macOS. It covers everything from basic command-line tools to advanced terminal customization and productivity applications.

What's Included

  • ✅ Package management with Homebrew
  • ✅ Beautiful and functional terminal with Oh My Zsh and Powerlevel10k
  • ✅ Version managers for Node.js, Python, Java, and Rust
  • ✅ Essential development tools and IDEs
  • ✅ Powerful CLI utilities for enhanced productivity
  • ✅ Dotfiles management

🚀 Getting Started

Xcode Command Line Tools

First, install Xcode Command Line Tools which are required by many development tools:

xcode-select --install
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Required for: Homebrew, Rust, Python native extensions, Git, and more.

Homebrew Package Manager

Install Homebrew, the missing package manager for macOS:

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

echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"
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💡 Tip: Homebrew manages both CLI tools and GUI applications (via cask), providing a foundation for clean installs.

🖥️ Terminal Setup

Oh My Zsh

Install Oh My Zsh, a delightful framework for managing your Zsh configuration:

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"
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⚠️ Note: Oh My Zsh will overwrite your existing ~/.zshrc. Make sure to append .zshrc.pre-oh-my-zsh to the new ~/.zshrc if needed.

Powerlevel10k Theme

Install Powerlevel10k, a fast and flexible Zsh theme:

git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/romkatv/powerlevel10k.git "${ZSH_CUSTOM:-$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/themes/powerlevel10k"
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Update your ~/.zshrc:

ZSH_THEME="powerlevel10k/powerlevel10k"
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Configure Powerlevel10k:

p10k configure
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Zsh Plugins

1. Zsh Completions

Additional completion definitions for Zsh:

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-completions.git \
  ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-${ZSH:-~/.oh-my-zsh}/custom}/plugins/zsh-completions
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Add to ~/.zshrc before sourcing oh-my-zsh:

# zsh-completions
fpath+=${ZSH_CUSTOM:-${ZSH:-~/.oh-my-zsh}/custom}/plugins/zsh-completions/src
autoload -U compinit && compinit

source $ZSH/oh-my-zsh.sh
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2. Zsh Autosuggestions

Fish-like autosuggestions for Zsh:

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-autosuggestions ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-autosuggestions
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3. Zsh Syntax Highlighting

Fish shell-like syntax highlighting:

git clone https://github.com/zsh-users/zsh-syntax-highlighting.git ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/zsh-syntax-highlighting
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Update plugins in ~/.zshrc:

plugins=(
  git
  zsh-autosuggestions
  zsh-syntax-highlighting
)
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Terminal Fonts

Install Nerd Fonts for better terminal experience:

brew install --cask font-hack-nerd-font
brew install --cask font-jetbrains-mono-nerd-font
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💻 Development Environment

Language Version Managers

💡 Best Practice: Avoid installing Node, Python, or Java directly. Use version managers instead.

Language Tool Installation Configuration
Node.js nvm brew install nvm See below
Python pyenv brew install pyenv See below
Java sdkman `curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io/" \ bash`
Rust rustup `curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs \ sh`

Add to your ~/.zshrc:

# NVM
export NVM_DIR="$HOME/.nvm"
[ -s "/opt/homebrew/opt/nvm/nvm.sh" ] && \. "/opt/homebrew/opt/nvm/nvm.sh"
[ -s "/opt/homebrew/opt/nvm/etc/bash_completion.d/nvm" ] && \. "/opt/homebrew/opt/nvm/etc/bash_completion.d/nvm"

# Pyenv
export PYENV_ROOT="$HOME/.pyenv"
export PATH="$PYENV_ROOT/bin:$PATH"
eval "$(pyenv init --path)"
eval "$(pyenv init -)"

# SDKMAN - THIS MUST BE AT THE END OF THE FILE
export SDKMAN_DIR="$HOME/.sdkman"
[[ -s "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh" ]] && source "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"
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IDEs & Development Tools 

brew install --cask visual-studio-code
brew install --cask intellij-idea-ce
brew install --cask postman
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CLI Power Tools

Essential command-line tools for enhanced productivity:

Tool Installation Description
WezTerm brew install --cask wezterm GPU-accelerated terminal emulator
tmux brew install tmux Terminal multiplexer for multiple sessions
Neovim brew install neovim Hyperextensible Vim-based text editor
zoxide brew install zoxide Smart cd command with directory history
fzf brew install fzf Fuzzy finder for files/history/search
fd brew install fd Fast and user-friendly alternative to find
ripgrep brew install ripgrep Lightning-fast recursive file search
bat brew install bat Cat clone with syntax highlighting
lsd brew install lsd Modern ls with icons and colors
git-delta brew install git-delta Syntax-highlighting pager for git
jq brew install jq Command-line JSON processor
lazygit brew install lazygit Simple terminal UI for git commands
gh brew install gh GitHub's official command line tool
htop/btop brew install htop btop Interactive process viewers

Additional Setup

zoxide - Add to ~/.zshrc:

eval "$(zoxide init zsh)"
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fzf - Run the install script:

$(brew --prefix)/opt/fzf/install
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fzf-tab - Enhanced tab completions:

git clone https://github.com/Aloxaf/fzf-tab ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/fzf-tab
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🎨 Productivity Applications

Application Installation Description
Notion brew install --cask notion All-in-one workspace
Obsidian brew install --cask obsidian Knowledge base with local Markdown
Discord brew install --cask discord Communication platform
Stats brew install --cask stats System monitoring in menu bar
Ice brew install --cask jordanbaird-ice Menu bar organizer
KeyCastr brew install --cask keycastr Keystroke visualizer
Flameshot brew install --cask flameshot Screenshot and annotation tool

🔧 Dotfiles Configuration

Create symbolic links for your dotfiles:

# Create symlinks for configuration files
ln -sf $(pwd)/.zprofile ~/.zprofile
ln -sf $(pwd)/.zshrc ~/.zshrc
ln -sf $(pwd)/.vimrc ~/.vimrc
ln -sf $(pwd)/.tmux.conf ~/.tmux.conf
ln -sf $(pwd)/.p10k.zsh ~/.p10k.zsh
ln -sf $(pwd)/.gitmessage ~/.gitmessage
ln -sf $(pwd)/.gitconfig ~/.gitconfig
ln -sf $(pwd)/.fzf.zsh ~/.fzf.zsh
ln -sf $(pwd)/.editorconfig ~/.editorconfig
ln -sf $(pwd)/.config/nvim ~/.config/nvim
ln -sf $(pwd)/.config/lazygit/config.yml ~/Library/Application\ Support/lazygit/config.yml
ln -sf $(pwd)/.config/bat ~/.config/bat
ln -sf $(pwd)/.config/lsd ~/.config/lsd
ln -sf $(pwd)/.config/wezterm ~/.config/wezterm
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