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FOLASAYO SAMUEL OLAYEMI
FOLASAYO SAMUEL OLAYEMI

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Building a Senior-Level DevOps / SRE / Infrastructure Engineer Terminal Setup (macOS)

#devops #security #infrastructure #tutorial

This guide walks through building a powerful terminal environment used by Senior Site Reliability Engineers, DevOps Engineers, and Infrastructure Engineers.

It focuses on:

  • Productivity
  • Safety in production environments
  • Better visibility of system state
  • Faster workflows
  • Modern tooling

1. Why your terminal matters as a Senior Engineer

In real infrastructure work, your terminal is not just a tool — it is your:

  • Control center for production systems
  • Kubernetes interface
  • Cloud interaction layer (AWS/GCP/Azure)
  • Debugging environment
  • Deployment interface

A good terminal setup reduces:

  • Human errors
  • Deployment mistakes
  • Context switching time
  • Cognitive load

2. Install Zsh (modern shell)

macOS already ships with Zsh, but we ensure it’s active and up to date.

Check your shell: 

echo $SHELL
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If not Zsh:

chsh -s /bin/zsh
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3. Install Oh My Zsh (plugin framework)

Oh My Zsh helps manage plugins and configuration.

sh -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"
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4. Install essential plugins (productivity layer)

We install two core plugins:

1. Autosuggestions

Shows previous commands as you type.

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

Highlights valid/invalid commands.

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

Edit:

nano ~/.zshrc
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Set:

plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting)
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Reload:

exec zsh
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5. Install Starship (modern prompt system)

Starship is a cross-shell prompt engine that shows:

  • Git branch
  • Node/Python versions
  • Kubernetes context
  • Cloud context
  • Directory status

Install:

brew install starship
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Add to .zshrc:

eval "$(starship init zsh)"
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Create Starship config 

mkdir -p ~/.config
nano ~/.config/starship.toml
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Example config:

add_newline = true

format = """
$directory\
$git_branch\
$git_status\
$nodejs\
$python\
$docker_context\
$kubernetes\
$line_break\
$character"""

[character]
success_symbol = "❯"
error_symbol = "❯"

[git_branch]
symbol = "🌿 "

[nodejs]
symbol = "⬢ "

[docker_context]
symbol = "🐳 "

[kubernetes]
symbol = "☸️ "
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Reload:

exec zsh
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6. Install Nerd Font (Powerline-style icons)

To make icons display correctly in Starship:

Install a Nerd Font:

Recommended: MesloLGS NF

Then:

Set font in terminal (important)

If using:

  • iTerm2 → Preferences → Profiles → Text → Font
  • Terminal.app → Settings → Font

Select:

MesloLGS NF
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Without this, icons will break.

7. Install FZF (command search engine)

FZF is one of the most important tools for senior engineers.

brew install fzf
$(brew --prefix)/opt/fzf/install
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Features:

  • CTRL + R → search command history
  • CTRL + T → search files
  • Fast navigation

8. Modern CLI replacements

eza (better ls) 

brew install eza
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Aliases:

alias ls="eza --icons --git"
alias ll="eza -l --icons --git"
alias la="eza -la --icons --git"
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bat (better cat) 

brew install bat
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Alias:

alias cat="bat"
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9. Kubernetes tooling (core DevOps skill) 

brew install kubectl kubectx
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What you get:

  • kubectl → Kubernetes CLI
  • kubectx → switch clusters
  • kubens → switch namespaces (included inside kubectx)

Example:

kubectx
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10. Docker productivity tools 

brew install lazydocker
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Useful aliases:

alias d="docker"
alias dps="docker ps"
alias dex="docker exec -it"
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11. AWS CLI setup 

brew install awscli
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Configure:

aws configure
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Or modern method:

aws configure sso
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12. Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)

⚠️ Install correctly via HashiCorp tap:

brew tap hashicorp/tap
brew install hashicorp/tap/terraform
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Verify:

terraform -version
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13. Productivity upgrade tools

zoxide (smart cd) 

brew install zoxide
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Add:

eval "$(zoxide init zsh)"
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Usage:

z project-name
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tmux (session persistence) 

brew install tmux
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Used for:

  • remote servers
  • long-running processes
  • multi-window workflows

14. Security / Debugging tools (SRE mindset) 

brew install jq httpie nmap
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Why:

  • jq → JSON parsing
  • httpie → API testing (better curl)
  • nmap → network debugging

15. Git aliases (speed boost)

Add to .zshrc:

alias gs="git status"
alias ga="git add"
alias gc="git commit -m"
alias gp="git push"
alias gl="git log --oneline --graph --all"
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16. Final .zshrc structure

Your .zshrc should look like:

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

eval "$(starship init zsh)"

eval "$(zoxide init zsh)"

# aliases
alias ls="eza --icons --git"
alias ll="eza -l --icons --git"
alias la="eza -la --icons --git"
alias cat="bat"

alias k=kubectl
alias gs="git status"
alias gp="git push"
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Final Result: What you have built

Your terminal is now capable of:

Intelligence

  • autosuggestions
  • command history search (fzf)

Visual clarity

  • Starship prompt
  • git + cloud context awareness

DevOps tools

  • kubectl / kubectx
  • terraform
  • docker tooling
  • AWS CLI

Security/debugging

  • jq, httpie, nmap

Productivity

  • zoxide
  • tmux
  • eza + bat

Final mindset shift (important)

A senior DevOps/SRE engineer does not rely on memory.

They rely on:

  • tooling visibility
  • automation
  • fast navigation
  • safe production workflows

Your terminal is now a production-grade engineering workstation, not just a command line.

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