Mac Development Setup
Welcome to Development
Follow this guide to set up your Mac for programming. Each step is essential for the development environment.
🛠️ Tools
💻 Terminal
📦 Package Manager
✨ Extensions
⏱️ Estimated time: 30-45 minutes. Copy and paste each command into your terminal. Don't skip any steps.
Step 1 of 11
Open Terminal & Install XCode Tools
First, open Terminal. Then install XCode Tools — this gives you compilers, git, and other essential development tools.
🎯 Open Terminal: Press Cmd + Space, type terminal, and press Enter.
Now copy and paste this command:
xcode-select --install
ℹ️ A window will pop up asking to install. Click Install. This may take 10-15 minutes.
- 1Open Terminal (Cmd+Space → type terminal)
- 2Paste the command and press Enter
- 3Click Install in the popup
- 4Wait for completion (~15 min)
Step 2 of 11
Install Homebrew
Homebrew is a package manager that makes installing software on Mac easy.
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
⚠️ You'll be asked for your Mac password. Type it (it won't show as you type) and press Enter.
Step 3 of 11
Install JetBrains Mono Nerd Font
A beautiful monospace font with special symbols for your terminal.
brew tap homebrew/cask-fonts
brew install --cask font-jetbrains-mono-nerd-font
ℹ️ This font will be available in your terminal and code editor settings.
Step 4 of 12
Install & Open iTerm2
A powerful terminal emulator that's better than the default Terminal app.
brew install --cask iterm2
ℹ️ Installation may take a moment. When done, you'll see iTerm2 in your Applications folder.
Open iTerm2
- 1Press
Cmd + Space and type iterm
- 2Press Enter to open iTerm2
Set as Default Terminal
- 1Open System Settings (Cmd+Space → "Settings")
- 2Click General in the left sidebar
- 3Find the dropdown for default app and select iTerm
Step 5 of 12
Configure iTerm2 Font
Set the beautiful JetBrains Mono Nerd Font in iTerm2.
Open Settings
- 1In iTerm2, press
Cmd + , (comma)
- 2The Settings window opens
Select Font
- 1Click the Profiles tab
- 2Select Default in the left panel
- 3Click the Text tab
- 4Click the Font dropdown button
- 5Search for
JetBrains Mono
- 6Select JetBrainsMono Nerd Font Mono
- 7Close the Settings — your new font is active!
Step 6 of 12
Install & Enable Spacecraft
Spacecraft is a beautiful shell configuration with themes and plugins for your terminal.
Install Spacecraft
brew install spacecraft
Enable Spacecraft
After installation, enable Spacecraft with:
spacecraft init
✨ Follow the prompts to set up your shell theme and plugins. When finished, close and reopen your terminal to see the changes!
Step 7 of 12
Create Developer Directories
Create folders to organize your labs and projects.
mkdir -p ~/Developer/labs
mkdir -p ~/Developer/projects
💡 Why: These directories will keep all your code organized. labs/ is for learning, projects/ is for your own work.
Step 8 of 12
Create Shell Aliases
Add shortcuts to quickly jump to your labs and projects directories.
echo 'alias labs="cd ~/Developer/labs"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'alias projects="cd ~/Developer/projects"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc
✨ Now you can type labs or projects in your terminal to instantly jump there!
Step 9 of 12
Install VS Code
VS Code is the code editor you'll use for programming.
brew install --cask visual-studio-code
ℹ️ After installation, open VS Code from Applications. On first launch, it will ask to install the Command Line Tools — approve this.
Step 10 of 12 — Part 1
Install VS Code Extensions (1/2)
Install 10 extensions using terminal commands. These are much faster than clicking!
How to install:
- 1Open iTerm2 (Cmd+Space → type "iterm")
- 2Select ALL the code below and copy (Cmd+A then Cmd+C)
- 3Paste into iTerm2 (Cmd+V) and press Enter
- 4Watch as all 10 extensions install automatically
Commands to run:
code --install-extension ms-vscode.cpptools
code --install-extension hverlin.mise-vscode
code --install-extension tamasfe.even-better-toml
code --install-extension vadimcn.vscode-lldb
code --install-extension ms-python.python
code --install-extension vscjava.vscode-java-pack
code --install-extension ms-azuretools.vscode-containers
code --install-extension anthropic.claude-code
code --install-extension github.vscode-github-actions
code --install-extension ms-kubernetes-tools.vscode-kubernetes-tools
Step 10 of 12 — Part 2
Install VS Code Extensions (2/2)
Final batch — remaining 9 extensions using terminal commands.
How to install:
- 1Open iTerm2 (if closed)
- 2Select ALL the code below and copy
- 3Paste into iTerm2 and press Enter
- 4All 9 extensions will install automatically
Commands to run:
code --install-extension editorconfig.editorconfig
code --install-extension redhat.vscode-yaml
code --install-extension dbaeumer.vscode-eslint
code --install-extension esbenp.prettier-vscode
code --install-extension ms-vscode-remote.remote-containers
code --install-extension ms-kubernetes-tools.vscode-helm
code --install-extension ms-vscode.cmake-tools
code --install-extension humao.rest-client
code --install-extension rangav.vscode-thunder-client
✅ Complete! All 19 extensions are now installed. VS Code may prompt you to reload — click Reload when it appears.
Step 11 of 12
Install Mise
Mise manages multiple versions of programming languages and tools.
brew install mise
💡 What Mise does: It lets you install and switch between different versions of Java, Python, Node, and other tools. Essential for development work.
Step 12 of 15 — Part 1
Create GitHub Account
GitHub is where developers store and share code. You need an account first.
- 1Open your browser and go to
github.com/signup
- 2Enter your email address
- 3Create a password (make it secure!)
- 4Choose a username (this will be public)
- 5Complete the account setup
- 6Check your email and verify your address
✅ Done! You now have a GitHub account. Proceed to the next step.
Step 12 of 15 — Part 2
Generate SSH Key
Create a secure key on your Mac that GitHub will recognize.
Open iTerm2 and run this command (replace the email with your GitHub email):
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your-email@example.com"
ℹ️ What happens next: You'll be asked 3 questions. Just press Enter for each one (no passphrase needed).
- 1Press Enter when asked "Enter file in which to save the key"
- 2Press Enter when asked "Enter passphrase"
- 3Press Enter when asked "Enter same passphrase again"
✅ Done! Your SSH key is created. Move to the next step.
Step 12 of 15 — Part 3
Copy Your SSH Key
Get your SSH key ready to add to GitHub.
In iTerm2, run this command to display your key:
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
📋 You'll see a long string starting with "ssh-ed25519". This is your public key.
- 1Select ALL the text (triple-click or Cmd+A)
- 2Copy it (Cmd+C)
- 3Keep this copied — you'll paste it on GitHub next
✅ Ready! Now go to GitHub to add this key.
Step 12 of 15 — Part 4
Add SSH Key to GitHub
Tell GitHub about your Mac's SSH key so it trusts future connections.
- 1In your browser, go to
github.com/settings/keys
- 2Click the green button "New SSH key"
- 3For Title, type:
My Mac
- 4For Key, paste what you copied (Cmd+V)
- 5Click the green "Add SSH key" button
- 6You may need to enter your GitHub password to confirm
✅ Done! Your key is added. Now finish setup in the terminal.
Step 12 of 15 — Part 5
Configure Git & Test
Final step: set up Git and verify everything works.
In iTerm2, run these commands (replace with your real name and GitHub email):
git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your-email@example.com"
Now test your connection:
ssh -T git@github.com
✅ Success! You should see: "Hi [username]! You've successfully authenticated."
If you see this message, everything is working perfectly!
Setup Complete
You're All Set! 🎉
Your Mac is now ready for development.
✅
XCode Tools
Compilers and development utilities installed.
✅
GitHub & SSH
Account created and securely connected.
✅
VS Code
Code editor with 19 essential extensions.
✅
Everything Ready
All tools, aliases, and environments configured.
🚀 Next steps: Open iTerm2 and run labs or projects to test your aliases. Create your first GitHub repo and start lesson1.html!