homebrew/homebrew-core

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

★ 15,285RubyAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5Setup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((homebrew-core))
    Inputs
      Formula name
      brew CLI
    Outputs
      Installed package
      Built binaries
    Use Cases
      Install CLI tools on macOS
      Install dev libraries on Linux
      Contribute a new formula
    Tech Stack
      Ruby
      Homebrew
      Bash

mindmap root((homebrew-core)) Inputs Formula name brew CLI Outputs Installed package Built binaries Use Cases Install CLI tools on macOS Install dev libraries on Linux Contribute a new formula Tech Stack Ruby Homebrew Bash

Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Install a CLI tool on macOS or Linux via brew install

USE CASE 2

Write a new formula to package your own software for Homebrew

USE CASE 3

Audit an existing formula to see how a package is built and patched

What is it built with?

RubyHomebrewBash

How does it compare?

	homebrew/homebrew-core	spree/spree	opf/openproject
Stars	15,285	15,421	15,065
Language	Ruby	Ruby	Ruby
Setup difficulty	easy	moderate	moderate
Complexity	2/5	4/5	3/5
Audience	developer	developer	pm founder

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Needs Homebrew installed first, this repo is the default tap and is loaded automatically.

In plain English

Homebrew Core is the default collection of "formulae" for the Homebrew package manager. Homebrew is a popular tool for installing software on macOS (and Linux) from the command line, and a formula is a script that describes how to download, build, and install a particular piece of software. This repository contains the default set of those formulas -- the ones that come built into Homebrew automatically, without needing to add any extra sources. To install any package listed here, you simply run brew install <formula> in your terminal. The README notes that further documentation, contributing guidelines, and other details are maintained in the main Homebrew/brew repository.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Walk me through writing a new homebrew-core formula for a Go binary I just released on GitHub

Prompt 2

Show me the structure of a typical formula file in homebrew-core and what the install method does

Prompt 3

Explain how homebrew-core handles bottles and how I can build one locally for testing

Prompt 4

Give me the rules I need to follow before opening a PR to add a formula to homebrew-core

Frequently asked questions

What is homebrew-core?

The default tap of Homebrew formulae, the Ruby scripts that tell `brew` how to download, build, and install software on macOS and Linux.

What language is homebrew-core written in?

Mainly Ruby. The stack also includes Ruby, Homebrew, Bash.

How hard is homebrew-core to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is homebrew-core for?

Mainly developer.

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