Stores & marketplaces

Homebrew

Package manager for macOS and Linux. Command-line tools install with one command.

Visit formulae.brew.sh
Cost
Free

Free to submit. Maintainers review each formula.

Verdict
works

Developers install command-line tools with one command. Formulae must meet maintainer requirements.

Difficulty
Medium

Needs preparation, a review, or a steady habit before results.

Effort
Medium

About 5 to 10 hours a month, mostly for upkeep.

First result
1 to 4 weeks, including maintainer review

A rough range for one person working on it part-time.

Payoff
Compounds

keeps growing while you keep at it.

Best for

Command-line tools for macOS and Linux users.

Not for

Desktop apps with no command-line use.

Pros

  • One-command install for developers
  • Free

Cons

  • Maintainer review
  • Upkeep each release

The full guide

Last verified 2026-10-30

Links checked 2026-10-30 · All links answer

01What it is and who is there

Homebrew is a package manager for macOS and Linux. Developers run one command to install a command-line tool, and Homebrew handles the rest. Its formula index at formulae.brew.sh is where people look for what is available. The audience is mostly developers and system administrators.

02Cost and what you actually pay for

Submitting a formula is free. Homebrew is run by volunteers, and maintainers review each submission. Your cost is the time to meet its requirements and to keep the formula up to date when your tool releases new versions.

03Is it right for you?

It fits command-line tools, libraries and developer utilities that people install from a terminal. It fits poorly for desktop GUI apps, which are handled differently, and for anything that cannot be installed from source or a release tarball.

04Before you start

  • Make your tool installable from a stable release tarball with a checksum.
  • Read Homebrew's contribution guidelines, which cover formula style and the acceptance rules.
  • Check that your tool builds on a clean macOS or Linux machine.
  • Decide who will keep the formula current when you release.

05Step-by-step: how to distribute here

  1. Write the formula following Homebrew's examples, with a working test block.
  2. Run Homebrew's own checks locally before you open a pull request.
  3. Open a pull request and respond to maintainer feedback. Expect at least one round of changes.
  4. Once merged, the formula appears on formulae.brew.sh.
  5. Tell users the install command in your README and release notes.
  6. Update the formula for each release.

Timing: review depends on the maintainers' schedule. Plan for weeks, not days.

06What to post or submit

Install line for your README:

brew install [formula-name]

Pull request description:

Adds [tool] [version] — [one sentence on what it does].

Upstream: [your repository link]
Tests: [what the test block checks]

07Common mistakes and do-nots

  • Do not submit a formula that fails Homebrew's audit checks. Run them first.
  • Do not open many pull requests for minor version bumps without need.
  • Do not submit a tool that is not open to install from source or release.
  • Do not ignore maintainer feedback. Respond or close the pull request.

08How to measure it

  • Track installs from release notes and your README, if you add a stats link Homebrew provides.
  • Track issues filed by users who installed through Homebrew.
  • A realistic test: a few months after the formula lands, check whether new users mention installing with Homebrew.

09Time budget

  • Before: 4 to 10 hours to make the tool installable and write the formula.
  • Review: 2 to 6 hours of changes.
  • Ongoing: about 1 hour per release to update the formula.

10Pair it with

11Sources

Sources