1. Best Macbook For Developers
2. Macbook Pro For Developers
3. Macbook Setup For Developers

A lot of developers are using Macbook 13 inch version (or even a Macbook Air 13 inches with less power but longer battery life). A lot of designers and developers are using the external display at work. Testing conducted by Apple in October 2020 using preproduction MacBook Air systems with Apple M1 chip and 8-core GPU, as well as production 1.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i7-based MacBook Air systems, all configured with 16GB RAM and 2TB SSD.

I have to set up a MacBook Pro fairly often - when starting a new job and when buying a new personal computer. I created this article back in 2015 when I got my first Mac and have been updating it ever since with whatever I need as my job evolves. I'm primarily a full-stack web developer, so most of my needs will revolve around JavaScript/Node.js.

Getting Started

The setup assistant will launch once you turn the computer on. Enter your language, time zone, Apple ID, and so on. The first thing you should do is update macOS to get the latest security updates and patches.

Homebrew

Install the Homebrew package manager. This will allow you to install almost any app from the command line.

Make sure everything is up to date.

Install Apps

Here are some the programs I always install.

Don't install Node.js through Homebrew. Use nvm (below).

Shell

Catalina comes with zsh as the default shell. Install Oh My Zsh for sensible defaults.

Node.js

Use Node Version Manager (nvm) to install Node.js. This allows you to easily switch between Node versions, which is essential.

Install

Install the latest version.

Restart terminal and run the final command.

Confirm that you are using the latest version of Node and npm.

Update

For later, here's how to update nvm.

Change version

Here's how to switch to another version and use it.

And to set the default:

Git

The first thing you should do with Git is set your global configuration.

Input your config and create some aliases.

With the above aliases, I can run git s instead of git status, for example. The less I have to type, the happier I am.

SSH

Simplify the process of SSHing into other boxes. Create an SSH config file.

Add the following contents, changing the variables for any hosts that you connect to. Using the below will be the same as running ssh -i ~/.ssh/key.pem user@example.com.

Now just run the alias to connect.

Generate SSH key

You can generate an SSH key to distribute.

Add key.

Settings

I don't like a lot of the Apple defaults so here are the things I always change.

To get the Home folder in the finder, press CMD + SHIFT + H and drag the home folder to the sidebar.

General

• Set Dark mode
• Make Google Chrome default browser

Dock

• Automatically hide and show Dock
• Show indicators for open applications

Keyboard

• Key Repeat -> Fast
• Delay Until Repeat -> Short
• Disable 'Correct spelling automatically'
• Disable 'Capitalize words automatically'
• Disable 'Add period with double-space'
• Disable 'Use smart quotes and dashes'

Security and Privacy

• Allow apps downloaded from App Store and identified developers
• Turn FileVault On (makes sure SSD is securely encrypted)
• Turn Firewall On (extra security measure)

Sharing

• Change computer name
• Make sure all file sharing is disabled

Users & Groups

• Add 'Rectangle' to Login items

Best Macbook For Developers

Defaults

A few more commands to change some defaults.

Application Settings

Chrome

• Turn off 'Warn before quitting'
• Install uBlock Origin
• Install React DevTools
• Install Redux DevTools
• Install JSONView
• Install DevTools Theme - New Moon

• Settings

  • Set theme to 'Dark'
  • Go to chrome://flags and set Developer Tools Experiments to 'Enabled'
  • Go to Experiments and select 'Allow custom UI themes'

Visual Studio Code

• Press CMD + SHIFT + P and click 'Install code command in PATH'.
• Install Prettier
• Install New Moon Theme
• Install GitLens
• Install Highlight Matching Tag
• Install ESLint
• Install Prettier

• Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Copy Line Down - CMD + SHIFT + E
  • Delete Line - CMD + SHIFT + D
  • Reload Window - Remove Development Mode from When
  • Format Document - CMD + SHIFT + L

Rectangle

• Full Screen: CMD + SHIFT + ' (prevents messing with other commands)
• Left Half: CMD + OPTION + LEFT
• Right Half: CMD + OPTION + RIGHT

iTerm2

Macbook Pro For Developers

• Set tab to open in same location

Conclusion

Macbook Setup For Developers

That sums it up for my current preferences on setting up a MacBook Pro. I hope it helped speed up your process or gave you ideas for the next time you're setting one up.