Recommended Tools

What we actually have installed. If it's on this list, we use it.

Package Managers

The missing package manager for macOS and Linux

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
bun

Fast JavaScript runtime, bundler, and package manager

curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash
uv

Fast Python package installer and resolver

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

Rust package manager and build tool, installed with rustup

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Shell & Terminal

Fast, native terminal emulator with GPU rendering

brew install --cask ghostty

Minimal, fast, customisable shell prompt

brew install starship

Data Processing

jq

Lightweight command-line JSON processor

brew install jq
yq

Command-line YAML, JSON, and XML processor

brew install yq
pv

Monitor the progress of data through a pipe

brew install pv

Infrastructure

Terraform version manager

brew install tfenv

Infrastructure as code with TypeScript and Python, used for client projects

brew install pulumi

Thin wrapper for Terraform that provides extra tools for DRY configs

brew install terragrunt

Terraform linter for detecting errors and enforcing conventions

brew install tflint

Security scanner for Terraform code

brew install tfsec

Generate documentation from Terraform modules

brew install terraform-docs

Agentless IT automation for configuration management and deployment

brew install ansible

Build automated machine images across multiple platforms

brew install packer

Local AWS cloud stack for development and testing

brew install localstack

Convert CloudFormation templates to Terraform

brew install cf2tf

Kubernetes

Multi pod and container log tailing for Kubernetes

brew install stern

Plugin manager for kubectl

brew install krew

Package manager for Kubernetes

brew install helm
k9s

Terminal UI for managing Kubernetes clusters

brew install k9s

Template-free customisation of Kubernetes YAML

brew install kustomize

Lightweight service mesh for Kubernetes

brew install linkerd

CLI for Cilium, eBPF-based Kubernetes networking and security

brew install cilium-cli

Convert Docker Compose files to Kubernetes manifests

brew install kompose

Kubernetes OIDC authentication plugin for kubectl

brew install kubelogin

Auto-generate documentation for Helm charts

brew install helm-docs

CLI for Talos Linux, the Kubernetes-focused OS

brew install talosctl

Git & Workflow

Alternative to pre-commit for managing git hooks

brew install prek
gh

GitHub CLI for managing repos, PRs, and issues from the terminal

brew install gh

Transparent file encryption in git using GPG

brew install git-crypt

Conventional commits tooling with changelog generation

brew install cocogitto

Generate changelogs from conventional commits

brew install git-cliff

Git extension for versioning large files

brew install git-lfs

Languages & Runtimes

Rust toolchain installer and version manager

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
go

The Go programming language

brew install go

Secure runtime for JavaScript and TypeScript

brew install deno

Cloud CLIs

Official AWS command-line interface

brew install awscli

Microsoft Azure command-line interface

brew install azure-cli

Switch between cloud roles and accounts with a single command

brew install granted

Securely store and access AWS credentials in your OS keychain

brew install --cask aws-vault

Containers

Explore Docker image layers and find ways to shrink images

brew install dive

Tool for interacting with remote container registries

brew install crane

Inspect and copy container images without a daemon

brew install skopeo

Code Quality

Extremely fast Python linter and formatter

brew install ruff

Fast formatter and linter for JavaScript, TypeScript, and JSON

brew install biome

Static analysis tool for shell scripts

brew install shellcheck

Linter for YAML files

brew install yamllint

Static checker for GitHub Actions workflow files

brew install actionlint

Fast, configurable Go linter aggregator

brew install golangci-lint

Extensible YAML formatter from Google

brew install yamlfmt

Security

Find leaked credentials in git repos, filesystems, and S3 buckets

brew install trufflehog

Detect secrets in code to prevent accidental commits

brew install detect-secrets

Find and fix vulnerabilities in dependencies and container images

brew install snyk-cli
age

Simple, modern file encryption tool

brew install age

Network exploration and security auditing tool

brew install nmap

Tools for the WireGuard VPN protocol

brew install wireguard-tools

Manage 1Password vaults and secrets from the terminal

brew install --cask 1password-cli

General Utilities

Blazingly fast recursive search tool (better grep)

brew install ripgrep
fzf

General-purpose fuzzy finder for the terminal

brew install fzf

Structural diff tool that understands syntax

brew install difftastic

Command runner like make but simpler and more portable

brew install just

Upgrade everything on your system with a single command

brew install topgrade

Cross-platform system monitoring tool (better top)

brew install glances

Lightweight multi-protocol download utility with resuming

brew install aria2

Record and share terminal sessions

brew install asciinema

Networking

Mesh VPN for accessing internal tools and dev environments

brew install --cask tailscale

Desktop Apps

Fast, lightweight Docker Desktop alternative for macOS

brew install --cask orbstack

Open source API client, alternative to Postman

brew install --cask bruno

Modern, native database management GUI

brew install --cask tableplus

Offline API documentation browser with instant search

brew install --cask dash

Knowledge base and note-taking with Markdown and linking

brew install --cask obsidian
zed

High-performance code editor built in Rust

brew install --cask zed

Diagramming tool for architecture and flow diagrams

brew install --cask drawio