How to install Homebrew on Linux

Distribution repositories are the first package source on most Linux systems, but they do not always carry the command-line tools or release cadence a developer workstation needs. Homebrew fills that gap with a user-owned package manager that installs formulae under a separate Linuxbrew prefix.

The supported Linux install uses the official Homebrew installer and the default /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew prefix. The installer uses sudo to create and assign that prefix, then normal brew commands run as the installing user without sudo.

A working compiler toolchain, procps, curl, file, and git are required before the installer runs. Ubuntu and Debian use APT for those prerequisite packages; other distributions need the equivalent development packages from the Homebrew on Linux requirements.

Related: Install Homebrew on WSL

Steps to install Homebrew on Linux:

Open a terminal with sudo privileges.
Refresh the APT package index.
```
$ sudo apt update
```
Install the Linux build tools required by Homebrew.
```
$ sudo apt install --assume-yes build-essential procps curl file git
```
On Fedora, CentOS Stream, RHEL, or Arch Linux, install the matching compiler, development tool, procps, curl, file, and git packages from the official Homebrew on Linux requirements.

Run the official Homebrew installer.

$ /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
==> Checking for `sudo` access (which may request your password)...
==> This script will install:
/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew
##### snipped #####
==> Installation successful!

Read the installer summary before confirming. The default Linux prefix is /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew, which is required for most prebuilt bottles.

Load Homebrew into the current shell.

$ eval "$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

Save the Homebrew shell environment for future Bash sessions.
```
$ echo 'eval "$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.bashrc
```
Use ~/.zshrc instead if zsh is the login shell.
Related: How to configure Homebrew shell environment

Confirm that the shell resolves the brew command.

$ command -v brew
/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew

Confirm that Homebrew uses the supported Linux prefix.
```
$ brew --prefix
/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew
```
An installation outside /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew can reduce support and force formulae to build from source instead of using prebuilt bottles.
Related: How to find a Homebrew package prefix
Confirm the installed Homebrew version.
```
$ brew --version
Homebrew 6.0.8
```
Exact version numbers change as Homebrew releases updates. Pair this check with command -v brew and brew –prefix so an older package-manager copy does not satisfy the test.
Install a small formula as a smoke test.
```
$ brew install hello
==> Fetching downloads for: hello
==> Installing hello
==> Pouring hello--2.12.3.arm64_linux.bottle.tar.gz
##### snipped #####
```
A successful hello install shows that Homebrew can fetch, pour, and link a Linux bottle. Dependency names and bottle architecture can differ by release and CPU.
Related: How to install a Homebrew formula
Run the installed command.
```
$ hello
Hello, world!
```

Author: Mohd Shakir Zakaria
Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a cloud architect with deep roots in software development and open-source advocacy. Certified in AWS, Red Hat, VMware, ITIL, and Linux, he specializes in designing and managing robust cloud and on-premises infrastructures.