How To: Install Homebrew on Amazon Linux in AWS Cloud9

Homebrew, often referred to as “brew,” is a popular package manager that simplifies the installation of software by automating the download, configuration, and setup processes. While traditionally associated with macOS, Homebrew can also be installed on Linux distributions, including Amazon Linux. This guide will walk you through the steps to install Homebrew on an Amazon Linux system within an AWS Cloud9 environment.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

An Amazon Linux instance set up within AWS Cloud9.
SSH access to your AWS Cloud9 environment.
Basic knowledge of the Linux command line.

Step 1: Update Your System

First, it’s a good practice to update your system to ensure all packages are up-to-date.

sudo yum update -y

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

Homebrew requires several dependencies to be installed on your system. These include Git, GCC, and other development tools. Install them using the following command:

 sudo yum groupinstall ‘Development Tools’ -y
 sudo yum install curl file git -y

Step 3: Set a Password for the Default User

AWS Cloud9 environments typically do not have a password set for the default user, which can cause issues during the Homebrew installation. To set a password for the default user (ec2-user or your specific user), run the following command:

 sudo passwd $(whoami)

You’ll be prompted to enter a new password. Choose a password and confirm it.

Step 4: Install Homebrew

Now that the dependencies are in place and a password is set, you can install Homebrew. Download and execute the official installation script with the following command:

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

During the installation process, you will be prompted to provide your sudo password. Enter the password you set in Step 3.

Step 5: Configure Your Shell

After installing Homebrew, you need to configure your shell to include Homebrew in your PATH. You can do this by adding the following line to your shell profile file (e.g., ~/.bash_profile, ~/.bashrc, or ~/.zshrc):

 echo ‘eval “$(/home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew/bin/brew shellenv)”‘ >> ~/.bash_profile

Then, apply the changes by sourcing the profile file:

source ~/.bash_profile

Step 6: Verify the Installation

To ensure that Homebrew is installed correctly, run the following command to check its version:

brew –version

You should see output similar to:

 Homebrew 3.x.x
 Homebrew/homebrew-core (git revision xxxxx; last commit yyyy-mm-dd)

Step 7: Install Packages with Homebrew

Now that Homebrew is installed, you can start using it to install packages. For example, to install wget, you can use the following command:

brew install wget

Troubleshooting Tips

Permissions Issues: If you encounter issues with permissions, ensure that your user has the necessary privileges to install software and modify system files.

PATH Issues: If Homebrew commands are not recognized, double-check that the Homebrew path is correctly added to your shell profile and that you have sourced the profile file.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Homebrew on your Amazon Linux instance within AWS Cloud9. With Homebrew, you can easily manage and install various software packages, making your development environment more robust and flexible. For more information on using Homebrew, you can refer to the official Homebrew documentation.

By following this guide, you should have a functional Homebrew installation ready to handle your package management needs on Amazon Linux in AWS Cloud9. Happy brewing!