Set-up Mac for Web Development in 2021
Tags: productivity, webdev
Published: 2021-03-15 10:46:38

I've recently had to reinstall Mac OS on my 2018 Macbook Pro because the last time I've done this is more than 4 years ago and I start having some issues after upgrading to Big Sur like the internet was randomly not working, git was not working properly, the mac was kind of slow. Also, the SSD was full of junk from the past years.

To reinstall Big Sur on my Mac, I've followed [this guide](https://support.apple.com/en-au/guide/mac-help/mh27903/mac) from Apple.

# General Settings

Now, after I've finished installation and configurations, the first thing I check is if there are any updates for Mac OS.

After this, I've gone to Settings and started going through all the categories: General, Desktop & Screen Saver, Dock & Menu Bar, etc, and configuring it the way I like it. Some **important security features** to make sure you have turned on are on Security & Privacy > FileVault / Firewall.

# General Software

After finishing with the Mac settings, is time to start installing all the software I use on a daily basis. I'll split this into general software and web development software.

### [Amphetamin‪e‬](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/amphetamine/id937984704)

This is a great software that you can use to keep your Mac awake. For example, if I do a time-consuming operation and I want to make sure my mac won't go to sleep, I use Amphetamine‬.

### Avast

I use the following products from Avast: Avast Premium Security, Avast Anti-Track, Avast CleanUp, and Avast VPN. You need to make sure you have an up-to-date antivirus on your computer.

### Figma

Figma is my go-to software for web design, quick logos, wireframes, social media content, basically everything in this area.

### Grammarly

Grammarly it's been with me since February 2019 and I can say I love it. It helps me avoid mistakes when writing in English. I'm using it right now when writing this article.

### [Maccy](https://maccy.app)

This is the best macOS clipboard manager I've used so far (in my opinion). It's not free, but I can say it's worth the money and as you get used to it, it will save you a lot of time.

### Slack

This is my go-to communication software with clients and for personal projects. It's great and has integrations with a lot of software.

### Spark

I've been using Spark for a few months now as my main Mail Client both on my Mac and on my iPhone. I can say it's better than the GMail client. It helps me organize my emails better, and postpone reading specific emails.

### Zoom 

I'm mainly using Zoom and Google Meet for video calls these days so, this is a very important software I use every single day.

# Development Software

I've tried a lot of software over time, hoping it will help me increase my productivity and save me time as a web developer.

### Postman

Postman is more than just a tool you can use to test APIs. It's as they describe on their website "The Collaboration Platform for API Development". You can use it to document your APIs, collaborate with the team, test APIs and more.

### [Table Plus](https://tableplus.com)

I use Table Plus to manage databases.

### Mongo Compass

This is a tool you can use to execute CRUD operations over Mongo Databases.

### Docker

I don't think I've made an app in the past 1-2 years without Docker. So, if you're not using Docker, start using it 😀.

### [Termius](https://termius.com)

This is an SSH client for both Mobile and Desktop. You can save all your servers, group them and connect them from your mobile device.

### VS Code

This is my main code editor right now. Before that, I used Web Storm for like a year. I kind of like changing them and experience what works best for me.

### [Homebrew](https://brew.sh)

Homebrew is a packet manager for macOS.

### [oh my zsh](https://ohmyz.sh)

As they say on their website "Oh-My-Zsh is a delightful, open-source, community-driven framework for managing your ZSH configuration.". You can basically improve your basic, boring Terminal 🚀.

### [NVM](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm)

NVM stands for Node Version Manager. You can basically switch between different NodeJS versions. It's very helpful if you work on multiple projects at the same time.

Let me know in the comments what software do you use on your Mac.

If you have any questions or just want to reach me, check out [my website](https://statescu.net).