Homebrew Autoupdate
Overview
Homebrew Autoupdate is a user-friendly tool designed to automatically manage updates for Homebrew, a popular package manager for macOS. This convenience is achieved by employing a script that updates Homebrew in the background every 24 hours by default. This automatic update process is powered by launchd, macOS's job scheduler. The tool can also perform brew upgrade and brew cleanup operations, though these are optional features.
Features
Automatic Updates
The primary function of Homebrew Autoupdate is to periodically run brew update, ensuring that Homebrew stays current without user intervention. Users can customize the update frequency by setting a specific interval in seconds. For instance, updates every 12 hours require an interval of 43200 seconds.
Additional Capabilities
Besides updates, the tool can automatically handle upgrades and cleanups:
brew upgrade: Automatically upgrades installed formulae and casks.brew cleanup: Clears old versions and unnecessary files.
To enhance the user experience, notifications are set up to inform users about updates, and these are enabled by default with a universal AppleScript applet.
Installation
To use Homebrew Autoupdate, one needs to add it to Homebrew with the following command: brew tap domt4/autoupdate. After tapping, autoupdates can be started by running brew autoupdate start [interval] [options].
Example Command
Here is an example of how to use Homebrew Autoupdate:
brew autoupdate start 43200 --upgrade --cleanup --immediate --sudo
This command sets the tool to upgrade all casks and formulae every 12 hours and upon system boot. If any action requires administrative rights, a graphical interface will prompt the user to enter their password.
How It Differs from Homebrew's Built-in Autoupdate
Unlike Homebrew's internal autoupdate mechanism, which is tied to specific commands like brew install, brew tap, or brew upgrade, Homebrew Autoupdate operates independently. This means it will keep Homebrew updated even if these commands are not run manually. However, users who frequently use brew commands might opt for the built-in system, which can be set to update at less frequent intervals or turned off completely by adjusting environment variables.
Development History
Initially created in April 2015 by DomT4, the Homebrew Autoupdate tool began as a personal project to meet the need for a background updating utility. It gained popularity and was officially adopted by the Homebrew organization in April 2021. This popularity led to its transition back to DomT4's ownership in late 2023, as part of an effort to reduce the maintenance load on the broader Homebrew team.
Conclusion
Homebrew Autoupdate stands as a practical solution for those who want to maintain an up-to-date Homebrew environment with minimal effort. It encapsulates the ethos of automation and ease of use, allowing users to focus more on their work and less on maintenance chores.