🟢 macOS: Install Tools
Installation instructions for required tools on macOS.
Always follow the vendor-recommended installers.
These tools are essential for professional data analytics.
WHY?
Professional analytics projects depend on local tools for running code, managing packages, checking quality, and working with GitHub repositories.
Installing the required tools creates a consistent project environment across machines and operating systems.
Correct tool installation reduces setup errors and makes later commands predictable.
Required Tools
1. Git
Git is often already installed on macOS.
To check, open Terminal and run:
zsh
git --version
If Git is missing or outdated, install it from the official site: https://git-scm.com/
WHY?
Git tracks changes in project files over time.
It records what changed, when it changed, and who made the change.
Git is used with GitHub, but they are different.
- Git is version control software that runs on a machine.
- GitHub is a cloud platform that stores Git projects online.
2. Visual Studio Code
Task 2.1. REQUIRED. Download VS Code and follow all instructions in Install VS Code on macOS: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/mac.
Task 2.2 REQUIRED. Enable the code command in Terminal by following all instructions to Launch VS Code from the command line at: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/setup/mac#_launch-vs-code-from-the-command-line.
Task 2.3 OPTIONAL. Follow additional instructions including After installation as desired.
WHY?
Visual Studio Code is a code editor used to open, inspect, edit, and run project files.
It provides an integrated terminal, which allows project commands to be run from inside the same workspace.
The code command makes it possible to open a project folder in VS Code directly from the terminal.
3. uv (Python environment and dependency manager)
Follow the official installation instructions from Astral: https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/
Do not install a project Python separately at this step. Python will be installed per-project using uv.
WHY?
uv manages the Python version and project packages used by a project.
Using uv helps each project install the correct Python version and packages from the project configuration in pyproject.toml and keeps project Python separate from any other Python being used on the machine.
If you worked with older Python projects, you might have used pip to manage required packages and venv to manage the virtual environment kept in the local .venv folder.
We moved to uv because:
- it is fast
- it uses the same commands on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- it creates and updates the local .venv project environment
- it can install and manage the Python version for the project
- it reduces the number of separate Python setup tools needed
Verify
After installation, open a new Terminal window and run:
shell
git --version
code --version
uv --version
Each command should display a version number. If any command fails, revisit the corresponding installer.