Coming from Homebrew#

If you use Homebrew to install CLI tools, this guide maps each brew command to its conda-global equivalent.

Command mapping#

brew	conda-global	Notes
`brew install <pkg>`	`conda global install <pkg>`	Installs into an isolated env, not system-wide
`brew uninstall <pkg>`	`conda global uninstall -e <pkg>`
`brew upgrade <pkg>`	`conda global update -e <pkg>`
`brew upgrade`	`conda global update`	Skips pinned tools
`brew list`	`conda global list`	Also supports `--json`
`brew pin <pkg>`	`conda global pin -e <pkg>`	Prevents upgrades
`brew unpin <pkg>`	`conda global unpin -e <pkg>`
`brew deps <pkg>`	`conda global tree -e <pkg>`	Shows full dependency tree
—	`conda global run <pkg>`	Run without permanent install
—	`conda global sync`	Reconcile filesystem with manifest
—	`conda global edit`	Open manifest in editor

Key differences#

Isolation

Homebrew installs packages into a shared prefix (/opt/homebrew/ or /home/linuxbrew/). Libraries are shared between formulae, which can cause conflicts during upgrades. conda-global gives each tool its own isolated conda environment — no shared state.

Package scope

Homebrew is a general-purpose package manager (compilers, libraries, applications, fonts). conda-global focuses on CLI tools you want on PATH, similar to brew install for command-line utilities.

Cross-platform

Homebrew works on macOS and Linux. conda-global works on macOS, Linux, and Windows, using the same manifest format everywhere.

Manifest

Homebrew has no manifest. You reconstruct your setup with brew bundle dump (Brewfile). conda-global writes global.toml natively — sync it across machines with conda global sync.

Channels

Homebrew has one repository (homebrew-core, plus taps). conda-global can pull from multiple channels (conda-forge, bioconda, nvidia, etc.) per tool:

conda global install cuda-toolkit -c nvidia -c conda-forge

No root required

Homebrew installs to a system directory and occasionally needs elevated permissions. conda-global installs everything under a user-space data directory — no elevated permissions needed.

Migration workflow#

List your brew-installed CLI tools:
```
brew leaves
```

Install each one with conda-global (most popular CLI tools are on conda-forge with the same name):

conda global install gh
conda global install ripgrep
conda global install bat
conda global install fd-find

Verify they work:

gh --version
rg --version
bat --version
fd --version

Once satisfied, remove the brew versions:
```
brew uninstall gh ripgrep bat fd
```

Tip

Some package names differ between Homebrew and conda-forge. For example, fd on Homebrew is fd-find on conda-forge. Check anaconda.org if a name doesn’t match.

When to keep Homebrew#

Homebrew is still the right tool for:

macOS GUI applications (brew install --cask firefox)
System-level libraries other tools link against
Packages not available on conda channels

conda-global complements Homebrew — use both where each fits best.