BrewLens — The Homebrew App Store
BrewLens is a free, open-source web interface to browse, search, and discover
Homebrew casks (macOS apps) and formulae (command-line tools) — no terminal
required. It is a read-only explorer: it never installs anything on your machine; it shows you the exact
brew install command to run yourself.
What you can do with BrewLens
- Browse every Homebrew cask and formula with instant, keyboard-first search.
- Inspect package details: version, description, homepage, install command, download URL, SHA-256 checksum, dependencies, and artifacts.
- See trending apps based on Homebrew 30-day install analytics.
- Browse by category: dev tools, AI & LLM, design, media, browsers, productivity, languages, databases, DevOps, networking.
- Save bookmarks, track recently viewed packages, and import/export Brewfiles — all stored locally in your browser.
Who it is for
- Developers inspecting metadata, versions, and dependencies of casks and formulae.
- Security teams verifying download URLs and SHA-256 checksums of Homebrew packages.
- Sysadmins auditing apps and tools before deploying to managed macOS or Linux machines.
- Homebrew contributors reviewing package structure before opening a pull request.
- Anyone who wants to discover great macOS apps installable via Homebrew without touching the Terminal.
Quick answers
Does BrewLens install Homebrew packages?
No — it is read-only. It shows the exact install command (for example
brew install --cask firefox or brew install wget) for you to run in your terminal.
Is BrewLens free?
Yes — completely free and open source under the MIT license, with no
account required. Bookmarks and history stay local to your browser.
Does it work on Linux or Windows?
Yes. Casks are macOS-only, but Homebrew formulae also run on Linux
and Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL), and all of them can be browsed in BrewLens from any OS.
Where does the data come from?
Package metadata and analytics are fetched directly from the official
Homebrew API at formulae.brew.sh.
Links