How to Use the macOS Terminal for Programming

The terminal is an essential tool for programmers, allowing you to perform tasks that would otherwise be impossible. Here’s a guide on how to use the terminal in macOS:

Opening the Terminal: You can easily find the Terminal app by searching for “Terminal” in Spotlight or navigating to the Applications folder, opening the Utilities subfolder, and locating the Terminal app.
Understanding the Shell: When you open the Terminal, you’ll see a screen similar to this:

The “bash-3.2” indicates the type and version of the shell you’re using. The shell is a program that allows you to interact with the operating system and its applications. It’s worth noting that macOS since Catalina uses zsh as the default shell.
File System Commands: You can start by entering the “ls” command, which will list the files in the current folder. By default, the shell starts in your home folder, located at “/Users/yourname”. To determine the current folder, use the “pwd” command. You can change the current folder using the “cd” command. Typing “cd” without any arguments will navigate back to your home folder. To create a new folder, use the “mkdir” command.
Running Commands: The terminal gives you access to all the programs and files installed on your computer. One commonly used program is “npm,” which is used for managing Node.js packages. To use npm, you’ll need to install it from npmjs.com/get-npm. Once installed, you can run the “npm init” command in an empty folder to initialize a Node.js project. To start a Node.js program, use the “node filename.js” command.

There’s a lot more to explore and learn about the macOS terminal, but this guide will get you started. Take the time to discover advanced features and capabilities as you continue to use the terminal for your programming needs.

tags: [“macOS Terminal”, “shell”, “file system commands”, “running commands”, “programming”]