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Camilo Martinez
Camilo Martinez

Posted on • Updated on

Setup macOS for Development

#productivity #tutorial #beginners #devtips

I’m relatively new on macOS and one of the biggest problems switching from Windows was set up all those SDK and libraries required for web/mobile development.

I made several mistakes, but I think that finally found a good way to set up a macOS as a development machine.

It's not a definite solution because there are uncountable combinations and I can cover all of them. Just use what you need, don't install SDK or software that you will not gonna use.

Before start highly recommend change your terminal follow this configuration:

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Software Repository

Homebrew

Brew has his own classification. The inside brew can found the CLI app and utilities. Inside is cask all the application with Graphical Interface.



/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
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Add this lines to ~/.bash_profile and/or ~/.zshrc file:



#Brew
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"
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Run this commands on terminal:



eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"
source ~/.zshrc
source ~/.bash_profile
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Restart your terminal, then update and upgrade brew sources:



brew tap homebrew/cask-fonts
brew update --force --quiet
brew upgrade
brew cleanup
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https://brew.sh — usage: https://docs.brew.sh/FAQ

Run this command, and follow doctor recommendations:



brew doctor
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SDK Man 



curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io" | bash
source "$HOME/.sdkman/bin/sdkman-init.sh"
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http://sdkman.io — usage: https://sdkman.io/usage

Permissions

Add permissions to user (or group) under this folders and enclosed items:



sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/opt
sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/share
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WARNING: Add the next permission just in case your machine is used by only one user. 



sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/lib
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General Purpose

Visual Studio Code 



brew install --cask visual-studio-code
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https://code.visualstudio.com

On first run press ⌘ + ⇧ + P and run the command: Shell Command: install 'code' command PATH. And now you can use code command from the command line. Example: code . open an editor on the current folder.

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VSCode - Essentials

Camilo Martinez ・ Sep 27 '18

#vscode #productivity #webdev

Git 



brew install git
brew unlink git && brew link git
brew install git-lfs
git lfs install
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https://git-scm.com

Git Config

In order to use setup git config to use Visual Studio Code instead of Vim run this command:



git config --global core.editor 'code --wait'
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Use this command to edit global configuration:



git config --edit --global
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Merge and Diff Config

If also want to use VScode as your difftool and your mergetool. Add the below configuration to your global configuration.



[merge]
    tool = vscode
[mergetool "vscode"]
    cmd = code --wait $MERGED
[diff]
    tool = vscode
[difftool "vscode"]
    cmd = code --wait --diff $LOCAL $REMOTE
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Use main branch

And if you want to change your default branch with main as GitHub does.



git config --global init.defaultBranch main
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Source Tree 



brew install --cask sourcetree
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https://www.sourcetreeapp.com

Web Development

Node.js

I prefer to install Node through Volta.



brew install volta
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Add this environment variables to ~/.bash_profile and/or ~/.zshrc file:



export VOLTA_HOME="$HOME/.volta"
export PATH="$VOLTA_HOME/bin:$PATH"
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To install a version use:

Version Description
@atest Latest version
@lts Long Term Support
@# Suitable version
@#.#.# Specific version

I'll prefer works with LTS version



volta install node@lts
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https://nodejs.org

To list all installed versions use:



volta list all
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ℹ️ to switch between versions use the same command to install.

Yarn (npm alternative) 



volta install yarn
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https://yarnpkg.com

Packages

Do it with your favorite node package manager: yarn or npm

Name Yarn npm
Angular yarn global add @angular/cli npm i -g @angular/cli
Cordova yarn global add cordova npm i -g cordova
Gulp yarn global add gulp npm i -g gulp
ESLint yarn global add eslint npm i -g eslint
Typescript yarn global add typescript npm i -g typescript

CLI Tools

Do it with your favorite node package manager: yarn or npm

Name Yarn npm
fkill-cli yarn global add fkill-cli npm i -g fkill-cli
npkill yarn global add npkill npm i -g npkill

Yarn with VSCode

If you are using Visual Studio Code and ESLint extension, need extra configurations settings:



"eslint.packageManager": "yarn",
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Open Visual Studio Code settings with ⌘ + ,

Yarn with Angular

Using Yarn with Angular CLI, needs to run a command inside an Angular project.

v1.7.4- v6+
ng set --global packageManager=yarn ng config -g cli.packageManager yarn

Angular Console

The Power of the Angular CLI. The Convenience of an App.



brew install --cask angular-console
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Browsers 



brew install --cask google-chrome
brew install --cask firefox
brew install --cask homebrew/cask-versions/firefox-developer-edition
brew install --cask opera
brew install --cask opera-developer
brew install --cask microsoft-edge
brew install --cask microsoft-edge-dev
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Take this FREE course: DevTools Pro: The Basics of Chrome Developer Tools.

Mobile

I like to install Gradle and Java with SDK Man because have projects that and need switch between different version, change it with SDK Man is easy.

Gradle

I'm working with 3.3 and 4.4.1 versions, if you want to use the last version, avoid the version number at the end.



sdk install gradle 3.3
sdk install gradle 4.4.1
sdk use gradle 4.4.1
sdk default gradle 4.4.1
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https://gradle.org

Java 



sdk list java
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Search AdoptOpenJDK version, like 8.0.272.hs-adpt on this list, and use it at the end like those commands.



sdk install java 8.0.272.hs-adpt
sdk use java 8.0.272.hs-adpt
sdk default java 8.0.272.hs-adpt
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https://java.com

Android SDK 



brew install --cask android-sdk
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https://developer.android.com/studio/#downloads

Useful SDK Manager commands:

Action Command
List packages sdkmanager --list
Install NDK sdkmanager "ndk-bundle"
Install build-tools sdkmanager "build-tools;28.0.3"
Install platform sdkmanager "platforms;android-28"
Update installed packages sdkmanager --update
https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/sdkmanager

Add this environment variables to ~/.bash_profile and/or ~/.zshrc file:



export ANDROID_SDK_ROOT="/usr/local/share/android-sdk"
export ANDROID_HOME="$ANDROID_SDK_ROOT"
export ANDROID_NDK_HOME="$ANDROID_SDK_ROOT/ndk-bundle"
export ANDROID_BT_VERSION="$(ls -tr $ANDROID_SDK_ROOT/build-tools | sort | tail -1)"

export PATH="$ANDROID_SDK_ROOT/bin:$PATH"
export PATH="$ANDROID_SDK_ROOT/build-tools/$ANDROID_BT_VERSION:$PATH"
export PATH="$ANDROID_SDK_ROOT/platform-tools:$PATH"
export PATH="$ANDROID_SDK_ROOT/tools:$PATH"
export PATH="$ANDROID_NDK_HOME/:$PATH"
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https://developer.android.com/studio/command-line/variables

Android Bundle Tool 



brew install bundletool
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Android Studio 



brew install --cask android-studio
brew install --cask intel-haxm
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https://developer.android.com/studio/

On the first run go to Tools -> Create Command-line Launcher. And now you can use studio command from the command line. Example: studio . open IDE on current folder.

JADX

Dex to Java decompiler



brew install jadx
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https://github.com/skylot/jadx

Scrcpy (Mobile Screen Sharing) 



brew install scrcpy
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https://github.com/Genymobile/scrcpy
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Xcode

Just install it from Apple Store: Xcode and Xcode Command Line Tools



xcode-select --install
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Enable Dark Mode in some macOS apps

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Cloud and Remote

Docker 



brew install --cask docker
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http://www.docker.com

FileZilla (FTP Client) 



brew install --cask filezilla
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https://filezilla-project.org

Cryptomator

Free client-side encryption for your cloud files. Open-source software: No backdoors, no registration.



brew install --cask cryptomator
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http://cryptomator.org

Database

MySQL + Workbench 



brew install mysql
brew install --cask mysqlworkbench
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https://www.mysql.com

To launch MySQL now and restart at login:



brew services start mysql
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Or, if you don’t want/need a background service you can just use the mysql.server tool:



mysql.server start
mysql.server stop
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PostgreSQL and pgAdmin 



brew install postgresql
brew install --cask pgadmin4
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Add this environment variables to ~/.bash_profile and/or ~/.zshrc file:



export POSTGRESQL_HOME="/usr/local/opt/postgresql"

export PATH="$POSTGRESQL_HOME/bin:$PATH"
export LDFLAGS="-L$POSTGRESQL_HOME/lib"
export CPPFLAGS="-I$POSTGRESQL_HOME/include"
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Initialize and start server



initdb /usr/local/var/postgres -E utf8
createuser -s postgres
brew services start postgresql
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Microsoft

.Net Core SDK 



brew install --cask dotnet-sdk
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https://www.microsoft.com/net/download

Add this environment variables to ~/.bash_profile and/or ~/.zshrc file:



export DOTNET_HOME="/usr/local/share/dotnet/dotnet"
export PATH="$DOTNET_HOME/bin:$PATH"
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Graphic Design

Gimp (Image Editor) 



brew install --cask gimp
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http://www.gimp.org

Slurp (Color Picker)

Just install Slurp from Apple Store and remove all his shortcuts because interferes with VSCode ones.

slurp

Utilities

Mail

Don't use the default mail app, it's primitive and not usable at all. Just install Spark Mail from Apple Store.

Communicators 



brew install --cask slack
brew install --cask discord
brew install --cask microsoft-teams
brew install --cask webex-teams
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Notion 



brew install --cask notion
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https://notion.so

Keka (File Compression) 



brew install --cask keka
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http://www.kekaosx.com

Follow these instructions: set as default compress application

App Cleaner (App Uninstaller)

Use it with software installed manually. With software installed with brew use brew remove <package_name> or brew remove --cask <software_name>.



brew install --cask appcleaner
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https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner

Karabiner (Keyboard Customizer) 



brew install --cask karabiner-elements
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https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/
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Muzzle

Silence embarrassing notifications while screencasting.



brew install --cask muzzle
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https://muzzleapp.com/

Dozer

Hide menu bar icons on your Mac.



brew install --cask dozer
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https://github.com/Mortennn/Dozer

The Clock 



brew install --cask the-clock
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https://seense.com/the_clock/

EUL

Status monitoring with Big Sur widgets



brew install --cask eul
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https://github.com/gao-sun/eul

Productivity

Yes, I'm that kind of Developer that turn Caffeine Music into Code.

YouTube Music (Desktop Player)

I've preferred YTM over Spotify because I can upload my own underground music collection that is not available in public music collections. That's a plus for Metalheads 🤘.



brew install --cask ytmdesktop-youtube-music
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https://ytmdesktop.app/

Remove all his shortcuts because interferes with macOS and VSCode ones.

YTM Shortcuts

Spotify 



brew install --cask spotify
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https://www.spotify.com/

Rectangle (Windows Management) 



brew install --cask rectangle
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https://rectangleapp.com/

To avoid collisions with Visual Studio Code keyboard combination uses the alternative shortcuts. Running this command in a terminal and restart rectangle:



defaults write com.knollsoft.Rectangle alternateDefaultShortcuts -bool true
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Rectangle Alternative Shortcut

Keeping You Awake

A small menu bar utility that can prevent your Mac from entering sleep mode for a predefined duration or as long as it is activated.



brew install --cask keepingyouawake
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https://github.com/newmarcel/KeepingYouAwake/

Aware (Track Time)

A simple menubar app that tracks how long you’ve been actively using your computer.



brew install --cask aware
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http://awaremac.com

CheatSheet (Key Shortcuts)

Just hold the ⌘-Key a bit longer to get a list of all active short cuts of the current application. It’s as simple as that.



brew install --cask cheatsheet
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http://www.mediaatelier.com/CheatSheet/

Bonus Track

Once finish install of what you need, run the command brew cleanup to release disk space.

Screenshot without Shadow

Just use Shift ⇧ + ⌘ + 4 + Space, and hold down ⌥ when you click to select the window.

Or you can disable forever the shadow added when capturing an entire window by executing the following command from the terminal:



defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool TRUE
killall SystemUIServer
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http://apple.stackexchange.com/a/50862/230672

And change the default location




defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Pictures/Screenshots
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Drag & Drop

Learn these useful tips:

That’s All Folks!
Happy Coding 🖖

beer

Top comments (20)

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_mikhailbot profile image
Mikhail 🐺 •

I didn't read everything but a quick note about your Node and Yarn setup! I would strongly recommend using nvm for managing Node versions and not installing Node through Brew. It allows you fine grained control over what Node you want to use, don't have to just use one version on your whole system!

Once you've got that, you'll also want to install Yarn without Node so that it's independent of the version of Node which is handled by nvm.

brew install yarn --without-node
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I've found it's a far more pleasant experience working this way, being able to easily change versions as needed!

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equiman profile image
Camilo Martinez • • Edited

Now I moved to NVM :D

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equiman profile image
Camilo Martinez •

Excellent, I have no idea about nvm. I'n my case I'm only need LTS version but it's cool to other know that. Thanks!

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jenc profile image
Jen Chan •

Hello Camilo, what a coincidence that I read some of this article yesterday! I just got a new Macbook and looked through around 10 articles to make sure I set up my $PATH and nvm correctly. I'm confused why tutorials advise having .ssh and .bashrc under $HOME whilst stuff that's installed through brew actually goes into MacintoshHD/usr/local/....?

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equiman profile image
Camilo Martinez •

Really, I have no idea. I never seen something about it before.

Do you have some of this links? I can take a look and try to understand.

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jeblackburn profile image
Jon Blackburn •

You might consider giving this repo a look:

github.com/Pivotal/workstation-setup

With a couple of tweaks (you can fork the repo to your own GitHub and make them there) you can cover most everything a modern developer might encounter.

Disclaimer: I work at Pivotal and use this setup project to pave our workstations on a regular basis between client engagements.

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equiman profile image
Camilo Martinez •

Looks nice. I'm thinking do it similar with a console in .Net Core

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ciromattia profile image
Ciro Mattia Gonano •

This leaves out all the web developers, luckily there's this walkthrough --> medium.com/the-way-of-the-dev/http...

DISCLAIMER: the walkthrough is written by me -_^

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bxe5056 profile image
Benjamin Eppinger •

Fyi: apparently Spectacle isn't actively being developed anymore.
They've recommended users switch to Rectangle instead.
(Haven't tried it personally though)

brew cask install rectangle

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equiman profile image
Camilo Martinez • • Edited

Today I moved to rectangleapp and it's awesome: have keyboard shortcuts (like spectacle) but also magnetic windows like winOS.

Post updated with Rectangle information.

Thanks for the advice @bxe5056 !

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equiman profile image
Camilo Martinez •

Thanks! I'll take a look next week.

github.com/rxhanson/Rectangle

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moopet profile image
Ben Sinclair •

I don't think you really need to do all this. Macs aren't far off being usable machines in the first place.
I'd do homebrew and a better terminal and (if my development stack was that way) install docker and/or vagrant. The rest of it's all very specific to a particular development stack.

On a more serious note, I would not do this:

sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/lib

simply because there's no reason to and you're messing things up for anyone else who wants to use the same system. I know, I know, Macs are usually one-person machines, but they run unix and are theoretically multi-user. Why try to break it?

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equiman profile image
Camilo Martinez •

Yes this kind of thing are very opinionated. I work with non particular Stack: c#, .Net Core, Web and Mobile. Hope can be used as guide. You give me a good idea, organizing it as stacks.

About /usr/local/bin you are completely right I'll add a Warning about. Just use in case you machine is used by only one user.

Thanks!

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5422m4n profile image
Sven Kanoldt •

Very Nice overview. But let's not forget dart cli and eco system:

 brew tap dart-lang/dart
 brew install dart

dart.dev/get-dart

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dbelyaeff profile image
Dmitriy Belyaev •

Great! Almost everything looks familiar, but have learned something new.

Found typo: Filezilla gist repeats below Keka (File Compression).

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equiman profile image
Camilo Martinez •

Thanks! Fixed.

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equiman profile image
Camilo Martinez • • Edited

I never heard about meta key. I'll search about it.

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tusharborole profile image
Tushar Borole •

Using docker for development will be good instead of installing all this stuff

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equiman profile image
Camilo Martinez •

Yeeess, that say me a partner. Maybe you know a link that to the same with Docker? I want to learn.

View full discussion (20 comments)

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