MacPorts 1.5.0

MacPorts is a powerful tool that provides an infrastructure for building, installing, and packaging open source software. It is designed to match the functionality of the FreeBSD Ports system and to be extensible for future enhancements.


Basic Usage:

The main user interface to MacPorts is the port command and the various facilities it provides for installing ports.

The first thing you should do after you install MacPorts is to make sure it is fully up to date by pulling the latest revisions to the Portfiles and any updated MacPorts base code from our rsync server, all accomplished simply by running the port selfupdate command as the Unix superuser:

sudo port selfupdate

Running this command on a regular basis is a good idea, it ensures your MacPorts installation is always up to date. Afterwards, you may search for ports to install:

port search

where is the name of the port you are searching for, or a partial name. To install a port youve chosen, you need to run the port install command as the Unix superuser:

sudo port install

where now maps to an exact port name in the ports tree, such as those returned by the command port search. Please consult the port(1) man page for complete documentation for this command and the software installation process.