Whitepaper
The Mac toolkit for website developers: tools, tips, and settings
Anyone building websites on a Mac quickly runs into the same questions: how do you test a domain locally before the DNS goes live, which editor is worth switching to, and which tools actually make the daily work easier. This whitepaper lines up the tools, settings, and AI assistants that most website developers use every day.
Editing the hosts file for local testing
This is probably the most-used developer trick on the Mac: by adding a line to /etc/hosts you can point a domain name, for example myproject.test, to your own Mac locally, before anything is set up in real DNS. Handy for testing a site on its final domain for a client, without that domain having to go live yet.
- Open Terminal.
- Type
sudo nano /etc/hostsand enter your Mac password. - Add a line at the bottom, for example
127.0.0.1 myproject.test. - Save with Ctrl-O, close with Ctrl-X.
- Flush the DNS cache with
sudo dscacheutil -flushcache; sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder.
For those who prefer a mouse over Terminal: Gas Mask and the App Store app Hosts offer a graphical list with on/off switches per line.
Setting up a local development environment
Laravel Herd
Free, native Mac app that automatically serves every project through a *.test domain, with no Homebrew or separate configuration needed. Originally aimed at PHP and Laravel, but usable for almost any local project.
MAMP / MAMP PRO
The classic combination of Apache, MySQL, and PHP in one installer, with a graphical interface. A bit heavier than Herd, but familiar to those who have worked this way for years.
DDEV
Docker-based, with its own isolated environment per project through a simple configuration file. Useful once a team wants to share the exact same environment.
Local
Specifically aimed at WordPress sites, with one-click installation and easy export to a hosting provider.
Choosing a good code editor
Visual Studio Code
From Microsoft and by far the most widely used editor, thanks to the huge range of extensions for Git, linting, and live preview. Free to use.
PhpStorm
From JetBrains, the established name for anyone working seriously with PHP, especially alongside WordPress or Laravel. Paid, but the built-in debugger, refactoring tools, and code navigation go deeper than what VS Code offers out of the box.
Zed
A new, fully native Mac editor built for speed: noticeably faster startup and typing than VS Code, with built-in AI support and a collaboration mode.
Nova
From Panic, known for Transmit, also fully native. Fewer extensions than VS Code, but a nicer feel and better battery use on the Mac itself.
Sublime Text
Lightweight and extremely fast, good for anyone who would rather not run a heavy editor with dozens of extensions.
AI tools for developers
Most of the editors above now have AI built in or available as a plug-in, and which one works best differs per developer and per project. A brief overview of what is common right now:
GitHub Copilot
From Microsoft and the best known, cheapest entry point. Works as an extension in VS Code and most other editors, strong at autocomplete and one-off suggestions while typing.
Cursor
A full VS Code fork where AI is built into every part of the editing process, not just as an extension. Popular with developers who want to work closely with AI without switching editors.
Claude Code
From Anthropic, working from the terminal. Can independently edit multiple files at once, search through a codebase, and carry out larger refactors, rather than just suggesting single lines.
JetBrains AI Assistant and Junie
Now built into PhpStorm by default, with code completion, explanations, and an agent that can pick up tasks on its own.
Many developers combine an editor with built-in AI for daily work with a separate AI tool for bigger jobs. It is not a matter of picking one provider: most tools now support multiple AI models side by side.
Terminal and package management
Homebrew is more or less the standard package manager for the Mac, via brew install, and the basis through which most tools in this whitepaper get installed. For the terminal itself, iTerm2 and Warp are a noticeable upgrade over the default Terminal app, with tabs, split screens, and better search. For projects juggling multiple Node versions, a version manager is essential: nvm or the faster fnm let you switch between Node versions per project without causing problems elsewhere.
Local HTTPS with a trusted certificate
More and more functionality, such as service workers, certain cookies, and camera or microphone APIs, only works over HTTPS, even locally. mkcert solves this: it creates a local certificate authority that your Mac trusts, and uses it to generate certificates for, say, myproject.test without the familiar “not secure” warning.
brew install mkcert
mkcert -install
mkcert myproject.testBrowser devtools worth knowing
Safari
Hidden by default. Turn it on via Safari Settings, Advanced, “Show features for web developers”. Then open the Web Inspector with Option-Command-I or through the Develop menu.
Chrome DevTools
The most extensive devtools for network and performance analysis, and the industry standard for testing responsive layouts.
Always test in both: Safari uses a different rendering engine (WebKit) than Chrome and Edge (Chromium), and differences come up more often than you would think.
Database and file management
TablePlus or Sequel Ace
Graphical MySQL and MariaDB clients. Sequel Ace is the free, actively maintained successor to the now-discontinued Sequel Pro.
Transmit or Cyberduck
For FTP and SFTP to the server. Cyberduck is free, Transmit (also from Panic) is paid but faster and more stable for large transfers.
Proxyman
To see exactly what network traffic a page or app generates, useful when debugging API integrations.
Version control and collaboration
Git is the standard, but the command line is not for everyone. GitHub Desktop, free and from GitHub itself, and Fork, paid but clearer with larger repositories, add a graphical layer on top of the same Git commands.
A step-by-step plan to make your Mac developer-ready
- Install Homebrew.
- Install a local development environment: Herd for PHP, or DDEV or MAMP depending on preference.
- Choose an editor and install the basic extensions for Git, linting, and formatting.
- Install mkcert and create a local certificate for your first test domain.
- Add that test domain to the hosts file and flush the DNS cache.
- Turn on Safari’s developer features alongside Chrome DevTools.
- Install a database client and an SFTP app for server work.
A practical scenario for SMBs
A freelance developer builds and maintains websites for about ten SMB clients at once, each with their own domain and hosting. It used to mean constantly switching between projects on a shared local server, with the usual conflicts between PHP versions and forgotten hosts entries. With Herd, every project now runs in its own environment under its own *.test domain, with mkcert providing a working HTTPS padlock during testing. For daily coding he uses VS Code with Copilot for small suggestions, switching to Claude Code once a client wants a bigger change that touches multiple files. The result: less time lost to environment issues, and more time spent on the work the client is actually paying for.