Workbrew streamlines secure, automated Homebrew package deployment for macOS, integrating seamlessly with JumpCloud to give IT teams centralized device management. Homebrew is the de-factor package manager on macOS, installed on tens of millions of devices and offering more than 15,000 packages. With zero-touch deployment, policy enforcement, and real-time monitoring, Workbrew lets you leverage the power of Homebrew, whilst ensuring compliance and eliminating security risks.
By the end of this deployment guide you will:
Before you begin following this guide, you should:
Are you an experienced JumpCloud administrator? These steps will get you up and going quickly. Read on for more detailed explanations.
Important: The installation script must run and complete successfully before the next step. This setup ensures that for any new devices going through enrollment, the install script will run immediately after agent install. Custom apps will not run before the setup process completes. For already enrolled devices, JumpCloud has no way of enforcing the order in which commands run and apps are installed, we recommend you add the installation script and ensure all devices have successfully run it before deploying the Custom App to those devices.
Workbrew is installed using a signed .pkg file, which installs several components:
Before installing the Workbrew .pkg on each device, you must run a (bash) script which connects the Workbrew agent to your Workbrew Console. The script also installs Command Line Tools for Xcode if your devices do not already have it. The Workbrew Console connection wizard will guide you through customization to your install script.
You can deploy the installation script as a JumpCloud Command After Agent Install. All new devices going through enrollment will run the install script immediately after agent install. As Custom apps will not run before the setup process completes, this provides sufficient control over execution ordering for newly enrolled devices.
For devices that are already enrolled, JumpCloud currently offers no way of enforcing the order in which commands run and apps are installed. We recommend you add the installation script and ensure all devices have successfully run it before continuing with installing the Workbrew .pkg.
You can add the Workbrew .pkg as a Custom App, after which you can bind and install the custom app on specific devices or device groups.
In brief, you will perform these steps to ready Workbrew for deployment:
To populate your Workbrew Console with information about your devices and users, Workbrew requires API access to your JumpCloud instance. In this section, you will retrieve or create an API key and retain the credentials for input into Workbrew.
To complete this step, follow the instructions in the JumpCloud Documentation to Access Your API Key until you reach the following numbered steps:
The API Token created in the previous step will allow Workbrew to read from your JumpCloud instance using the API. In this section, you will register JumpCloud as your MDM of choice within Workbrew.
The Workbrew Workspace API key and installation script saved in the previous step prepares the device for a Workbrew installation, setting environment variables for workspace directories and the Workbrew Workspace API key. It also installs a Homebrew dependency, Command Line Tools for Xcode, using MacOS’s `softwareupdate` utility. In this section, you will add the script to Jumpcloud as a Command, executing after Agent Install.
To add the script as a new Command, follow the instructions under Creating a Command after Agent Install until you reach the following numbered steps:
Important: The installation script must run and complete successfully before the next step. This setup ensures that for any new devices going through enrollment, the install script will run immediately after agent install. Custom apps will not run before the setup process completes. For already enrolled devices, JumpCloud has no way of enforcing the order in which commands run and apps are installed, we recommend you add the installation script and ensure all devices have successfully run it before continuing setup.
The Workbrew .pkg installs Workbrew, including the agent, CLI, and Homebrew. In this section, you will add the package to JumpCloud so that it can be distributed to your devices or device groups.
Download the package, and then follow the instructions under Apple Custom Application until you reach the following numbered step:
The Custom App will not be installed until you bind it to devices or device groups. In this step, you will bind and install the Workbrew .pkg.
Follow the steps in Binding and Installing Applications on Devices or Device Groups until you reach the following numbered step:
Once Workbrew has been deployed to a device, it will appear on the Workbrew Console
Workbrew simplifies large-scale device management through integrations with MDM provders SimpleMDM, Jamf, Kandji, and Fleet.
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