Appendix C: Tools and Resources¶
C.1 Learning and Development Tools¶
| Tool | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| man pages | Built-in manual pages for commands | man bash |
| tldr | Simplified and community-driven man pages | https://tldr.sh/ |
| explainshell.com | Visual breakdown of shell commands | https://explainshell.com/ |
| cheat.sh | Unified community cheatsheets | https://cheat.sh/ |
| Bash Hackers Wiki | Community wiki for Bash scripting | https://wiki.bash-hackers.org/ |
C.2 macOS-Specific Tools¶
| Tool | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Homebrew | Popular package manager for macOS | https://brew.sh/ |
| MacPorts | Alternative package manager for macOS | https://www.macports.org/ |
| PlistBuddy | Command-line tool for plist files | man PlistBuddy |
| BBEdit | Advanced text editor for macOS | https://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/ |
| iTerm2 | Powerful Terminal replacement | https://iterm2.com/ |
C.3 Security and Hardening Tools¶
| Tool | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Osquery | SQL-powered endpoint visibility tool | https://osquery.io/ |
| KnockKnock | Shows persistently installed software | https://objective-see.org/products/knockknock.html |
| BlockBlock | Monitors persistence events | https://objective-see.org/products/blockblock.html |
| Little Snitch | Outbound firewall for macOS | https://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html |
| LuLu | Free, open-source firewall | https://objective-see.org/products/lulu.html |
| macOS Security Compliance Project (mSCP) | Community-driven framework for creating security baselines and compliance mappings for macOS | https://github.com/usnistgov/macos_security |
| Santa | Binary authorization and application control system for macOS (maintained by North Pole Security) | https://github.com/northpolesec/santa |
| Workshop | Commercial sync server for enterprise Santa rule management | https://northpole.dev |
| SAP Privileges | Time-limited admin elevation tool for macOS | https://github.com/SAP/macOS-enterprise-privileges |
| Installomator | Label-driven installer and updater for macOS applications | https://github.com/Installomator/Installomator |
| Patchomator | Automated patch management for discovered macOS applications | https://github.com/Mac-Nerd/patchomator |
| Nudge | User deferral framework for mandatory macOS updates | https://github.com/macadmins/nudge |
| erase-install | Community tool for safe macOS reinstallation and OS refresh workflows | https://github.com/grahampugh/erase-install |
| swiftDialog | Professional dialog presentation tool for macOS | https://github.com/bartreardon/swiftDialog |
| munkipkg | Tool for building macOS installer packages | https://github.com/munki/munki-pkg |
| Platypus | Create macOS applications from command-line scripts | https://sveinbjorn.org/platypus |
C.4 Recommended Shells and Extensions¶
| Tool | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Bash | Default shell; verify version with bash --version | bash |
| zsh | Default interactive shell in newer macOS versions | zsh |
| Oh My Zsh | Framework for managing zsh configs | https://ohmyz.sh/ |
| Starship | Fast, customizable shell prompt | https://starship.rs/ |
| Bash-it | Framework for managing Bash configs | https://github.com/Bash-it/bash-it |
C.5 Helpful Online Tools¶
| Tool | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| ShellCheck | Static analysis tool for shell scripts | https://www.shellcheck.net/ |
| Regex101 | Regex tester and debugger | https://regex101.com/ |
| CyberChef | Swiss Army knife for data format transformations | https://gchq.github.io/CyberChef/ |
C.6 Author's Note¶
These tools can help you write, test, and secure your Bash scripts on macOS. I encourage you to explore, experiment, and contribute back to open-source projects that make your scripting journey smoother.