brew install specific version of formula
Lets say we want to install (or downgrade to) node 0.6.19 instead of the newest version.
If you already have node, uninstall current version with:
$ brew uninstall node
Then search for available versions of the formula:
$ brew versions node
0.8.3 git checkout 31f8d9f Library/Formula/node.rb
0.8.2 git checkout 50ae8e4 Library/Formula/node.rb
0.8.1 git checkout 9ff0a1d Library/Formula/node.rb
0.8.0 git checkout 01f8006 Library/Formula/node.rb
0.6.19 git checkout 83988e4 Library/Formula/node.rb
Now checkout the desired version. Assuming you're at /usr/local/:
$ git checkout 83988e4 Library/Formula/node.rb
Finally install node:
$ brew install node
Done!
Written by Ruben Ascencio
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9 Responses
Thanks for the clear instructions. I'd gotten as far as "brew versions ...", but it was unclear that I needed to actually check out the older version and reinstall.
This is particularly useful with "brew switch <package> <new version number>
Thanks for this - very cool!
There's a much easier way, you don't need to uninstall! Just use brew tap homebrew/versions
, brew install node08
, brew unlink node
and brew link node08
for example to switch back to 0.8 from 0.10.
For more explanation see: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3987683/homebrew-install-specific-version-of-formula
Great tip, thanks!
It's important to note you have to be in the working directory of the git repository for it to work. Otherwise you get an error:
"fatal: Not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git"
In the example above, you want to be in the Library/Formula folder when you attempt the git checkout.
@ulysseous: Make sure you are in /usr/local/ directory and then checkout
Clear and simple ! Thank you !
brew versions <XXX>
Warning: brew-versions is unsupported and may be removed soon.
Please use the homebrew-versions tap instead:
https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-versions
You just saved my day. Thank you!