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brew / rank 3052

Install defaultbrowser with Homebrew, MacPorts, Nix

Command-line tool for getting & setting the default browser. Version 1.1 via Homebrew; verified from local package data. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#defaultbrowser.

Install commandSecurity notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install defaultbrowser

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%
sudo port install defaultbrowser

MacPorts ports tree · sysutils/defaultbrowser/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Nixverified · 92%
nix profile install nixpkgs#defaultbrowser

nixpkgs package indexes · pkgs/by-name/de/defaultbrowser/package.nix · source: api.github.com

overview

Package summary

Command-line tool for getting & setting the default browser

Commands and aliases

  • defaultbrowser

history

Project history and usage

defaultbrowser is a small macOS command-line utility for listing and changing the system default web browser, specifically the HTTP handler.

Project history

The README presents defaultbrowser as a macOS X tool built around the macOS Launch Services API. Its scope is intentionally narrow: run without arguments to list browser handlers and run with a browser identifier to set the default.

The repository has tagged commits for v1.0 in 2017 and 1.1 in 2018, matching the tool's stable, low-churn nature.

Adoption history

defaultbrowser is packaged by Homebrew, which fits its audience: Mac users and automation scripts that need a terminal-friendly way to change a desktop preference normally managed through system settings.

How it is used

The common usage is direct and scriptable: `defaultbrowser` shows available HTTP handlers and the current default, while commands such as `defaultbrowser chrome` set the default browser.

Why package nerds care

defaultbrowser is a classic package-manager utility because it wraps a platform preference in one tiny CLI. It is useful in dotfiles, setup scripts, and fleet/bootstrap workflows where opening a GUI preferences pane would be the wrong interface.

Timeline

  • 2017: v1.0 tagged commit.
  • 2018: 1.1 tagged commit.
  • 2026: Homebrew continues to publish the formula.

Related projects

  • The README points to the macOS Launch Services API as the underlying platform facility and to a separate bash-completion project for shell integration.

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

  • narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

  • metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

  • No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

CommandKindExposureNote
defaultbrowserexecutableindexed executableDiscovered from the local executable index.

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-08-03
manager version1.1
manager updated
local dataunknown
upstreamnot available
latest detectednot detected
  • okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package keybrew:defaultbrowser
Version1.1
Package managerHomebrew
Homepagehttps://github.com/kerma/defaultbrowser
Repositoryhttps://github.com/kerma/defaultbrowser
Bottlenot recorded
Servicenone declared

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Nix95%

defaultbrowser

nix profile install nixpkgs#defaultbrowser
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Defaultbrowser
nixpkgs package indexes · api.github.com · nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/de/defaultbrowser/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1
MacPorts95%

defaultbrowser

sudo port install defaultbrowser
  • normalized package name match
  • Matched by: Defaultbrowser
MacPorts ports tree · api.github.com · MacPorts ports tree: sysutils/defaultbrowser/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Used sources

  • Geiger risk classifier
  • cross-ecosystem install command graph
  • curated package history
  • external package-manager database matches
  • pkg.so package database
  • pkgdb category and tag curation