Shell: Oh My Zsh + Dracula#

The terminal is a developer’s home base — get the shell comfortable first.

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# Install Oh My Zsh
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sh "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ohmyzsh/ohmyzsh/master/tools/install.sh)"
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# Dracula theme
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curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dracula/zsh/master/dracula.zsh-theme -o ~/.oh-my-zsh/themes/dracula.zsh-theme

Key ~/.zshrc config:

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ZSH_THEME="dracula"
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plugins=(git zsh-autosuggestions zsh-completions)
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# Syntax highlighting (manual install required)
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source ~/.zsh/zsh-syntax-highlighting/zsh-syntax-highlighting.zsh

Three plugins, each with a job:

• zsh-autosuggestions — Auto-complete from history, gray suggestions, press → to accept
• zsh-completions — Additional completion rules
• zsh-syntax-highlighting — Commands turn green (valid) or red (invalid) as you type

I use iTerm2 as the terminal emulator, with Shell Integration for directory jumping and command history navigation.

Package Management: Homebrew First#

On macOS, Homebrew is virtually the only choice. Most tools in one command:

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brew install ripgrep lsd ffmpeg gh hyperfine himalaya cloudflared

I added an alias for easy daily updates:

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alias bup="brew update && brew upgrade && brew cleanup"

My own tools are distributed through a Homebrew tap too:

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brew install EasyXdc/tap/ports-rs

Plenty of third-party taps as well — steipete/tap for gifgrep, imsg, peekaboo, and other small utilities.

Language Runtimes: Each Its Own Version Manager#

No mixing — every language has its own management tool.

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curl https://get.volta.sh | bash
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volta install node@25
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volta install pnpm

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curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io" | bash
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sdk install java 21.0.10-amzn
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sdk install java 17.0.18-amzn
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sdk default java 21.0.10-amzn

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curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

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_mamba_lazy_init() {
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  unset -f mamba conda _mamba_lazy_init
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  eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/mamba shell hook --shell zsh 2>/dev/null)"
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  eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/conda shell.zsh hook 2>/dev/null)"
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}
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mamba() { _mamba_lazy_init; mamba "$@"; }
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conda() { _mamba_lazy_init; conda "$@"; }

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brew install go

Git Config#

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[user]
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    name = EasyXdc
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    email = [email protected]
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[credential]
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    helper = !gh auth git-credential

Using gh auth for Git credential management — no separate SSH key or token needed for GitHub push/pull over HTTPS. SSH still uses keys, but HTTPS operations go through gh credential for a smoother experience.

SSH config stores common server aliases — ssh Company for direct connection, plus RemoteForward to proxy local ports to remote servers.

Networking: Clash + Cloudflare WARP#

Proxy via Clash, config files at ~/.config/clash/, rules and subscriptions self-managed.

Cloudflare WARP as backup — more convenient in some scenarios (e.g. accessing Cloudflare-protected sites).

The two complement each other: Clash handles everyday proxy needs, WARP handles specific network issues.

Editor: VS Code + Cursor#

Primary editor is VS Code with ~80 extensions, mainly in these categories:

• AI Assistants: Claude Code, CodeGeeX
• Database: Database Client JDBC
• Development: ESLint, Git History, LeetCode Helper
• Theme/Icons: One Dark Italic, Great Icons
• Utilities: CodeSnap (screenshots), Comment Translate, JSON Tools, Excel Viewer

Cursor as an AI-first editor for occasional use, suited for heavy AI-assisted workflows.

Docker + K8s#

Docker Desktop provides the container runtime, kubectl manages clusters. Docker CLI completion added at the end of .zshrc.

System Utilities#

A few tools that make macOS more pleasant:

• CleanMyMac — Cleanup and system maintenance
• iStat Menus — Real-time system stats in the menu bar (CPU, memory, network, temperature)
• Parallels Desktop — Windows/Linux VMs, occasional testing use

File Structure Habits#

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~/
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├── .config/          # Tool configs (clash, gh, neofetch, uv...)
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├── .oh-my-zsh/       # Shell config and plugins
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├── .volta/           # Node versions and global packages
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├── .sdkman/          # Java version management
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├── .rustup/          # Rust toolchain
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├── .ssh/config       # SSH aliases and port forwarding
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├── Desktop/
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│   └── PersonalDocument/
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│       └── MyCode/   # Code projects live here
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└── Downloads/        # Temporary files

Config files mostly live under ~/.config/, following XDG conventions. A few legacy tools (like Oh My Zsh) still use ~/.

Core Design Principles#

Looking back, the guiding principles of this setup are:

1. Each language manages its own versions — Volta, SDKMAN, rustup each do their own thing, no interference
2. Lazy loading over eager loading — Mamba lazy init, SDKMAN conditional loading, shell stays fast
3. Homebrew unifies CLI tooling — One brew install does it, upgrades are easy
4. Centralized config management — ~/.zshrc is the entry point, other configs at their standard paths
5. Layered networking — Clash for proxy, WARP for specific networks, no mixing

There’s no “best setup” — only “the setup that fits you best.” Writing this down mainly so I don’t forget when setting up a new machine, and hopefully it helps someone else too.