Mac OS X: Install GCC Compiler with Xcode

Mac OS X: Install GCC Compiler with Xcode

last updated December 11, 2017 in CategoriesMac OS X, Package Management, UNIX

Ihave Mac OS X Mountain Lion. I need to compile a few apps and Perl modules. I already installed Xcode from app store but I’m unable to find gcc compiler or make command. How do I install gcc on Mac OS X 10.8.x?

Xcode includes command line development tools such as gcc and friends.

Step #1: Install Xcode on a Apple Mac OS X

First, make sure Xcode is installed. If it is not installed on OS X, visit app store and install Xcode.

Fig.01: Make sure Xcode developer tools are install OS X

Step #2: Install gcc/LLVM compiler on OS X

Once installed, open Xcode and visit:

Xcode menu > Preferences > Downloads > choose "Command line tools" > Click "Install" button:

Fig.02: Installing gcc compiler on Mac OS X

Xcode will download package and install copies of the core command line tools and system headers into system folders, including the LLVM compiler, linker, and build tools.

Step #3: Verification

Open a terminal app and type the following commands:
$ gcc --version
$ whereis gcc
$ whereis make
Sample outputs:

Fig.03: Verify gcc compiler installation on Mountain Lion OS X

Testing sample “Hello world” C program

Create a text file called a.c as follows using a text editor such as vi or cat command:

/* a.c - demo for os x */#include<stdio.h>int main(void){ printf("Hello world\n"); return 0;}

To compile, enter:
$ make a
Run it as follows:
$ ./a
Sample outputs:

Fig.04: Compiling and running sample “Hello world” C program on Mountain Lion 10.8.4

See also

And, there you have it, the gcc version 4.2.1 installed and working correctly on the latest version of Mac OS X 10.8.4. In Apple’s version of GCC, both cc and gcc are actually symbolic links to the llvm-gcc compiler. Similarly, c++ and g++ are links to llvm-g++. For more information and examples see the following man pages:

$ man gcc
$ man make

This entry is 5 of 13 in the Linux GNU/GCC Compilers Tutorial series. Keep reading the rest of the series:

1. Ubuntu Linux Install GNU GCC Compiler and Development Environment
2. Debian Linux Install GNU GCC Compiler and Development Environment
3. CentOS / RHEL 7: Install GCC (C and C++ Compiler) and Development Tools
4. Download and Install C, C++ Compiler on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 (RHEL)
5. Mac OS X: Install GCC Compiler with Xcode
6. Where is My Linux GNU C or GCC Compilers Are Installed?
7. HowTo: Compile And Run a C/C++ Code In Linux
8. RHEL / CentOS Linux Install Core Development Tools Automake, Gcc (C/C++), Perl, Python & Debuggers
9. HowTo Compiling C Program And Creating Executable File Under a Linux / UNIX / *BSD
10. How To Install ncurses Library on a Linux
11. Linux Find Out What Compilers Are Installed or Available On The System
12. Linux Find Out GNU gcc Compiler Version Used To Compile Running Kernel
13. Howto see output of C program in Linux or UNIX

Posted by: Vivek Gite

The author is the creator of nixCraft and a seasoned sysadmin, DevOps engineer, and a trainer for the Linux operating system/Unix shell scripting. Get the latest tutorials on SysAdmin, Linux/Unix and open source topics via RSS/XML feed or weekly email newsletter.

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