MacPorts, formerly called DarwinPorts, is a package management system that simplifies the installation of software on the Mac OS X and Darwin operating systems. It is a free/open source software project to simplify installation of other free/open source software. Similar in aim and function to Fink and the BSDs' ports collections, DarwinPorts was started in 2002 as part of the OpenDarwin project, with the involvement of a number of Apple Inc. employees including Landon Fuller, Kevin Van Vechten, and Jordan Hubbard.
It allows the installation of a number of packages by entering the command sudo port install packagename in the Terminal, which will then download, if necessary compile and install the requested software, while also installing any required dependencies automatically. Installed packages can be updated with the command sudo port upgrade installed.
On April 28, 2005, the project released version 1.0 of their software. In December 2005, the project reached a milestone, passing 3000 ports. In August 2010, MacPorts version 1.9.1 surpassed 7000 ports. As of March 2013, MacPorts version 2.1.3 has over 16,500 ports.