The CLI

The edgedb command line tool is an integral part of the developer workflow of building with EdgeDB. Below are instructions for installing it.

Installation

To get started with EdgeDB, the first step is install the edgedb CLI.

Linux or macOS

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curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.edgedb.com | sh

Windows Powershell

EdgeDB on Windows requires WSL 2 because the EdgeDB server runs on Linux.

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PS>

iwr https://ps1.edgedb.com -useb | iex

Follow the prompts on screen to complete the installation. The script will download the edgedb command built for your OS and add a path to it to your shell environment. Then test the installation:

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edgedb --version

EdgeDB CLI 2.x+abcdefg

If you encounter a command not found error, you may need to open a fresh shell window.

To install the CLI with a package manager, refer to the “Additional methods” section of the Install page for instructions.

See `help` commands

The entire CLI is self-documenting. Once it’s installed, run edgedb --help to see a breakdown of all the commands and options.

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edgedb --help

EdgeDB CLI
Use the edgedb command-line tool to spin up local instances, manage EdgeDB
projects, create and apply migrations, and more.

Running edgedb without a subcommand opens an interactive shell.

USAGE:
  edgedb [OPTIONS] [SUBCOMMAND]

OPTIONS:
  <list of options>

CONNECTION OPTIONS (edgedb --help-connect to see the full list):
  <list of connection options>

SUBCOMMANDS:
  <list of all major commands>

The majority of CLI commands perform some action against a particular EdgeDB instance. As such, there are a standard set of flags that are used to specify which instance should be the target of the command, plus additional information like TLS certificates. The following command documents these flags.

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edgedb --help-connect

-I, --instance <instance>
      Local instance name created with edgedb instance create to connect to
      (overrides host and port)
--dsn <dsn>
      DSN for EdgeDB to connect to (overrides all other options except
      password)
--credentials-file <credentials_file>
      Path to JSON file to read credentials from
-H, --host <host>
      Host of the EdgeDB instance
-P, --port <port>
      Port to connect to EdgeDB
--unix-path <unix_path>
      Unix socket dir for the
-u, --user <user>
      User name of the EdgeDB user
-d, --database <database>
      Database name to connect to
--password
      Ask for password on the terminal (TTY)
--no-password
      Don't ask for password

If you ever want to see documentation for a particular command (edgedb migration create) or group of commands (edgedb instance), just append the --help flag.

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edgedb instance --help

Manage local EdgeDB instances

USAGE:
    edgedb instance <SUBCOMMAND>

OPTIONS:
    -h, --help    Print help information

SUBCOMMANDS:
    create            Initialize a new EdgeDB instance
    credentials       Echo credentials to connect to the instance
    destroy           Destroy an instance and remove the data
    link              Link a remote instance
    list              Show all instances
    ...