CLI
Pronunciation: SEE-el-eye
Also written as: CLI — Command-Line Interface
A text-based interface through which users interact with software by typing commands into a terminal or shell.
Full Definition
A Command-Line Interface (CLI) accepts textual input from a user or script and returns textual output, contrasting with graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and web-based dashboards. In developer tool documentation, CLI is used both to describe the type of interface and as a product name component (e.g., 'the AWS CLI', 'the Git CLI'). Editors should note that commands, flags, and arguments referenced in prose must be formatted in code font (monospace). The abbreviation 'CLI' is always uppercase; 'command line' (two words, no hyphen) is the noun form, while 'command-line' (hyphenated) is the adjective modifier preceding a noun.
Usage
Usage note: 'Command line' (noun, two words); 'command-line' (adjective, hyphenated); 'CLI' (abbreviation, always uppercase).
In Context
- "Run the following command in your CLI to initialise a new project." — Getting-started guide
- "The command-line flags are documented in the reference section below." — CLI reference manual