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CLI

A program you control by typing. The opposite of a GUI.

A CLI — command-line interface — is any program you control by typing commands rather than clicking buttons.

Examples:

  • git — the version control CLI.
  • npm — the Node.js package manager CLI.
  • python — the Python interpreter CLI.
  • claudeClaude Code's CLI.

The opposite is a GUI — graphical user interface. Windows, menus, mouse clicks. CLIs are denser and more composable. You can chain them, script them, run them from other programs. That's why developer tools live here.

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