CLI

6 synonyms and 2 antonyms for CLI, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A way of using a computer program by typing text commands and reading text results, rather than clicking buttons and menus; short for command-line interface.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

shell

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

command line command-line interface terminal interface command-line tool command-line client

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A way of using a computer program by typing text commands and reading text results, rather than clicking buttons and menus; short for command-line interface.

“Everything the dashboard does can also be done through the CLI.”

command line command-line interface terminal interface shell

Opposites

GUI graphical user interface

2. noun computing

A specific text-command tool published alongside a service or product, used to control it from a terminal.

“Install the CLI first, then log in with your account details.”

command-line tool command-line client

How to use CLI

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

run the CLI CLI tool CLI command install the CLI

Technical; almost always written as the initialism rather than spelled out in full.

Etymology

An initialism of command-line interface.

Full origin of CLI →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a CLI and a GUI?

A CLI takes typed commands and prints text back, while a GUI, a graphical user interface, is the windows, icons and buttons you click. The same underlying program can offer both; the CLI is easier to script and repeat, and the GUI is easier to explore.

Is the CLI the same thing as the terminal?

Not quite. The terminal is the window that displays text and accepts your typing; the CLI is the command-based way of interacting that appears inside it. People often use the words loosely as if they were the same.

Why do developers still use a CLI?

Typed commands can be recorded in a file and run again exactly, which makes repeated tasks reliable and easy to automate. Text commands are also quick to share and to run on a remote machine that has no screen.

People also searched

shell Gui

Nearby words

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