{"id":2173,"date":"2019-08-27T10:59:36","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T10:59:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alternative-spaces.com\/blog\/?p=2173"},"modified":"2023-05-12T09:12:59","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T09:12:59","slug":"what-you-need-to-know-about-the-wordpress-command-line-interface","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alternative-spaces.com\/blog\/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-wordpress-command-line-interface\/","title":{"rendered":"What You Need to Know about the WordPress Command Line Interface"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Web developers are widely using command line interfaces (CLI) to perform tasks more efficiently, configure their machine, or access features not available through a graphical user interface (GUI). Since we haven\u2019t written about one of Alternative-spaces’ favorite technologies<\/a> for a while, we dedicate this post to the WordPress console interface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the platform has made comment management, updates, post scheduling, and other tasks simpler, they still take time even for experienced users. The WordPress Command Line Interface, or simply WP-CLI, empowers them to handle the entire WordPress site right from the server\u2019s command line. WP-CLI v2.3.0 should be released in August 2019, intending, as always, to speed up the developer\u2019s workflows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article will first explain how to install the tool, then give examples of the WP-CLI use, and list the most valuable CLI commands. If you\u2019re tired of jumping between dashboard tabs to manage your WordPress site, you even don\u2019t need to be a programmer to get the most out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting Started with the WordPress Command Line Interface<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You can install WordPress CLI on MacOS, Microsoft Windows, and Ubuntu. WP-CLI\u2019s requirements for the hosting environment include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. A UNIX-like environment;<\/li>
  2. At least PHP 5.4 (we recommend 5.6 or later versions);<\/li>
  3. WordPress 3.7 or later;<\/li>
  4. Secure Shell (SSH) access to your hosting environment.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Usually, if you need SSH access, you\u2019ll have to use a Virtual Private Server (VPS). If you\u2019re using a UNIX-based system, you can use SSH to connect to a remote server via your native command line. Windows users will have to download an SSH client (Putty is recommended).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    There are many ways to install WP-CLI, but the recommended method involves downloading the Phar build. The steps for Linux and OSX are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1) Access your server\u2019s command line via SSH and download wp-cli.phar using curl<\/em> or wget<\/em>.<\/strong> For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    curl -O https:\/\/raw.githubusercontent.com\/wp-cli\/builds\/gh-pages\/phar\/wp-cli.phar<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This will download the wp-cli.phar file to your root directory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2) Make the file executable using this command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    chmod +x wp-cli.phar<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Place the wp-cli.pharfile on your PATH, to a new directory called \u2018wp\u2019:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    sudo mv wp-cli.phar \/usr\/local\/bin\/wp<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That way, you can call up the application by typing wp<\/em> into your command line. For example, the wp<\/em> command<\/em> allows you to type wp –info<\/em> instead of php<\/em> wp-cli.phar –info<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3) Test your install.<\/strong> If WP-CLI is installed successfully, the output after running wp –info<\/em>should look like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     OS:  Linux 4.10.0-42-generic #46~16.04.1-Ubuntu SMP Mon Dec 4 15:57:59 UTC 2017 x86_64<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Shell:   \/usr\/bin\/zsh<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    PHP binary:    \/usr\/bin\/php<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    PHP version:     7.1.12-1+ubuntu16.04.1+deb.sury.org+1<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    php.ini used:   \/etc\/php\/7.1\/cli\/php.ini<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WP-CLI root dir:        \/home\/wp-cli\/.wp-cli<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WP-CLI packages dir:    \/home\/wp-cli\/.wp-cli\/packages\/<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WP-CLI global config:   \/home\/wp-cli\/.wp-cli\/config.yml<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WP-CLI project config:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WP-CLI version: 1.5.0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re on Windows, use one of the other installation methods<\/a>. In the end, you should still be able to issue the wp –info<\/em> command and get a meaningful response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WP-CLI installed using the Phar method is the easiest to update. You can run wp cli update<\/em> at any time or wp cli update –nightly<\/em> to use the latest nightly build of WP-CLI. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WP-CLI comes with a tab completion script for Bash and Z shell. Download wp-completion.bash<\/a> and source it from ~\/.bash_profile<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    source \/FULL\/PATH\/TO\/wp-completion.bash<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Then, run source ~\/.bash_profile<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Check out the quick start guide<\/a> for a short introduction and some example usage. Some say the WP-CLI tool is not suitable for the average user, and that efficient use of the utility requires at least familiarity with the command line and a slight learning curve. Others claim it\u2019s totally possible to learn without ever leaving the command line itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Anyway, what is CLI for WordPress all about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Benefits of the WordPress Command Line Interface<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    WP-CLI is all about efficiency. It simplifies the interaction with the WordPress platform. The process includes commands for most of the WordPress tasks that developers encounter daily and dozens of parameters to fine-tune them if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can even install WordPress from command line, i.e. using WP-CLI rather than the usual WordPress GUI. Some find the method more streamlined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s how<\/a> you can do it on a shared cPanel hosting account. Basically, you would have to enable SSH access for your account and connect to the server via SSH. Create the project directory that you want to install WordPress in. Navigate to this folder, grab the WordPress core files, and add them to the directory with the wp core download–version=5.6<\/em> command. Create a new database and database user, and add the user to the database with all privileges. Change the database name to the one that you\u2019ve created for the WordPress site. Then, set up the config file:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    wp core config –dbname=wordpress –dbuser=root –dbpass=root<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Wait for the confirmation message: \u2018Success: WordPress downloaded.\u2019 Finally, install WordPress via the command line with a single command:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    wp core install –url=”your_domain” –title=”Blog Title” –admin_user=”admin username” –admin_password=”enter_your_password” –admin_email=”enter_your_email”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If your install went well, the wp core versioncommand should return a single line indicating which version of WordPress you\u2019re running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Access to WordPress via the command line is powerful in itself, but you can gain even more control and speed if you use bash scripts. (Bash scripts allow running a sequence of commands with a single one.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, Alternative-spaces\u2019 web developers use the WP-CLI capabilities to automate routine processes at the initial stage of a WordPress project development. We wrote a bash script for internal use which enables us to automatically generate and deploy locally a WordPress project that is ready to be developed. The progress from zero to 100% readiness takes a few minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WP-CLI helps developers manage routine and not so common tasks of a WordPress installation. It can add\/remove users, posts, categories, insert test data, search and replace in the database, reset passwords, help troubleshoot performance issues, and much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Another example of the WP-CLI benefits is the case of the White Screen of Death (WSOD). The critical situation can occur for many reasons, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n