TrueNAS SCALE Documentation Archive
This content follows the TrueNAS SCALE 22.12 (Bluefin) releases. Archival documentation is provided for reference only and not actively maintained.
Use the Product and Version selectors above to view content specific to different TrueNAS software or major versions.
CLI Reference Guide
9 minute read.
Last Modified 2024-03-19 08:47 EDTThe SCALE CLI guide is a work in progress! New namespace and command documentation is continually added and maintained, so check back here often to see what is new!
Welcome to the TrueNAS SCALE Command Line Interface (CLI) guide!
The TrueNAS CLI in TrueNAS SCALE functions like a text-based version of the web UI with many functional areas grouped into parent and child namespaces that mirror the counterparts in the SCALE UI.
The underlying structure of the CLI namespaces and commands closely follows that of the SCALE API. For more information on API commands, arguments, options, and definitions go to API Keys and click on API Docs in the SCALE UI.
You can access the TrueNAS CLI through either the Console Setup Menu or from the Shell screen in the SCALE web UI.
To open the TrueNAS CLI from the Console Setup Menu, enter 6
.
To access the TrueNAS CLI when the Linux shell is active, enter cli
.
To access the TrueNAS CLI from the SCALE web UI, go to System Settings > Shell, then enter cli
at the system prompt and press Enter.
To exit the TrueNAS CLI, enter quit
or exit
.
The SCALE CLI includes help text for some namespaces and commands through the both the man
, and ls
commands.
To see the basic commands from any namespace, enter help
.
Use the man
command to show the help text for a namespace or command with options.
Type man namespacename
or man commandname
to display the help text for that namespace or command.
Use the ls
command while in a child namespace to view a list of commands and the help text descriptions.
You can use the ls
command for some commands that show an autofill list of options to display a list of those options with help text descriptions.
Note, not all namespaces, commands, or commands with options include help text.
Using ls
with some commands with autofill options does not always display a list view or help text for the options.
The TrueNAS CLI includes basic commands available from the CLI prompt or while in any namespace in the CLI.
To access these basic options, enter ?
or help
, then press Enter. The list of basic commands displays.
Command | Description |
---|---|
.. | Moves up one level. For example, from a namespace like auth, enter .. to return to the CLI prompt. From a child namespace like interfaces, use .. to return to the network parent namespace. |
exit | Leave the TrueNAS CLI and return to the system prompt. |
ls | Lists the namespaces and commands from the active CLI level. For example, at the top level, ls displays the main namespaces in the TrueNAS CLI, or at a main namespace level, displays the additional namespaces or commands for that level. |
man | When in a namespace, displays the help text for the command that follows man . For example, while in the network namespace, enter man create to see the help text for the create command. |
menu | Displays the Console setup menu in the TrueNAS CLI. Type 6 to exit the menu and return to the CLI prompt. |
? | Displays the list of basic commands for the TrueNAS CLI. |
/ | Returns to the main TrueNAS CLI prompt from any namespace. |
.mode | Gets or sets the output mode. |
.stacks | Enables/disables printing stack traces for errors. |
The TrueNAS CLI provides eleven top level (parent) namespaces that correspond to SCALE UI functions but not all namespaces mirror the UI counterpart. For example, the system name space includes alerts and certificates in the CLI but in the UI the counterpart is System Settings, and neither Alerts or Certificates are found under System Settings. Each parent namespace has child namespaces and commands.
Use the ls
command to view the list of namespaces or commands.
Namespace | Description |
---|---|
account | Provides access to user and group child namespaces and commands. In the UI these are found on the **Credentials screen. |
app | Provides access to application child namespaces and commands including catalog, chart_release, container, docker, and kubernetes. |
auth | Provides access to authentication child namespaces and commands including api_key, privilege, sessions, and two_factor. |
directory_service | Provides access to directory services child namespaces and commands including activedirectory, idmap, kerberos, and ldap. |
filesystem | Provides access to the acltemplate child namespace. |
network | Provides access to network child namespaces and commands including configuration, dns, interface, ipmi, route, and static_route. |
service | Provides access to service child namespaces and commands including cluster, ctdb, dyndns, ftp, gluster, ipmi, nfs, openvpn, rsync, rsync_mod, s3, smart, smb, snmp, ssh, tftp, vm, and webdav. |
sharing | Provides access to sharing child namespaces and commands including iscsi, nfs, smb, and webdav. |
storage | Provides access to storage child namespaces and commands including dataset, disk, enclosure, filesystem, pool, resilver, scrub, snapshot, and vmware. |
system | Provides access system child namespaces and commands including acme, advanced, alert, boot, bootenv, certificate, config, core, failover, general, keychain_credential, kmip, mail, ntp_server, reporting, support, system_dataset, truecommand, truenas, tunable, update, and version. |
task | Provides access to task child namespaces and commands including cloud_sync, cron_job, replication, rsync, smart_test, and snapshot. |
CLI namespaces and commands are case sensitive. Enter commands in lower case unless the CLI autofill indicates otherwise.
To enter a namespace or command, begin typing the name. The CLI displays an autofill list that begins with the letter typed and is available in that part of the CLI. For example, the autofill list at the main CLI prompt includes only the parent namespaces that begin with the letter typed.
To enter a basic command such as checking current configuration settings in a namespace, enter namespace childnamespace config
. The system displays the configured settings for the namespaces preceding the config
command.
You can enter a namespace, child namespace, command, command options and option=value pairs from the main CLI prompt using autofill options. For example, parent namespace child namespace command option=value
.
You can enter a namespace, then enter the child namespace, command, then select the command option to enter the option=value pair from the namespace prompt.
A command without options does not show an autofill list. Press space to see if the command has more options or wants input, or press Enter to apply the command.
To go up one namespace or command level, enter ..
.
Enter /
to return to the CLI prompt.
Use the up or down arrow keys to select an autofill option, then press space to apply it.
You can use Backspace to erase entered text to start over.
Use the left arrow to move the cursor to the left in a command string where you change the text or use Delete to remove anything to the right of the cursor.
Use the right arrow to move the cursor to the right to the end of the command string to either continue entering command options, or to press Enter to apply the command.
TrueNAS CLI command structure varies by namespace. CLI commands can include arguments, options, and or option=value pairs.
Command options that require a single value automatically add the =
delimiter after the option on the autofill list and after reaching the end of the command option inputs.
This is an option=value pair.
Some commands allow entering multiple option=value pairs. These option=value pairs are enclosed in curly brackets, but can also include square or angle brackets enclosed in the curly brackets.
Each namespace article includes command syntax examples for each namespace.
Enter the --
flag following any CLI command to open the interactive arguments editor text-based user interface (TUI).
There are eleven primary or parent namespaces. Each has additional child namespaces and commands to perform various actions.
- ⎙ Download or Print: View the entire CLI Reference Guide as a single page for download or print.
- Account: Introduces the TrueNAS CLI account namespace, used to access user and group child namespaces and commands.
- App: Introduces the TrueNAS CLI app namespace, used to access child namespaces and commands including catalog, chart_release, container, docker, and kubernetes.
- Auth: Introduces the TrueNAS CLI auth namespace, used for currently logged-in user authentication and generating an access token for the web UI.
- Directory Service: Introduces the TrueNAS CLI directory_service namespace, used to access child namespaces and commands including activedirectory, idmap, kerberos, and ldap.
- Filesystem: Introduces the TrueNAS CLI filesystem namespace, used to access the acltemplate child namespace.
- Network: Introduces the TrueNAS CLI network namespace, used to configure network settings found in the API and web UI.
- Service: Introduces the TrueNAS CLI service namespace, used to access child namespaces and commands including cluster, ctdb, dyndns, ftp, gluster, ipmi, nfs, openvpn, rsync, rsync_mod, s3, smart, smb, snmp, ssh, tftp, vm, and webdav.
- Sharing: Introduces the TrueNAS CLI sharing namespace, used to access child namespaces and commands including iscsi, nfs, smb, and webdav.
- Storage: Introduces the TrueNAS CLI storage namespace, used to access child namespaces and commands including dataset, disk, enclosure, filesystem, pool, resilver, scrub, snapshot, and vmware.
- System: Introduces the TrueNAS CLI system namespace that configures system related settings found in the API and web UI.
- Task: Introduces the TrueNAS CLI task namespace, used to access child namespaces and commands including cloud_sync, cron_job, replication, rsync, smart_test, and snapshot.