CLI Overview

Introduction to the Envloom command-line interface for managing development environments

The Envloom CLI (loom) provides command-line access to manage your local development stack directly from your terminal. It’s integrated into the main Envloom application and shares the same binary.

Installation

The loom command is automatically available when you install Envloom. The CLI uses a shim located in your bin directory that calls the main Envloom executable with the --cli flag.

Verifying Installation

Check that the CLI is properly installed:

loom --help

You should see the usage information for all available commands.

Basic Usage

The CLI follows a simple command structure:

loom <command> [arguments]

Available Commands

current

Display current versions of all runtimes

list

List installed versions of a specific runtime

php

Switch the current PHP version

node

Switch the current Node.js version

link

Link the current directory as an Envloom site

unlink

Unlink the current directory from Envloom

ssl

Enable or disable SSL for the current site

Quick Examples

Check Current Versions

loom current

Output:

php=8.5
node=23.5.0
mysql=11.7
nginx=1.27.3

List Installed PHP Versions

loom list php

Output:

8.4
8.5

Switch PHP Version

loom php 8.4

Output:

PHP current set to 8.4

Link Current Directory

Navigate to your project directory and link it with a specific PHP version:

cd ~/projects/my-laravel-app
loom link 8.5

Output:

Linked my-laravel-app.test -> C:\Users\username\projects\my-laravel-app

How It Works

The loom CLI is a wrapper script that:

1. Locates the Envloom executable (production or development build)
2. Passes all arguments to the executable with the --cli flag
3. Shares the same configuration and state as the GUI application

CLI commands operate on the same data as the GUI. Changes made via CLI are immediately reflected in the desktop app and vice versa.

Command Categories

The CLI commands are organized into three main categories:

Runtime Management

Commands for viewing and switching runtime versions:

• loom current - View current versions
• loom list <runtime> - List installed versions
• loom php <version> - Switch PHP version
• loom node <version> - Switch Node version

Learn more about runtime management →

Site Management

Commands for managing local development sites:

• loom link <php-version> - Link current directory
• loom unlink - Unlink current directory
• loom ssl <on|off> - Toggle SSL for current site

Learn more about site management →

Configuration

The CLI uses the following paths:

bin · directory

Location of runtime binaries and shims

Production: C:\Program Files\Envloom\bin
Development: <project>\src-tauri\bin

config · directory

Global configuration and site data

Location: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Envloom
Key files: sites.json, runtime state files

.envloom · directory

User-specific global settings

Location: %USERPROFILE%\.envloom
Key files: config.json

Error Handling

The CLI provides clear error messages when operations fail:

loom link 9.0

Output:

Error: php line 9.0 is not installed

loom unlink

Output:

Error: current directory is not linked in Envloom

Run loom --help or loom -h to see the complete list of available commands and their syntax.

Next Steps

Runtime Management

Learn how to manage PHP, Node, and MySQL versions

Site Management

Link projects and configure local sites