1 ![cobra logo](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/173412/10886352/ad566232-814f-11e5-9cd0-aa101788c117.png)

     1 ![cobra logo](https://cloud.githubusercontent.com/assets/173412/10886352/ad566232-814f-11e5-9cd0-aa101788c117.png)

     2 

     2 

     3 Cobra is a library for creating powerful modern CLI applications.

     3 Cobra is a library for creating powerful modern CLI applications.

     4 

     4 

     5 Cobra is used in many Go projects such as [Kubernetes](https://kubernetes.io/),

     5 Cobra is used in many Go projects such as [Kubernetes](https://kubernetes.io/),

     7 name a few. [This list](./projects_using_cobra.md) contains a more extensive list of projects using Cobra.

     7 name a few. [This list](./projects_using_cobra.md) contains a more extensive list of projects using Cobra.

     8 

     8 

     9 [![](https://img.shields.io/github/workflow/status/spf13/cobra/Test?longCache=tru&label=Test&logo=github%20actions&logoColor=fff)](https://github.com/spf13/cobra/actions?query=workflow%3ATest)

     9 [![](https://img.shields.io/github/workflow/status/spf13/cobra/Test?longCache=tru&label=Test&logo=github%20actions&logoColor=fff)](https://github.com/spf13/cobra/actions?query=workflow%3ATest)

    10 [![Go Reference](https://pkg.go.dev/badge/github.com/spf13/cobra.svg)](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/spf13/cobra)

    10 [![Go Reference](https://pkg.go.dev/badge/github.com/spf13/cobra.svg)](https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/spf13/cobra)

    11 [![Go Report Card](https://goreportcard.com/badge/github.com/spf13/cobra)](https://goreportcard.com/report/github.com/spf13/cobra)

    11 [![Go Report Card](https://goreportcard.com/badge/github.com/spf13/cobra)](https://goreportcard.com/report/github.com/spf13/cobra)

    21 * Fully POSIX-compliant flags (including short & long versions)

    21 * Fully POSIX-compliant flags (including short & long versions)

    22 * Nested subcommands

    22 * Nested subcommands

    23 * Global, local and cascading flags

    23 * Global, local and cascading flags

    24 * Intelligent suggestions (`app srver`... did you mean `app server`?)

    24 * Intelligent suggestions (`app srver`... did you mean `app server`?)

    25 * Automatic help generation for commands and flags

    25 * Automatic help generation for commands and flags

    26 * Automatic help flag recognition of `-h`, `--help`, etc.

    27 * Automatic help flag recognition of `-h`, `--help`, etc.

    27 * Automatically generated shell autocomplete for your application (bash, zsh, fish, powershell)

    28 * Automatically generated shell autocomplete for your application (bash, zsh, fish, powershell)

    28 * Automatically generated man pages for your application

    29 * Automatically generated man pages for your application

    29 * Command aliases so you can change things without breaking them

    30 * Command aliases so you can change things without breaking them

    30 * The flexibility to define your own help, usage, etc.

    31 * The flexibility to define your own help, usage, etc.

    38 

    39 

    39 The best applications read like sentences when used, and as a result, users

    40 The best applications read like sentences when used, and as a result, users

    40 intuitively know how to interact with them.

    41 intuitively know how to interact with them.

    41 

    42 

    42 The pattern to follow is

    43 The pattern to follow is

    44     or

    45     or

    46 

    47 

    47 A few good real world examples may better illustrate this point.

    48 A few good real world examples may better illustrate this point.

    48 

    49 

    49 In the following example, 'server' is a command, and 'port' is a flag:

    50 In the following example, 'server' is a command, and 'port' is a flag:

    50 

    51