Docs› CLI› Quickstart

Getting Started with the CloudNexus CLI

The CloudNexus Command Line Interface (CLI) is the fastest way to provision, deploy, and manage your cloud infrastructure. Designed for developers and DevOps teams, it provides a unified interface for everything from container orchestration to global CDN distribution.

✅ Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have a CloudNexus account and an active API key. You'll also need macOS 10.15+, Ubuntu 18.04+, or Windows 10/11.

1. Installation

macOS & Linux

curl -fsSL https://cli.cloudnexus.io/install.sh | bash

Or use your preferred package manager:

# Homebrew (macOS)
brew install cloudnexus/cli/cn

# Snap (Ubuntu/Debian)
sudo snap install cloudnexus-cli --classic

# NPM (Node.js)
npm install -g @cloudnexus/cli

Windows

# PowerShell Admin
iwr -useb https://cli.cloudnexus.io/install.ps1 | iex

# Scoop
scoop install cloudnexus-cli

Verify Installation

cn --version
# Output: cloudnexus-cli v3.2.1 (stable)

⚠️ Path Configuration

If you get a `command not found` error, add the CLI binary directory to your system PATH or restart your terminal.

2. Authentication

Connect the CLI to your CloudNexus account using one of the following methods:

# API Key Authentication (Recommended for CI/CD)
cn auth login --key cn_live_sk_8x92...a41

# Browser SSO (For local development)
cn auth login --sso
# 🌐 A browser window will open to complete OAuth 2.0 flow

Successful authentication outputs:

✅ Authentication successful.
🌐 Default region: us-east-1
📦 Config saved: ~/.cloudnexus/config.yml

3. Essential Commands

cn init

Initialize a new project with infrastructure templates

cn deploy

Push application code to a live cloud instance

cn logs

Stream real-time stdout/stderr from running containers

cn scale

Adjust replica count & compute resources dynamically

4. Your First Deployment

Let's deploy a minimal Node.js application to the edge network:

mkdir cn-quickstart && cd cn-quickstart
cn init --template node-express

# Edit src/index.js if needed, then deploy
cn deploy --region eu-west-1 --env production

# 🚀 Building container image...
# 📦 Uploading assets to edge cache...
# ✅ Live at: https://cn-quickstart.prod.cloudnexus.app

5. Managing Profiles & Environments

Switch between projects and configurations without re-authenticating:

# Create a new environment profile
cn profiles create --name staging --region ap-south-1 --env staging

# Switch active profile
cn profiles use staging

# Deploy to the active environment
cn deploy

🔍 Configuration Location

All CLI state, API keys, and profiles are stored securely in ~/.cloudnexus/config.yml. Use cn config show to view current settings.

6. Next Steps

Now that you're up and running, explore these resources to unlock the full potential of the CLI:

📖 Complete CLI Reference 🛠️ Infrastructure as Code (IaC) 🔌 Writing Custom Plugins 🐛 Troubleshooting Guide