Building a CLI App with Python

Command-Line Interface (CLI) applications have long been essential for developers, system administrators, and data professionals. They provide fast, text-based access to tools and workflows, making automation and scripting highly efficient. Python, with its simplicity and robust libraries, is an excellent language for building CLI applications. In this blog, we’ll walk through how to build a basic CLI app with Python and the tools that make it easy.

Why Build a CLI App with Python?

Python is widely known for its clean syntax and large ecosystem of libraries. For CLI development, it offers:

Easy argument parsing

Cross-platform compatibility

Integration with shell scripts and automation tools

Whether you’re building a file manager, automation script, or developer tool, Python is a perfect fit.

Step 1: Use the argparse Module

Python’s built-in argparse module makes it easy to handle command-line arguments.

Example:

import argparse

parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description='Simple CLI App')

parser.add_argument('name', help='Your name')

args = parser.parse_args()

print(f"Hello, {args.name}!")

Run it like this:

python app.py John

Output:

Hello, John!

Step 2: Add More Functionality

You can extend your CLI app by adding more arguments, options, and subcommands.

parser.add_argument('--greet', action='store_true', help='Greet the user')

if args.greet:

    print(f"Welcome, {args.name}!")

This allows users to toggle behaviors easily using flags like --greet.

Step 3: Advanced CLI Libraries

While argparse is great for simple apps, for more advanced features like colored text, auto-completion, and subcommands, consider libraries like:

Click – Simplifies argument parsing and command groups

Typer – Built on Click, supports type hints and fast prototyping

Rich – Adds beautiful formatting (tables, progress bars, syntax highlighting)

Example with Typer:

import typer

app = typer.Typer()

@app.command()

def hello(name: str):

    print(f"Hello {name}!")

if __name__ == "__main__":

    app()

Step 4: Package and Share Your CLI Tool

Use setuptools to package your CLI app and make it installable with pip. You can also share it on GitHub or PyPI for others to use.

Conclusion

Building a CLI app in Python is both easy and powerful. With tools like argparse, Click, or Typer, you can create custom utilities for your workflow or share them with the world. Whether for automation or productivity, mastering CLI development is a great skill for any Python developer.

Learn Fullstack Python Training Course

Read More:

Mastering Data Types and Variables in Python

Error Handling in Python

Python File Handling for Beginners

Introduction to Python Modules and Packages

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