---
layout: docs
page_title: Consul-Terraform-Sync CLI
description: >-
  How to use the Consul-Terraform-Sync CLI
---

# Consul-Terraform-Sync Command (CLI)

Consul-Terraform-Sync is controlled via an easy to use command-line interface (CLI). Consul-Terraform-Sync is only a single command-line application: `consul-terraform-sync`. Consul-Terraform-Sync can be run as a daemon and execute CLI commands. When Consul-Terraform-Sync is run as a daemon, it acts as a server to the CLI commands. Users can use the commands to interact and modify the daemon as it is running. The complete list of commands is in the navigation to the left. Both the daemon and commands return a non-zero exit status on error.

## Daemon

When running as a daemon, there is no default configuration to run Consul-Terraform-Sync in a meaningful way. Setting a configuration flag `-config-file` or `-config-dir` is required. For example:

```shell-session
$ consul-terraform-sync -config-file=config.hcl
```

To view a list of available flags, use the `-help` or `-h` flag.

### Modes

Consul-Terraform-Sync can be run as a daemon in different modes.

#### Long-running Mode

Flag: none

Behavior: This is the default mode in which Consul-Terraform-Sync passes through a once-mode phase and then turns into a long running process. During the once-mode phase, the daemon will exit with a non-zero status if it encounters an error. After successfully passing through once-mode phase, it will begin a long-running process in which errors are logged and exiting is not expected behavior. Once beginning the long-running process, the daemon serves any API and command requests.

Usage: Intended to be run as a long running process after running once-mode successfully for given configuration and tasks.

#### Inspect Mode

Flag: `-inspect`

Behavior: Consul-Terraform-Sync will display the proposed state changes for all tasks once and exit. No changes are applied in this mode. On encountering an error before completing, Consul-Terraform-Sync will exit with a non-zero status.

Usage: Intended to be run before daemon-mode in order to confirm configuration is accurate and tasks would update network infrastructure as expected.

-----

Flag: `-inspect-task [task-name]`

Behavior: This has similar behavior as `-inspect` mode for the selected task. The flag can be specified multiple times to inspect multiple tasks. No changes are applied in this mode.

Usage: Useful to debug one or more tasks to confirm configuration is accurate and the selected tasks would update network infrastructure as expected.

#### Once Mode

Flag: `-once`

Behavior: Consul-Terraform-Sync will run all tasks once with buffer periods disabled and exit. On encountering an error before completing, Consul-Terraform-Sync will exit with a non-zero status.

Usage: Intended to be run before daemon-mode in order to confirm configuration is accurate and tasks update network infrastructure as expected.

## Commands

In addition to running the daemon, Consul-Terraform-Sync has a set of commands that act as a client to the daemon server. The commands provide a user-friendly experience interacting with the daemon. The commands use the Consul-Terraform-Sync's APIs but does not correspond one-to-one with it. Please see the individual commands in the left navigation for more details.

To get help for a command, run: `consul-terraform-sync <command> -h`


### CLI Structure

Consul-Terraform-Sync commands follow the below structure

```shell-session
consul-terraform-sync <command> [options] [args]
```
- `options`: Flags to specify additional settings. There are general options that can be used across all commands and command-specific options.
- `args`: Required arguments specific to a commands

Example:

```shell-session
consul-terraform-sync task disable -port=2000 task_a
```

### General Options

Below are options that can be used across all commands:

- `-port=<port>` - (int: 8558) The port that the Consul-Terraform-Sync daemon serves its API.