OpenStackClient

The OpenStackClient CLI (aka OSC) provides users with an improved experience in dealing with the variety of commands and arguments required to interact with OpenStack. It is (will be) a complete substitute for the bundled CLI binaries supplied with the OpenStack project clients. Where possible it utilizes the existing client Python API libraries to minimize duplication of effort.

Source code	https://github.com/openstack/python-openstackclient
Bug tracker	https://bugs.launchpad.net/python-openstackclient/+bugs
Blueprints	https://blueprints.launchpad.net/python-openstackclient

Status

Status: In progress

The python-openstackclient project is underway and pressing toward an initial 0.1 release. Progress for implementing the commands can be tracked in the blueprints, there is one for each corresponding OpenStack CLI binary.

Documentation

• Command Translation - A mapping of the project CLI commands to OSC (the original page)
• Human Interface Guidelines - (the original page)
• Revised OSCLI Authentication - (the original page)

Project Goals

• Use the OpenStack Python client API modules, extending them as required
• Use consistent naming and structure for commands and arguments
• Provide consistent output formats with optional machine parsable formats
• Use a single-binary approach that also contains an embedded command-line that can execute multiple commands on a single authentication (see libvirt's virsh for an example)
• Independence from the OpenStack project names; only API names are referenced (to the extent possible)

Commands

The OpenStackClient has a consistent and predictable format for all of its commands. There is a list of command verbs and the action that can be expected from each of them. Objects may be referenced by one or more words (server vs access token). The general format of commands is the primary object being manipulated, followed by the verb, and optionally an additional object for those commands that manipulate two objects, followed by command-specific options and then the positional arguments if required.

There are also global options that control the overall behaviour of OSC, such as supplying authentication credentials or using specific API versions. All options are what is commonly known as 'long options' in that they are one or more words preceeded by two dashes ('--') and using a single dash internally to replace spaces. Most global options also have corresponding environment variables for convenience.

Related projects

• Project Python API libraries (python-cinderclient, python-glanceclient, python-keystoneclient, python-novaclient)
• Previous work in this vein is at UnifiedCommandLineClient
• A Perl implementation is at https://metacpan.org/module/oscompute
• The original version of this page is at UnifiedCLI

Notes to Self

• Add to RelatedProjects when the 0.1 release happens

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