Building a TypeScript CLI with Node.js and Commander
Blog post from LogRocket
The tutorial provides a comprehensive guide to creating a command-line interface (CLI) tool using Node.js, TypeScript, and the Commander.js library, with the added benefit of publishing it to npm using GitHub Actions. It begins by explaining the concept of a CLI and demonstrates how to use Commander.js and TypeScript to build a CLI that manages directories, listing contents, creating directories, and creating files with specific command options. The tutorial covers setting up a project with TypeScript, defining CLI options, creating actions for those options, and making the CLI globally accessible. It further explains how to set up continuous integration with GitHub Actions to automatically publish the CLI to npm, ensuring that it is readily available for other developers. The guide emphasizes the importance of using TypeScript for type safety and bug prevention and highlights the additional functionalities Commander.js offers, such as subcommands and automated help.