tessl/npm-sails

API-driven framework for building realtime apps, using MVC conventions (based on Express and Socket.io)

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CLI Commands

Name: tessl/npm-sails
Author: tessl

Sails.js provides a comprehensive command-line interface with 16+ commands for application development, testing, and deployment. The CLI is built on Commander.js and offers extensive options and aliases for efficient development workflows.

Core Commands

new

Create a new Sails application:

sails new [path] [options]

Parameters:

path (String, optional) - Directory name for new application (default: current directory)

Options:

--no-frontend - Skip frontend dependencies and assets
--fast - Skip npm install (install dependencies manually later)

Examples:

# Create new app in current directory
sails new

# Create new app in specific directory
sails new my-awesome-app

# Create API-only app without frontend
sails new my-api --no-frontend

# Create app without installing dependencies
sails new my-app --fast
cd my-app
npm install

Generated Structure:

my-app/
├── api/
│   ├── controllers/
│   ├── models/
│   ├── policies/
│   └── services/
├── config/
├── views/
├── assets/
├── package.json
└── app.js

lift

Start the Sails application:

sails lift [options]
sails l [options]  # Alias

Options:

--prod - Start in production environment
--staging - Start in staging environment
--port [port] - Specify port number
--silent - Suppress all log output
--verbose - Enable verbose logging
--silly - Enable maximum logging detail

Examples:

# Basic lift
sails lift

# Production mode
sails lift --prod

# Custom port
sails lift --port 3000

# Verbose logging
sails lift --verbose

# Multiple options
sails lift --prod --port 8080 --silent

Environment Variables:

# Set environment via variable
NODE_ENV=production sails lift

# Set port via variable
PORT=3000 sails lift

generate

Generate code components (controllers, models, actions, etc.):

sails generate [type] [name] [options]

Available Generators:

controller - Generate controller
model - Generate model
action - Generate standalone action
helper - Generate helper function
page - Generate page (controller + view)
api - Generate model + controller

Examples:

# Generate controller
sails generate controller User

# Generate model
sails generate model Product name:string price:number

# Generate API (model + controller)
sails generate api Pet name:string breed:string

# Generate standalone action
sails generate action auth/login

# Generate helper
sails generate helper format-date

# Generate page with view
sails generate page dashboard

Model Attributes:

# Generate model with attributes and types
sails generate model User \
  email:string \
  firstName:string \
  lastName:string \
  age:number \
  isActive:boolean \
  avatar:string

Development Commands

console

Start an interactive REPL with application context:

sails console [options]  
sails c [options]  # Alias

Options:

--dontLift - Don't lift the Sails app (access limited functionality)
--silent - Suppress lift messages
--verbose - Enable verbose logging
--silly - Enable maximum logging

Examples:

# Start console with full app context
sails console

# Start console without lifting app
sails console --dontLift

# Start console with verbose output
sails console --verbose

Console Usage:

// Access models
sails> User.find()
sails> await User.create({email: 'test@example.com', name: 'Test User'})

// Access services
sails> EmailService.sendWelcomeEmail('user@example.com')

// Access configuration
sails> sails.config.datastores
sails> sails.config.environment

// Run helpers
sails> await sails.helpers.formatDate(new Date())

// Make virtual requests
sails> sails.request('/api/users')

debug

Start Sails with Node.js debugger (Node v5 and below):

sails debug [options]

Options:

Same options as sails lift

Example:

# Start with debugger
sails debug

# Debug in production mode
sails debug --prod

inspect

Start Sails with Node.js inspector (Node v6 and above):

sails inspect [options]

Options:

Same options as sails lift

Examples:

# Start with inspector
sails inspect

# Inspect with custom port
sails inspect --port 3000

# Open Chrome DevTools at chrome://inspect

Inspector Usage:

Run sails inspect
Open Chrome browser
Navigate to chrome://inspect
Click "inspect" under Remote Target

Utility Commands

run

Run custom scripts defined in your application:

sails run [script] [options]

Parameters:

script (String) - Script name from scripts/ directory

Examples:

# Run custom script
sails run bootstrap-data

# Run with arguments  
sails run import-users --file=users.csv

# Run migration script
sails run migrate-database

Script Structure (scripts/bootstrap-data.js):

module.exports = {
  friendlyName: 'Bootstrap data',
  description: 'Set up initial application data',
  
  fn: async function(inputs) {
    console.log('Bootstrapping initial data...');
    
    // Create admin user
    const admin = await User.create({
      email: 'admin@example.com',
      role: 'admin'
    }).fetch();
    
    console.log('Admin user created:', admin.id);
    
    // Create sample data
    await Product.createEach([
      { name: 'Product 1', price: 29.99 },
      { name: 'Product 2', price: 39.99 }
    ]);
    
    console.log('Bootstrap complete!');
  }
};

test

Run test suite (alias for sails run test):

sails test [options]

Example:

# Run all tests
sails test

# Run specific test file
sails test --grep "User model"

Test Configuration (scripts/test.js):

module.exports = {
  fn: async function() {
    const { execSync } = require('child_process');
    
    try {
      // Run Mocha tests
      execSync('npm test', { stdio: 'inherit' });
      
      console.log('All tests passed!');
    } catch (err) {
      console.error('Tests failed:', err.message);
      process.exit(1);
    }
  }
};

lint

Run code linting (alias for sails run lint):

sails lint [options]

Example:

# Run linting
sails lint

# Fix auto-fixable issues
sails run lint --fix

www

Compile assets to standalone www folder:

sails www [options]

Purpose: Generate static website from Sails app for CDN deployment

Example:

# Compile assets
sails www

# Output location: www/
# Contains: Static HTML, CSS, JS, images

upgrade

Upgrade Sails application to newer version:

sails upgrade [options]

Features:

Update package.json dependencies
Migrate configuration files
Update deprecated code patterns
Backup original files

Example:

# Upgrade to latest Sails version
sails upgrade

# Check what would be upgraded (dry run)
sails upgrade --dry-run

migrate

Run database migrations:

sails migrate [options]

Examples:

# Run pending migrations
sails migrate

# Create new migration
sails migrate create add-user-avatar

# Rollback last migration  
sails migrate rollback

deploy

Deploy application to cloud platforms:

sails deploy [target] [options]

Supported Targets:

heroku - Deploy to Heroku
azure - Deploy to Azure
aws - Deploy to AWS

Examples:

# Deploy to Heroku
sails deploy heroku

# Deploy to specific environment
sails deploy heroku --environment staging

Debug Commands

debug-console

Start debug console session:

sails debug-console [options]
sails dc [options]  # Alias

Purpose: Interactive debugging with inspector support

Example:

# Start debug console
sails debug-console

# Access in Chrome DevTools
# Set breakpoints in console code

Information Commands

version

Display version information:

sails version
sails --version
sails -v
sails -V

Output Example:

Sails v1.5.15
Node v18.17.0
NPM v9.6.7

help

Display help information:

sails help [command]
sails --help

Examples:

# General help
sails help

# Command-specific help
sails help lift
sails help generate
sails help new

Global Options

Most commands support these global options:

--silent     # Suppress log output
--verbose    # Enable verbose logging  
--silly      # Maximum logging detail
--prod       # Production environment
--staging    # Staging environment
--port [n]   # Specify port number

Configuration and Customization

.sailsrc Configuration

Customize CLI behavior with .sailsrc file:

{
  "generators": {
    "modules": {
      "controller": "sails-generate-controller-api",
      "model": "sails-generate-model-mongoose"
    }
  },
  
  "commands": {
    "lift": {
      "environment": "development"
    },
    "generate": {
      "templatesDirectory": "./custom-templates"
    }
  }
}

Custom Generators

Create custom code generators:

// generators/my-generator/index.js
module.exports = {
  templatesDirectory: require('path').resolve(__dirname, './templates'),
  
  targets: {
    './api/controllers/:filename': { template: 'controller.template' },
    './api/models/:filename': { template: 'model.template' }
  },
  
  before: function(scope, cb) {
    scope.filename = scope.args[0] + 'Controller.js';
    return cb();
  }
};

Usage:

sails generate my-generator User

Scripting and Automation

Bash Scripting

#!/bin/bash
# deploy.sh

echo "Deploying application..."

# Run tests first
sails test
if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
  echo "Tests failed, aborting deployment"
  exit 1
fi

# Build assets
sails www

# Deploy to production
sails deploy heroku --prod

echo "Deployment complete!"

NPM Scripts Integration

{
  "scripts": {
    "start": "sails lift",
    "dev": "sails lift --verbose", 
    "test": "sails test",
    "lint": "sails lint",
    "build": "sails www",
    "deploy": "./scripts/deploy.sh"
  }
}

Environment-Specific Commands

# Development
npm run dev

# Production  
NODE_ENV=production npm start

# Testing
npm test

# Building
npm run build

The Sails.js CLI provides a comprehensive toolkit for efficient application development, testing, and deployment, with extensive customization options and integration capabilities for modern development workflows.

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