After installing the CLI via npm (`npm install -g zcatalyst-cli`) and logging in with `catalyst login`, you initialise a new project with `catalyst init`, which creates the project folder structure and links it to a Catalyst project in the cloud. The `catalyst serve` command starts a local development server that runs your Advanced I/O functions on localhost so you can test them before deployment. Running `catalyst deploy` bundles the function code and pushes it to Catalyst. The CLI also handles environment-specific deployments, letting you push to development or production separately.
The CLI is the primary tool for any developer actively building or maintaining a Catalyst application. It is necessary for local testing, which is far faster than deploying to the cloud for every code change. Development teams in Indian product companies use it as part of their CI/CD pipeline, running `catalyst deploy` from a GitHub Actions workflow after code review passes.
The CLI requires Node.js 14 or later and an active Zoho account with access to the Catalyst project. Local testing via `catalyst serve` mimics the cloud environment but does not replicate all production constraints, such as memory limits and network timeouts. Always test in the Catalyst development environment before promoting to production. Keep the CLI updated, as newer versions add support for new Catalyst features and fix known issues.
A developer at a Hyderabad SaaS company adds a new function to validate PAN numbers against an external API before storing leads in the Catalyst Datastore. They run `catalyst serve` locally, test the function with Postman using a Mumbai test address and a sample PAN, confirm the validation logic works, and then run `catalyst deploy –env development` to push the change to the staging environment for QA sign-off before the production release.
Run `npm install -g zcatalyst-cli` in your terminal. Node.js 14 or later must be installed first. After installation, run `catalyst login` to authenticate with your Zoho account. The CLI stores credentials locally so you do not need to log in again for subsequent sessions on the same machine.
Yes. The CLI supports non-interactive login using environment variables for the Zoho credentials, making it suitable for automated pipelines in GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or Bitbucket Pipelines. Set the Zoho client ID, client secret, and refresh token as pipeline secrets, and the CLI authenticates without prompting for a browser login.
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