tcv CLI Tool - TechConverter Command Line Interface

Last updated March 22, 2026

CLI Tools — Practical Examples for Developers

The CLI Tools collection on TechConverter helps developers generate, understand, and work with command-line commands across shells and platforms. Below are real-world examples showing how to use these tools effectively.

Example 1: Generating a Docker Run Command

Instead of memorizing every Docker flag, use the CLI command generator to build a complete docker run command visually. For example, running a PostgreSQL container with a named volume, environment variables, and port mapping:

docker run \
  --name my-postgres \
  -e POSTGRES_USER=admin \
  -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secret \
  -e POSTGRES_DB=myapp \
  -p 5432:5432 \
  -v pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data \
  -d postgres:15

The generator fills in each flag with a form, so you never miss a required option or misplace a backslash.

Example 2: Building a Complex Git Command

Git has hundreds of flags. The CLI tool helps you construct commands like an interactive rebase or a cherry-pick with conflict strategy:

# Interactive rebase on the last 5 commits
git rebase -i HEAD~5

# Cherry-pick a commit and automatically resolve conflicts with "ours" strategy
git cherry-pick -X ours abc1234

The tool explains each flag inline, so you understand what you're running before you run it.

Example 3: Generating a Bash Script Template

The shell script generator produces a ready-to-use Bash script with best practices baked in:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
IFS=$'\n\t'

# Script: backup.sh
# Description: Backs up a directory to a timestamped archive

BACKUP_DIR="${1:?Usage: $0 }"
DEST="/backups/$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).tar.gz"

echo "Backing up $BACKUP_DIR to $DEST..."
tar -czf "$DEST" "$BACKUP_DIR"
echo "Done."

The set -euo pipefail line is automatically included to catch errors early — a best practice many developers forget to add manually.

Example 4: Parsing Command-Line Arguments in Python

The argument parsing generator produces boilerplate for CLI tools in multiple languages. Here is a Python example using argparse:

import argparse

parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Process files")
parser.add_argument("input", help="Input file path")
parser.add_argument("-o", "--output", default="output.txt", help="Output file path")
parser.add_argument("-v", "--verbose", action="store_true", help="Enable verbose output")
args = parser.parse_args()

if args.verbose:
    print(f"Reading from {args.input}")

Example 5: Generating npm Scripts

The package manager command generator helps you build npm scripts for your package.json:

{
  "scripts": {
    "build": "tsc --project tsconfig.json",
    "lint": "eslint src --ext .ts,.tsx",
    "test": "jest --runInBand --coverage",
    "clean": "rimraf dist",
    "start": "node dist/index.js"
  }
}

Example 6: Cross-Platform Path Conversion

When working across Windows and Unix, paths need conversion. The path manipulation tool converts between formats:

• Windows: C:\Users\dev\projects\myapp
• Unix: /c/Users/dev/projects/myapp
• URL-encoded: C%3A%5CUsers%5Cdev%5Cprojects%5Cmyapp

Example 7: Setting Environment Variables

The environment variable generator produces shell-specific export commands:

# Bash / Zsh
export DATABASE_URL="postgresql://admin:secret@localhost:5432/myapp"
export NODE_ENV="production"
export PORT=3000

# PowerShell
$env:DATABASE_URL = "postgresql://admin:secret@localhost:5432/myapp"
$env:NODE_ENV = "production"
$env:PORT = 3000

# CMD
set DATABASE_URL=postgresql://admin:secret@localhost:5432/myapp
set NODE_ENV=production
set PORT=3000

Example 8: Generating chmod Commands

Unix file permissions can be confusing. The chmod calculator converts between symbolic and octal notation:

• chmod 755 script.sh — owner can read/write/execute, others can read/execute
• chmod 644 config.json — owner can read/write, others can only read
• chmod 600 .env — only owner can read/write, no access for others

Example 9: curl Command for API Testing

The curl command generator builds complete API requests with headers, body, and authentication:

curl -X POST https://api.example.com/v1/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9..." \
  -d '{"name": "Jane Doe", "email": "jane@example.com"}' \
  --silent \
  --show-error

Example 10: Process Management Commands

The process management generator creates commands for monitoring and controlling processes:

# Find process using port 3000
lsof -i :3000

# Kill process by PID
kill -9 12345

# Run a process in the background and save its PID
node server.js & echo $! > server.pid

# Stop the background process later
kill $(cat server.pid)

All CLI tools run entirely in your browser. No commands are sent to any server, so you can safely paste sensitive values like API keys, passwords, and connection strings while building your commands.