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Set up the Temporal CLI

The Temporal CLI is a command-line tool for interacting with the Temporal Service. It helps you manage, monitor, and debug Temporal applications. You can also use it to run a local development server and interact with Temporal Applications from the command line.

With the Temporal CLI, you can:

  • Run a local Temporal Service for development
  • Start Workflow Executions on any Temporal Service (local, self-hosted, or Temporal Cloud)
  • Interact with running Workflows
  • Inspect the state of Workflows and Activities
  • Manage Namespaces, Schedules, and Task Queues
  • Monitor and debug application behavior

Install the CLI​

The CLI is available for macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Install with Homebrew:

brew install temporal

Or download from the CDN:

Extract the archive and add the temporal binary to your PATH.

Run the development server​

The CLI includes a local Temporal development service for fast feedback while building your application.

Start the server:

temporal server start-dev \
   --db-filename path/to/local-persistent-store

View available options:

temporal server start-dev \
   --help

What the local server provides​

  • A local instance of the Temporal Service
  • Automatic startup of the Web UI
  • A default Namespace
  • Optional persistence using SQLite

Omitting --db-filename uses an in-memory database. This speeds up testing but does not persist Workflow data between sessions.

Access the Web UI​

tip

The CLI works with all Temporal SDKs. Use it to develop and test your application before deploying to production.