> This page location: Tools & Workflows > API, CLI & SDKs > CLI > Quickstart > Full Neon documentation index: https://neon.com/docs/llms.txt # Neon CLI quickstart Get set up with the Neon CLI in just a few steps The Neon CLI is a command-line interface that lets you manage Neon directly from the terminal. This guide will help you quickly set up and start using the Neon CLI. ## Install the CLI Choose your platform and install the Neon CLI: Tab: macOS **Install with Homebrew** ```bash brew install neonctl ``` **Install via npm** ```shell npm i -g neonctl ``` **Install with bun** ```bash bun install -g neonctl ``` Tab: Windows **Install via npm** ```shell npm i -g neonctl ``` **Install with bun** ```bash bun install -g neonctl ``` Tab: Linux **Install via npm** ```shell npm i -g neonctl ``` **Install with bun** ```bash bun install -g neonctl ``` Verify the installation by checking the CLI version: ```bash neon --version ``` For the latest version, refer to the [Neon CLI GitHub repository](https://github.com/neondatabase/neonctl) ## Authenticate Authenticate with your Neon account using one of these methods: **Web Authentication (recommended)** Run the command below to authenticate through your browser: ```bash neon auth ``` This will open a browser window where you can authorize the CLI to access your Neon account. **API Key Authentication** Alternatively, you can use a personal Neon API key. You can create one in the Neon Console. See [Create a personal API key](https://neon.com/docs/manage/api-keys#create-a-personal-api-key). ```bash neon projects list --api-key ``` To avoid entering your API key with each command, you can set it as an environment variable: ```bash export NEON_API_KEY= ``` For more about authenticating, see [Neon CLI commands — auth](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-auth). ## Set up your context file Context files allow you to use CLI commands without specifying your project ID or organization ID with each command. **Tip:** If you run a CLI command without an organization context, the CLI will prompt you to select an organization and offer to save it as your default. If you choose to save, this creates a `.neon` context file automatically. To set the context for your Neon project: ```bash neon set-context --project-id ``` To set the context for your both your Neon organization and a Neon project: ```bash neon set-context --org-id --project-id ``` **Info:** You can find your organization ID in the Neon Console by selecting your organization and navigating to **Settings**. You can find your Neon project ID by opening your project in the Neon Console and navigating to **Settings** > **General**. The `set-context` command creates a `.neon` file in your current directory with your project context. ```bash $ cat .neon { "projectId": "broad-surf-52155946", "orgId": "org-solid-base-83603457" }% ``` You can also create named context files for different organization and project contexts: ```bash neon set-context --org-id --project-id --context-file dev_project ``` To switch contexts, add the `--context-file` option to any command, specifying your context file: ```bash neon branches list --context-file Documents/dev_project ``` For more about the `set-context` command, see [Neon CLI commands — set-context](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-set-context). ## Enable shell completion Next, you can set up autocompletion to make using the CLI faster: Tab: Bash ```bash neon completion >> ~/.bashrc source ~/.bashrc ``` Tab: Zsh ```bash neon completion >> ~/.zshrc source ~/.zshrc ``` Now you can press **Tab** to complete Neon CLI commands and options. For further details, see [Neon CLI commands — completion](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-completion). ## Common operations Here are some common operations you can perform with the Neon CLI: ### List your projects ```bash neon projects list ``` If no organization context is set, the CLI will prompt you to select an organization. To avoid being prompted, set your organization context with `neon set-context --org-id ` or specify `--org-id` with each command. For more about the `projects` command, see [Neon CLI commands — projects](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-projects). ### Create a branch ```bash neon branches create --name ``` Set your project context or specify `--project-id ` if you have more than one Neon project. For more about the `branches` command, see [Neon CLI commands — branches](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-branches). ### Get a connection string This will give you the connection string for the default branch in your project: ```bash neon connection-string ``` For a specific branch, specify the branch name: ```bash neon connection-string ``` There's lots more you can do with the `connection-string` command. See [Neon CLI commands — connection-string](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-connection-string). ## Next steps Now that you're set up with the Neon CLI, you can: - Create more Neon projects with `neon projects create` - Manage your branches with various `neon branches` commands such as `reset`, `restore`, `rename`, `schema-diff`, and more - Create and manage databases with `neon databases` commands - Create and manage roles with `neon roles` commands - View the full set of Neon CLI commands available to you with `neon --help` For more details on all available commands, see the [CLI Reference](https://neon.com/docs/reference/neon-cli). --- ## Related docs (CLI) - [Overview](https://neon.com/docs/reference/neon-cli) - [Install and connect](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-install) - [auth](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-auth) - [me](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-me) - [orgs](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-orgs) - [projects](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-projects) - [ip-allow](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-ip-allow) - [vpc](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-vpc) - [branches](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-branches) - [databases](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-databases) - [roles](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-roles) - [operations](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-operations) - [connection-string](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-connection-string) - [set-context](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-set-context) - [init](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-init) - [completion](https://neon.com/docs/reference/cli-completion)