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Using Built-in Help

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Global Help

Every command in the Orka CLI has built-in help documentation that you can access using the --help or -h flag. 
# Get help for the main command
orka3 --help

# Get help for a specific command
orka3 vm --help

# Get help for a sub-command
orka3 vm deploy --help

# Get help for configuration commands
orka3 config --help

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Command Structure

The help output for each command typically includes:
  • Synopsis: A brief description of what the command does
  • Usage: The command syntax with required and optional parameters
  • Options: Available flags and their descriptions
  • Examples: Common usage examples
  • Sub-commands: Related commands (if applicable)

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Finding Commands

Start with the main help to browse available command groups: 
orka3 --help
Then drill down into specific command groups: 
# View all VM-related commands
orka3 vm --help

# View all image-related commands
orka3 image --help

# View all node-related commands
orka3 node --help

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Understanding output formats

Many Orka CLI commands support multiple output formats to suit different use cases.

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Available Output Formats

FormatFlagDescriptionBest For
Table--output table (default)Human-readable table with essential informationTerminal viewing, quick status checks
Wide--output wideExtended table with additional columns and detailsDetailed troubleshooting, viewing all properties
JSON--output jsonMachine-readable JSON formatScripting, automation, parsing with jq

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Using Output Formats

# Default table output
orka3 vm list

# Extended table with more details
orka3 vm list --output wide

# JSON output for scripting
orka3 vm list --output json

# Short form
orka3 vm list -o json

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Commands Supporting Output Formats

The following command groups support the --output flag:
  • orka3 vm list
  • orka3 vm-config list
  • orka3 node list
  • orka3 namespace list
  • orka3 image list
  • orka3 imagecache list
  • orka3 imagecache info
  • orka3 iso list
  • orka3 serviceaccount list
  • orka3 rolebinding list-subjects
  • orka3 registrycredential list

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Working with JSON Output

JSON output is particularly useful for automation and scripting. You can use tools like jq to parse and filter the results: 
# Get all VM names
orka3 vm list -o json | jq -r '.items[].name'

# Get VMs with more than 4 CPUs
orka3 vm list -o json | jq '.items[] | select(.cpu > 4)'

# Count total VMs
orka3 vm list -o json | jq '.items | length'

# Get node IPs
orka3 node list -o json | jq -r '.items[].ip'

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Common help patterns

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Discovering Available Commands

# List all main command groups
orka3 --help

# List all VM commands
orka3 vm --help

# List all image commands
orka3 image --help

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Understanding Flags

# See all flags for a command
orka3 vm deploy --help

# See namespace-related options
orka3 vm list --help | grep namespace

# See output format options
orka3 node list --help | grep output

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Finding Examples

Most command help includes an “Examples” section with common use cases: 
# View examples for VM deployment
orka3 vm deploy --help

# View examples for image management
orka3 image copy --help

# View examples for namespace management
orka3 namespace create --help

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Quick Tips

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Command Aliases

Many commands have short aliases for faster typing:
Full CommandAlias
orka3 vm-configorka3 vmc
orka3 serviceaccountorka3 sa
orka3 rolebindingorka3 rb
orka3 registrycredentialorka3 regcred
orka3 imagecacheorka3 ic

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Flag Shortcuts

Full FlagShort Flag
--help-h
--output-o
--namespace-n
--image-i
--cpu-c
--memory-m

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Checking Async Operations

Some operations are asynchronous. Here’s how to check their status:
  • Image operations: orka3 image list IMAGE_NAME
  • ISO operations: orka3 iso list ISO_NAME
  • Image caching: orka3 imagecache info IMAGE_NAME
  • Image push: orka3 vm get-push-status JOB_NAME