Installing Zowe CLI

Install Zowe™ CLI on your computer.

Tip: If you are familiar with command-line tools and want to get started using Zowe CLI quickly, see Zowe CLI quick start. You can learn about new CLI features in the Release notes.

Methods to install Zowe CLI

Use one of the following methods to install Zowe CLI.

• Installing Zowe CLI from a local package
• Installing Zowe CLI from an online registry

If you encounter problems when you attempt to install Zowe CLI, see Troubleshooting Zowe CLI.

Installing Zowe CLI from a local package

If you do not have internet access at your site, use the following method to install Zowe CLI from a local package.

Follow these steps:

1. Address the following software requirements:

   • Install Node.js V8.0 or higher LTS versions

     Tip: You might need to restart the command prompt after installing Node.js. Issue the command node --version to verify that Node.js is installed.

   • Verify that you have Node Package Manager (npm) that is compatible with your version of Node.js. For a list of compatible versions, see Node.js Previous Releases.

     Tip: npm is included with the Node.js installation. Issue the command npm --version to verify the version of npm that is installed.

   • (Optional) If you plan to install plug-ins, review the Software requirements for CLI plug-ins.

2. Navigate to Zowe.org Downloads and click the CLI Core button to download the core package. The "core" includes Zowe CLI and Secure Credential Store, which enhances security by encrpyting your username and password.

   A file named zowe-cli-package-v.r.m.zip is downloaded to your computer

3. (Optional) Click the CLI Plugins button to download the optional plugins.

   A file named zowe-cli-plugins-v.r.m.zip is downloaded to your computer.

4. Unzip the contents of zowe-cli-package-v.r.m.zip (and optionally zowe-cli-plugins-v.r.m.zip) to a preferred location on your computer.

5. Open a command-line window. Issue the following commands in sequence against the extracted directory to install core Zowe CLI on your computer:

   npm install -g zowe-cli.tgz
   zowe plugins install secure-credential-store-for-zowe-cli.tgz

   Notes:

   • If the command returns an EACCESS error, refer to Resolving EACCESS permissions errors when installing packages globally in the npm documentation.
   • On Linux, you might need to prepend sudo to your npm commands. For more information, see Troubleshooting Zowe CLI.

6. (Optional) Issue the following command to install each available plug-in:

   zowe plugins install cics-for-zowe-cli.tgz db2-for-zowe-cli.tgz zos-ftp-for-zowe-cli.tgz ims-for-zowe-cli.tgz mq-for-zowe-cli.tgz

   Note: The IBM Db2 plug-in requires additional configuration.

Zowe CLI is installed on your computer. Issue the zowe --help command to view a list of available commands. For information about how to connect the CLI to the mainframe (using command-line options, user profiles, or environment variables), see Defining CLI connection details. You can also test your connection to z/OSMF with or without a profile.

Installing Zowe CLI from an online registry

If your computer is connected to the Internet, you can use the following method to install Zowe CLI from an npm registry.

Follow these steps:

1. Address the following software requirements:

   • Install Node.js V8.0 or higher LTS versions

     Tip: You might need to restart the command prompt after installing Node.js. Issue the command node --version to verify that Node.js is installed.

   • Verify that you have Node Package Manager (npm) that is compatible with your version of Node.js. For a list of compatible versions, see Node.js Previous Releases.

     Tip: npm is included with the Node.js installation. Issue the command npm --version to verify the version of npm that is installed.

   • (Optional) If you plan to install plug-ins, review the Software requirements for CLI plug-ins.

2. Issue the following commands in sequence to install the core from the public npm registry. The "core" includes Zowe CLI and Secure Credential Store, which enhances security by encrpyting your username and password.

   npm install -g @zowe/cli@zowe-v1-lts
   zowe plugins install @zowe/secure-credential-store-for-zowe-cli@zowe-v1-lts

   Notes:

   • If the command returns an EACCESS error, refer to Resolving EACCESS permissions errors when installing packages globally in the npm documentation.
   • On Linux, you might need to prepend sudo to your npm commands. For more information, see Troubleshooting Zowe CLI.

3. (Optional) To install all available plug-ins to Zowe CLI, issue the following command:

   zowe plugins install @zowe/cics-for-zowe-cli@zowe-v1-lts @zowe/db2-for-zowe-cli@zowe-v1-lts @zowe/ims-for-zowe-cli@zowe-v1-lts @zowe/mq-for-zowe-cli@zowe-v1-lts @zowe/zos-ftp-for-zowe-cli@zowe-v1-lts

   Note: The IBM Db2 plug-in requires additional configuration.

After you install and configure Zowe CLI, issue the zowe --help command to view a list of available commands. For information about how to connect the CLI to the mainframe (using command-line options, user profiles, or environment variables), see Defining CLI connection details. You can also test your connection to z/OSMF with or without a profile.