# Ionic CLI

URL: https://ionicframework.com/docs/v8/cli

The Ionic command-line interface ( [CLI](/docs/v8/reference/glossary.md#cli)) is the go-to tool for developing Ionic apps.

## Installation

The Ionic CLI can be installed globally with npm:

```shell
npm install -g @ionic/cli
```

## Help

The Ionic CLI ships with command documentation that is accessible with the `--help` flag.

```shell
$ ionic --help
$ ionic <command> --help
$ ionic <command> <subcommand> --help
```

**Note**

Be sure to run `ionic <command> --help` in your project directory. For some commands, such as `ionic serve`, the help documentation is contextual to the type of your project, e.g. React vs Angular.

## Architecture

The Ionic CLI is built with [TypeScript](/docs/v8/reference/glossary.md#typescript) and [Node.js](/docs/v8/reference/glossary.md#node). It supports Node 10.3+, but the latest Node LTS is always recommended. Follow development on the open source [GitHub repository](https://github.com/ionic-team/ionic-cli).

## Troubleshooting

To troubleshoot issues with the Ionic CLI, the following may be useful:

- Make sure the latest version of the Ionic CLI is installed. Get the installed Ionic CLI version by running `ionic --version`. The Ionic CLI version is not related to the Ionic Framework version.
- Make sure the latest Node LTS is installed. Refer to [Node & npm](/docs/v8/intro/environment.md#node--npm) environment setup.
- The `--verbose` flag prints debugging messages, which may narrow down the issue.
- Connection issues may be due to improperly configured proxy settings. Refer to [Using a Proxy](/docs/v8/cli/using-a-proxy.md) to configure request proxying.
- The global Ionic CLI configuration directory is `~/.ionic` on all platforms. It can safely be deleted and the Ionic CLI will repopulate it, but all configuration (including user sessions) will be lost. Configure this directory with [CLI environment variables](/docs/v8/cli/configuration.md#environment-variables).