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command-line interface

Type of computer interface based on entering text commands and viewing text output

EntityparadigmQ189053

Also known as command line interface · CLI · Character user interface · terminal user inferface · TUI

Instance of: paradigm
Subclass of: text-based user interface
, user interface
, human–computer interaction
+2 more

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

A command-line interface (CLI), also known as a command-line shell, is a means of interacting with software via commands – each formatted as a line of text. The concept of interacting with a computer via text evolved over two decades, transitioning from physical hardware to sophisticated software. Before the CLI, computers were programmed using physical switches or punched cards. The shift toward a "command" style interaction began with the use of teleprinters/teletypes. Early systems like the Whirlwind I (1951) at MIT began utilizing typewriter-like inputs for direct control, moving away from batch processing where you'd hand a stack of cards to an operator and wait hours for a result. Devices like the Teletype Model 33, introduced in 1963, allowed operators to type a command and receive a printed response from the computer.

Overview

All data

40 statements · 10% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Used by: console application
command-line interpreter
read–eval–print loop
Social media followers: 89,719(May 23, 2023) subreddit: commandline
Opposite of: graphical user interface

On other databases

19 identifiers linking command-line interface across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

10%

externally sourced

Source last edited September 30, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). command-line interface (Q189053). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/command-line-interface-Q189053