cardano node cli reference

Cardano Node CLI Reference

The command line interface (CLI) provides a collection of tools for generating keys, constructing transactions, creating certificates, and performing other important tasks. It is organized in a hierarchy of subcommands, and each level comes with its own built-in documentation of command syntax and options.

This section provides a reference of the core cardano-cli commands and their associated subcommands:

cardano-cli The set of cardano-cli commands includes:

• address: payment address commands
• stake-address: stake address commands
• transaction: transaction commands
• node: node operation commands
• stake-pool: stake pool commands
• query: node query commands. Commands in this group query the local node whose Unix domain socket is obtained from the CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH environment variable.
• genesis: genesis block commands
• text-view: commands for dealing with text view files that are stored on disk, such as transactions or addresses
• governance: governance commands

cardano-cli address The address command contains the following subcommands:

• key-gen: creates a single address key pair
• key-hash: prints the hash of an address to stdout
• build: builds a payment address, with optional delegation to a stake address
• info: prints details about the address

cardano-cli stake-address The stake-address command contains the following subcommands:

• key-gen: creates a single address key pair
• build: builds a stake address
• key-hash: prints the hash of a stake verification key
• registration-certificate: creates a registration certificate
• delegation-certificate: creates a stake address delegation certificate
• deregistration-certificate: creates a de-registration certificate

cardano-cli transaction The transaction command contains the following subcommands:

• build-raw: builds a low-level transaction (uses the --cardano-mode, --byron-mode, --shelley-mode flags)
• build: builds an automatically balanced transaction (automatically calculates fees)
• sign: signs the transaction
• assemble: combines and assembles the transaction witness(es) with a transaction body to create a transaction
• witness: witnesses a transaction
• submit: submits the transaction to the local node whose Unix domain socket is obtained from the CARDANO_NODE_SOCKET_PATH environment variable (uses the --cardano-mode, --byron-mode, --shelley-mode flags)
• calculate-min-fee: calculates the minimum fee for the transaction
• calculate-min-required-utxo: calculates the minimum required ada for a transaction output
• hash-script-data: calculates the hash of script data (datums)
• txid: retrieves the transaction ID
• policyid: retrieves the policy ID
• view: pretty prints a transaction

cardano-cli node The node command contains the following subcommands:

• key-gen: creates a key pair for a node operator's offline key and a new certificate issue counter
• key-gen-KES: creates a key pair for a node KES operational key
• key-gen-VRF: creates a key pair for a node VRF operational key
• key-hash-VRF: creates a key hash for a node VRF operational key
• new-counter: keeps track of the number of KES evolutions for a given operational certificate hot key
• issue-op-cert: issues a node operational certificate

cardano-cli stake-pool The stake-pool command contains the following subcommands:

• registration-certificate: creates a stake pool registration certificate
• de-registration-certificate: creates a stake pool de-registration certificate
• id: builds pool id from the offline key
• metadata-hash: retrieves the metadata hash

cardano-cli query The query command contains the following subcommands:

• protocol-parameters (advanced): retrieves the node's current pool parameters (a raw dump of Ledger.ChainDepState).
• tip: gets the node's current tip (slot number, hash, and block number)
• stake-pools: gets the node's current set of stake pool ids
• utxo: retrieves the node's current UTxO, filtered by address
• ledger-state (advanced): dumps the current state of the node (a raw dump of Ledger.NewEpochState)* stake-distribution: gets the node's current set of stake pool ids
• protocol-state (advanced): dumps the node's current protocol state
• stake-address-info: gets the current delegations and reward accounts filtered by stake address.
• stake-distribution: gets the node's current aggregated stake distribution
• stake-snapshot (advanced): gets the stake snapshot information for a stake pool
• pool-params (advanced): gets the current and future parameters for a stake pool
• leadership-schedule: gets the slots in which the node is slot leader for the current or following epoch
• kes-period-info (advanced): returns diagnostic information about your operational certificate
• tx-mempool info: returns details about a node's mempool's resource usage
• tx-mempool next-tx: returns the next transaction to be processed
• tx-mempool tx-exists: queries whether or not a transaction is in the node's mempool

cardano-cli governance The governance command contains the following subcommands:

• create-mir-certificate: creates an MIR (move instantaneous rewards) certificate
• create-update-proposal: creates an update proposal
• create-genesis-key-certificate: retrieves the genesis key certificate

cardano-cli genesis The genesis command contains the following subcommands:

• key-gen-genesis: creates a genesis key pair
• key-gen-delegate: creates a genesis delegate key pair
• key-gen-utxo: creates a genesis UTxO key pair
• key-hash: prints the identifier, or hash, of a public key
• get-ver-key: derives verification key from a signing key
• initial-addr: gets the address for an initial UTxO based on the verification key
• initial-txin: gets the transaction ID for an initial UTxO based on the verification key.
• create: creates a genesis file from a genesis template, as well as genesis keys, delegation keys, and spending keys.
• create-staked: creates a staked genesis file
• hash: retrieves the hash value

cardano-cli text-view The text-view command contains the following subcommand:

• decode-cbor: prints a text view file as decoded CBOR.

Advanced Commands

query kes-period-info: This command runs the following checks on your operational certificate and your operational certificate issue counter:

• Do the counters of the issue counter and operational certificate match?
• Do the counters match what is currently in the node state?
• Does the KES key period specified in your operational certificate fall within the current KES key period? The Cardano node will check the predicates of the OCERT rule in the cardano-ledger specification, and print additional diagnostic information as follows:

✓ The operational certificate counter agrees with the node protocol state counter
✓ Operational certificate's kes period is within the correct KES period interval
{
    "qKesNodeStateOperationalCertificateNumber": 6,
    "qKesCurrentKesPeriod": 404,
    "qKesOnDiskOperationalCertificateNumber": 6,
    "qKesRemainingSlotsInKesPeriod": 3760228,
    "qKesMaxKESEvolutions": 62,
    "qKesKesKeyExpiry": "2022-03-20T21:44:51Z",
    "qKesEndKesInterval": 434,
    "qKesStartKesInterval": 372,
    "qKesSlotsPerKesPeriod": 129600
}

query leadership-schedule: This command can calculate the leadership slots in the current epoch or the following epoch for an SPO with output as follows:

     SlotNo                          UTC Time
-------------------------------------------------------------
     4073                   2021-12-29 17:26:54.998001755 UTC
     4126                   2021-12-29 17:27:00.298001755 UTC
     4206                   2021-12-29 17:27:08.298001755 UTC
     4256                   2021-12-29 17:27:13.298001755 UTC
     4309                   2021-12-29 17:27:18.598001755 UTC
     4376                   2021-12-29 17:27:25.298001755 UTC
     4423                   2021-12-29 17:27:29.998001755 UTC
     4433                   2021-12-29 17:27:30.998001755 UTC

transaction build ... --calculate-plutus-script-cost: Using the --calculate-plutus-script-cost flag with the transaction build command will calculate the cost of the Plutus script(s) within the transaction body and output it as JSON.

[
    {
        "executionUnits": {
            "memory": 1700,
            "steps": 476468
        },
        "lovelaceCost": 133,
        "scriptHash": "67f33146617a5e61936081db3b2117cbf59bd2123748f58ac9678656"
    }
]