Definition
The command-line interface is a program that allows you to interact with other programs by typing out textual commands into a prompt.
Use cases and Examples
The command-line interface used to be the primary way of interacting with a computer, and all instructions had to either be passed in as text or written in a file and run altogether.
These days, everyday computer users hardly use the command line interface. It, however, remains popular among developers. It provides a more effective and concise way to interact with computers.
Creating command line tools are less time consuming to develop compared to graphic user interface (gui). Developers prefer to create their tools as command-line-based tools hence why its use is widespread among developers.
There is also the element of scripting which allows a developer to create a script to execute a series of instructions all at once, as opposed to typing them out one after the other.
For the everyday users most of their software come with the graphic user interface (GUI) which uses visual elements to take in input and display results to the end-user. This is a lot more intuitive and pleasant to use.
Summary
The command line has been around for ages and remains useful today. Most tools you will have to work with as a developer are only accessible through the command line.
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