Commands Overview

FexAPI keeps the command surface intentionally small and composable.

How It Works

schema.fexapi -> fexapi generate -> .cache/generated.api.json -> fexapi serve/dev

fexapi.config.js fits beside that flow as the runtime override layer for port, CORS, delay, and route-level settings. See Configuration for the precedence rules.

Core Commands

Command	Writes	Watch behavior	Best for
fexapi init	fexapi/schema.fexapi, fexapi.config.js	No	Bootstrapping a new project
fexapi generate	fexapi/.cache/generated.api.json	No	Refreshing the cached API spec after schema edits
fexapi format	fexapi/schema.fexapi	No	Normalizing schema formatting
fexapi serve	None	No	Running the server once
fexapi dev --watch	fexapi/.cache/generated.api.json when schema changes	Yes	Iterating locally with auto-reload

Aliases and Global Commands

• fexapi run is an alias for fexapi serve
• fexapi (no subcommand) behaves like fexapi serve
• fexapi --host ..., fexapi --port ..., and fexapi --log also map to serve
• fexapi --version and fexapi version print the installed version
• fexapi --help prints full command help
• fexapi help also prints full command help

Detailed pages:

• init
• generate
• format
• serve
• dev

Common Workflows

Use this if you want the shortest route from zero to running:

New project:

fexapi init
# edit fexapi/schema.fexapi
fexapi generate
fexapi serve

Active frontend development:

fexapi dev --watch --log

Watch mode reacts to changes under fexapi/ and project root config, and regenerates when schema inputs change.

Common Gotchas

• init creates the starter files, but it does not serve anything by itself.
• generate writes the cached spec, but it does not start the server.
• serve runs once and exits on shutdown signals; it does not watch files.
• dev --watch is the only command that auto-regenerates on schema changes.

Port and route precedence are documented once in Configuration.

Before pushing changes:

fexapi format
fexapi generate

Global Flags

Flag	Description
--help, -h	Show help for any command
--version, -v	Print CLI version

Commands reject unexpected positional arguments and duplicate flags.

Port values are validated and must be an integer between 1 and 65535.