Heroku CLI

The Heroku CLI is a command-line interface built with Node.js and oclif for managing Heroku applications and services. It features an extensible architecture via a plugin ecosystem and allows users to perform tasks such as:

• App management: Deploy, scale, and monitor applications.
• Database management: Manage Heroku Postgres (backup, restore) and Redis instances.
• CI/CD: Run automated tests and manage review apps via pipelines.
• Add-ons: Provision and manage tools from the marketplace.
• Networking: Configure custom domains, SSL/TLS certificates, and Private Spaces.
• Monitoring: Stream logs and forward them to external services.
• Team Management: Manage organization access and permissions.

Use the heroku autocomplete command to display installation instructions for shell completion. You can specify the shell type as an argument to get instructions tailored to that environment.

Supported shell arguments include bash and zsh.

# Get general installation instructions
$ heroku autocomplete

# Get instructions specifically for bash
$ heroku autocomplete bash

# Get instructions specifically for zsh
$ heroku autocomplete zsh

The interactive prompt allows you to run Heroku CLI commands by guiding you through required and optional inputs. This is useful when you are unsure of the specific flags or arguments a command requires, as it provides descriptions for each input and validates them before execution.

To use it, append the --prompt flag to any Heroku CLI command.

$ heroku COMMAND --prompt

You can start the Heroku platform Model Context Protocol (MCP) server in stdio mode using the heroku mcp:start command. This allows AI agents or tools that support the MCP standard to interact with the Heroku platform via the CLI.

$ heroku mcp:start

You can create a new Heroku application using the CLI or by providing a configuration file.

Using the CLI: Run heroku apps:create [APP] to create an app with a specific name. If you omit [APP], Heroku will generate a random name for you.

Using a manifest: Alternatively, you can use a heroku.yml manifest file to define your application configuration.

Common creation options:

• Specify a buildpack: Define which buildpack to use during creation.
• Specify a name: Use the [APP] argument to set a custom name.
• Create a staging app: Create an application intended for staging environments.
• Create an app in the EU region: Specify the region during the creation process.

$ heroku apps:create my-custom-app-name

Use the heroku help command to display usage information, available arguments, and flags for the CLI or specific subcommands. To see help for a specific command and all of its nested subcommands, use the -n or --nested-commands flag.

# Display general help
$ heroku help

# Display help for a specific command
$ heroku help [COMMAND]

# Display help for a command including all nested subcommands
$ heroku help [COMMAND] -n

Use the heroku psql command to open an interactive PostgreSQL shell connected to your Heroku application's database. By default, it connects to the primary database of the specified app. You can also pass specific SQL commands or files to execute directly without entering the interactive shell.

# Open an interactive shell for the app 'my-app'
$ heroku psql -a my-app

# Run a specific SQL command and exit
$ heroku psql -a my-app -c "SELECT * FROM users;"

# Run commands from a SQL file
$ heroku psql -a my-app -f schema.sql

To develop and test changes to the Heroku CLI locally, follow these steps after cloning the repository:

1. Install dependencies: npm install
2. Build the CLI: npm run build. You must re-run this command whenever you make changes that you want to test locally.
3. Execute commands: Use the ./bin/run script to execute commands using your local build instead of the installed global CLI.

Example: To run the heroku apps command using your local code, run:

./bin/run apps

Use the heroku update command to upgrade your Heroku CLI installation. You can update to a specific release channel (like stable), install a specific version, or use an interactive mode to select which version to install.

# Update to the stable channel
$ heroku update stable

# Update to a specific version
$ heroku update --version 1.0.0

# Interactively select version to install
$ heroku update --interactive

# See available versions
$ heroku update --available