Better API DX with a CLI
summary
Twilio built a usable CLI to improve API DX: it’s written in Node.js/oclif, distributed via npm (and Homebrew), and auto-generates commands from API specs to cover 1056+ endpoints. It stores credentials securely (creates API keys saved to the OS keychain), supports autocomplete, profiles, debugger logs, SendGrid email, and interactive buys for phone numbers. It launches an ngrok tunnel for localhost webhook testing, exposes plugin hooks and community plugins (e.g. token, watch, serverless) and runs in CI/CD pipelines.
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chapters (8)
- 0:00Start
- 1:20Better API DX with a CLI
- 1:51Developer experience
- 2:26We built a CLI
- 6:21Minimum Viable CLI
- 9:40Better built in experience
- 20:36$ twilio plugins
- 22:28Build great CLIS!
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