> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://datum-4926dda5-docs-api-reference-demo.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# datumctl

> High level overview of the Datum Cloud CLI.

`datumctl` is the command-line tool for working with Datum Cloud. It exposes a consistent resource model — the same `get`, `apply`, `describe`, and `delete` verbs across every resource type — so both developers and AI agents get a fast, predictable way to interact with Datum.

<Info>
  Ready to play? Download and install via [our downloads page](https://www.datum.net/download/datumctl/), or follow the [Quickstart](/datumctl/quickstart) to go from install to your first command in a few minutes.
</Info>

## Find your way around

This section teaches you how to use `datumctl`; run `datumctl --help` (or `datumctl <command> --help`) for the full list of commands and flags. New here? The [Quickstart](/datumctl/quickstart) takes you from install to your first command.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key" href="/datumctl/auth/logging-in">
    Sign in, use service accounts for automation, and manage sessions and tokens.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Working with resources" icon="cube" href="/datumctl/resources/reading">
    Read, change, and safely preview changes to Datum Cloud resources.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Contexts & scoping" icon="compass" href="/datumctl/contexts-and-scoping">
    Control which organization and project your commands act on.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Activity & audit" icon="clock-rotate-left" href="/datumctl/activity/overview">
    Investigate who changed what, review events, and follow the activity feed.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Interactive console" icon="terminal" href="/datumctl/console">
    Browse and monitor resources in a full-screen terminal UI.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AI & MCP" icon="robot" href="/datumctl/ai/assistant">
    Ask about your resources in natural language, or connect AI clients over MCP.
  </Card>

  <Card title="CI/CD" icon="gears" href="/datumctl/cicd/github-actions">
    Install and authenticate `datumctl` in GitHub Actions and other pipelines.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Plugins" icon="puzzle-piece" href="/datumctl/plugins/using-plugins">
    Extend the CLI with additional commands from plugin catalogs.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

Also useful: [Output formats & scripting](/datumctl/output-and-scripting), [Discovering resources & schemas](/datumctl/discovering-resources), and — for existing Kubernetes users — the Kubernetes interop section, which covers [using datumctl with kubectl](/datumctl/kubectl-interop), [Kubernetes tools](/datumctl/kubernetes-tools) like Helm and k9s, and [GitOps with Flux & Argo CD](/datumctl/gitops).

## How it works

At a high level, `datumctl` does three things:

1. **Authenticates you** - Opens a browser login, stores credentials securely, and refreshes tokens automatically.
2. **Talks to the Datum API** - Sends requests to create, read, update, and delete resources with authentication handled behind the scenes.
3. **Formats output** - Displays results as tables by default (supports JSON and YAML).