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The Orionjs CLI is a command-line tool that helps you develop, build, and run Orionjs applications. Starting with v4.3, it defaults to Bun as the runtime.

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Installation

The CLI is part of the @orion-js/core package. 
bun add -D @orion-js/core

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Available Commands

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orion dev

Runs your Orionjs application in development mode with automatic restart on file changes. 
bunx orion dev [options]
Options:
  • --node: Use Node.js (with tsx watch) instead of Bun
  • --repl: Enable REPL endpoint for orion repl (see below)
  • --shell: Opens a shell in Chrome developer tools
  • --clean: Build the TypeScript project from scratch
What happens under the hood:
RuntimeCommand executed
Bun (default)bun --watch ./app/index.ts
Node (--node)tsx watch ./app/index.ts

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orion prod

Starts an Orionjs application in production mode. 
bunx orion prod [options]
Options:
  • --node: Use Node.js instead of Bun
  • --path [path]: Specify a pre-compiled build directory (Node.js only)
What happens under the hood:
RuntimeCommand executed
Bun (default)bun ./app/index.ts (runs TypeScript directly)
Node (--node)Builds with esbuild, then runs node --import=tsx ./build/index.js

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orion build

Compiles the application using esbuild for Node.js deployment. 
bunx orion build

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orion check

Runs TypeScript type checking without emitting files. 
bunx orion check

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orion info

Shows the available runtimes and the default runtime. 
bunx orion info

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orion repl

Evaluates a TypeScript expression against a running Orionjs dev server. Requires orion dev --repl to be running. 
bunx orion repl -e "<expression>"
Options:
  • -e, --expression <expr>: (Required) The expression to evaluate
  • --port <port>: Port of the dev server (default: auto-detect from .orion/port)
Examples: 
# Start dev server with REPL enabled
bunx orion dev --repl

# In another terminal:
bunx orion repl -e "return 1 + 1"

# Query a service
bunx orion repl -e "const {UserService} = await import('./app/services/UserService'); return await getInstance(UserService).getUserById('abc')"
See the REPL guide for more details.

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orion create

Creates a new Orionjs project from the starter kit. 
bunx orion create

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Environment Variables Integration

Orionjs CLI automatically integrates with @orion-js/env. To use encrypted environment variables, set these two variables: 
ORION_ENV_FILE_PATH=./config/env.yml
ORION_ENV_SECRET_KEY=your-decryption-password
See the Env documentation for details.

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Requirements

  • Bun >= 1.0 (default runtime)
  • Node.js >= 22 (when using --node flag, also requires tsx)
  • TypeScript