rclib - Rust CLI Builder Library

A powerful Rust library for building command-line interfaces for REST APIs using declarative YAML configuration combined with custom imperative handlers.

What is rclib?

rclib (Rust CLI Library) transforms YAML mapping files and OpenAPI specifications into fully functional CLI applications. It bridges the gap between declarative API definitions and interactive command-line tools, allowing developers to quickly create sophisticated CLIs without writing boilerplate argument parsing and HTTP request code.

Project Structure

This repository contains:

• rclib/ - The core library crate that provides CLI building functionality
• dummyjson-cli/ - Example CLI application for DummyJSON API (demonstrates different feature combinations)

Key Concepts

Architecture Overview

OpenAPI Spec ──┐
               ├── rclib ──> CLI Binary ──> REST API Server
mapping.yaml ──┘

• OpenAPI Spec: Provides API schema, base URLs, and endpoint definitions
• mapping.yaml: Defines CLI command structure, arguments, and API mappings
• rclib: Core library handling HTTP requests, argument processing, and command orchestration
• CLI Binary: Your application built with rclib

Core Features

• Declarative Command Structure: Define commands in YAML, not Rust code
• Three Command Types: Single API calls, multi-step scenarios, and custom handlers
• Advanced Argument Handling: Inheritance, overrides, boolean flags, file content replacement
• Rich Output Formatting: Table views with column selection and data transformation
• Performance Testing: Built-in load testing with concurrency and statistics
• Template Substitution: Variable replacement in URLs, headers, and request bodies

Quick Start

See the example applications:

• dummyjson-cli/README.md - E-commerce mock API CLI with products, users, and analytics

For detailed library documentation, see rclib/README.md.

Use Cases

• API Testing Tools: Quickly build CLIs for testing REST APIs
• DevOps Automation: Create command-line interfaces for internal services
• Microservice Management: Build unified CLIs for distributed systems
• Mock API Clients: Rapid prototyping of API client interfaces
• Performance Testing: Load testing with built-in concurrency and reporting