Get Started with the SAP BTP Command Line Interface (btp CLI)

Now type in the following to show a list of all available commands and options:

btp --help

Now let’s log in. At login, you need to connect to the btp CLI server URL and you need to enter the global account subdomain.

You have two options for login:

For login on the command-line, enter:

btp login

For login with single sign-on through a browser, enter:

btp login --sso

The server URL (https://cpcli.cf.eu10.hana.ondemand.com) is proposed at login, and you can just accept it with ENTER:

The global account subdomain can be found in the cockpit:

Once you’re logged into your global account, it should look like this:

If you get an error about your btp CLI client being “too new” and not supported by the server, please return to Step 4 of this tutorial and download an earlier version of the CLI, to either match the server version stated, or one version below. For example, if the server version is stated as 2.9.0 and you have version 2.10.0 of the btp CLI, you can download version 2.8.0 of the btp CLI and then continue with this tutorial. This issue may contain further information that you might find useful.

Additionally, options and parameters can be added to a command. As you’ve seen in the overview of all commands, there are the following options that you can add at the beginning of each command. For example, to get help on a specific command or to use the verbose mode.

btp --help list accounts/subaccount

btp --verbose list accounts/subaccount

The --help option can also be placed at the end of a command, for example btp list accounts/subaccount --help.

Parameters are added to the end, after the group/object combination. A command can have one positional parameter as the first one, followed by other optional or mandatory parameters. The positional parameter is used without a key, all others have a key. The command help specifies the optionality of all parameters and describes what you can or have to add.

For example:

btp assign security/role-collection "Global Account Administrator" --to-user example@mail.com --of-idp my-idp

“Global Account Administrator” is the positional parameter, and the other two parameters have keys (--to-user and --of-idp).

Your first login takes you into the global account whose subdomain you’ve entered at login. Now, all commands are executed on global account level, unless you specify a different context. Remember you can manage the global account and its directories and subaccounts with the btp CLI. So if you want to change the context in which commands are executed to a directory or a subaccount, you can do so using the target command:

btp target --subaccount <subaccount ID>

OR

btp target --directory <directory ID>

The targeting mechanism works according to the hierarchy of entities in the global account:

• After initial login, the global account is targeted.

• If a subaccount or directory is targeted and you run a command that only works on a higher level, the command will be executed in the parent directory or global account of the current target. For example, create accounts/subaccount creates a subaccount in the global account, even if a subaccount or directory is targeted.

• If a subaccount or directory is targeted, you can execute commands in its parent directory or global account by adding parameters -dir or -ga without a value. For example, if a subaccount is targeted, btp list security/user lists the users of that subaccount. To list the users of the parent directory or global account, use: btp list security/user -dir or btp list security/user -ga.

To find out your current target, use btp --info.

To set the target back to the global account, use btp target -ga.

We recommend to enable command autocompletion so you won’t have to remember or keep looking up individual commands. Command autocompletion saves you keystrokes when entering command actions, group-object combinations, and their parameters. Autocompletion is supported for Bash, PowerShell, and Zsh.

btp enable autocomplete <shell>

Enter a partial command action, group-object combination, or parameter, and then press the Tab key. The command line either automatically completes your command or, when there’s more than one option available, it displays a list of suggested command actions/options/parameters. When a suggestion list is displayed, use the Tab or arrow keys to move through the list and press Enter to make a selection.

When you enable command autocompletion, a script containing all the autocomplete commands is downloaded and installed in your file system. Additionally, the RC file of your shell is modified so the script is called at startup.

The autocompletion option remains enabled in future sessions in your current client, until you disable it. To disable command autocompletion and uninstall the autocomplete script, run disable autocomplete <shell>.