cockroach

distributed SQL database CLI

TLDR

Start single-node cluster

$ cockroach start-single-node --insecure

Start SQL shell

$ cockroach sql --insecure --host=[localhost]

Execute SQL statement

$ cockroach sql --insecure -e "[SELECT * FROM users]"

Initialize cluster

$ cockroach init --insecure --host=[localhost]

Show node status

$ cockroach node status --insecure

Create database

$ cockroach sql --insecure -e "CREATE DATABASE [mydb]"

Import CSV data into a table

$ cockroach sql --insecure -e "IMPORT INTO [table] CSV DATA ('[file_url]')"

Start a temporary demo cluster

$ cockroach demo

Show cluster settings

$ cockroach sql --insecure -e "SHOW CLUSTER SETTINGS"

cockroach is the command-line interface for CockroachDB, a distributed SQL database designed for cloud-native applications. It provides comprehensive tools for managing multi-node clusters, executing SQL queries, performing backups and restores, and monitoring cluster health and performance.CockroachDB combines the scalability of NoSQL systems with the consistency guarantees and SQL interface of traditional relational databases. The CLI handles cluster initialization, node management, certificate generation for secure deployments, and direct SQL execution either interactively or programmatically.The tool supports both secure production deployments with TLS certificates and insecure development environments. It includes a demo mode for experimentation and testing without requiring persistent storage or cluster setup.

PARAMETERS

--insecure

Disable TLS (development only)

--host=address

Server address

--port=port

Server port (default: 26257)

--certs-dir=path

Certificate directory

--store=path

Data storage location

-e, --execute=sql

Execute SQL statement

--url=url

Connection URL

--log-dir=path

Directory for log files

--listen-addr=address

Address and port to listen on (default: localhost:26257)

COMMANDS

start

Start a CockroachDB node

start-single-node

Start single-node cluster

init

Initialize multi-node cluster

sql

Open SQL shell or execute statements

node

Manage cluster nodes

quit

Drain and shut down node

cert

Create CA, node, and client certificates

debug

Debugging commands for inspecting cluster state

workload

Generators for data and query loads (e.g., benchmarks)

nodelocal upload

Upload a file to a node's local file system

version

Show version

demo

Start temporary demo cluster

ENVIRONMENT

Flags can be set via environment variables: COCKROACHHOST, COCKROACHPORT, COCKROACHUSER, COCKROACHINSECURE

CAVEATS

Use --insecure only for development. Production requires TLS certificates. Compatible with PostgreSQL wire protocol.