install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install swctl

local Homebrew formula metadata

overview

Package summary

Apache SkyWalking CLI (Command-line Interface)

Project links

Commands and aliases

swctl

history

Project history and usage

Apache SkyWalking CLI, installed as swctl, is the command-line companion for Apache SkyWalking. It gives operators a shell-oriented alternative to the SkyWalking browser UI by issuing GraphQL queries against SkyWalking services.

Project history

The Apache SkyWalking project announced SkyWalking CLI 0.1.0 on December 10, 2019. That first release added commands for listing services, instances, endpoints, and querying metrics, including an ASCII graph mode for linear metrics.

Adoption history

The CLI grew as part of the wider SkyWalking observability distribution rather than as an independent general-purpose tool. Official documentation and examples use swctl in operational contexts such as health checks, debugging end-to-end tests, and checking reported Kubernetes events.

How it is used

swctl is commonly used by SkyWalking users and operations teams to query OAP through the same GraphQL protocol used by the UI. The official README documents installation through scripts, release binaries, source builds, and Homebrew on macOS.

Why package nerds care

For package maintainers, swctl is a small but useful example of a project-specific operations CLI: it is packaged separately from the main server stack, has a stable executable name, and lets scripted deployments inspect observability state without bundling a full UI.

Timeline

2019: Apache SkyWalking CLI 0.1.0 released.
2020: Multiple SkyWalking CLI releases followed as the SkyWalking 8 series matured.
2024: SkyWalking 10 release notes mention removal of the CLI from the image, reinforcing the CLI as a separately installed tool.

Related projects

Apache SkyWalking OAP is the backend swctl queries.
Apache SkyWalking UI is the browser interface that swctl complements.
Apache SkyWalking Kubernetes and E2E documentation show swctl used in deployment and test workflows.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: green

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

Risk classifier

green risk · low confidence · appliance

Why

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals

Signals

metadata:no-higher-risk-signals

Install behavior

No Homebrew bottle metadata was recorded.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`swctl`	executable	indexed executable	Discovered from the local executable index.

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-08-03

manager version0.14.0

manager updated2026-07-26

local dataunknown

upstreamnot available

latest detectednot detected

okNo freshness warnings were generated.

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:swctl
Version	0.14.0
Package manager	Homebrew
Homepage	https://skywalking.apache.org/
Repository	https://github.com/apache/skywalking-cli
Last updated	2026-07-26T04:03:48+02:00
Pulse	updated
Bottle	not recorded
Service	none declared

package graph

Links come from deterministic package relationships, av.db category and tag curation, ecosystem matches, and package hub membership.

source trail

Generated from repository data

This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.

Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub.

combined/swctl.yml

Used sources

Geiger risk classifier
cross-ecosystem install command graph
curated package history
pkg.so package database
pkgdb category and tag curation

Install swctl with Homebrew