chainctl Usage on

How to Install chainctl

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 15:56:52 -0700

Chainguard’s chainctl command-line interface provides essential tools for managing your container security infrastructure, including image management, identity and access control, and resource monitoring. This CLI enables automation of Chainguard operations and integration with CI/CD pipelines.

The tool uses the familiar <context> <noun> <verb> style of CLI interactions. For example, to retrieve a list of all the private Chainguard Containers available to your organization, you can run chainctl images list.

Before we begin, let’s move into a temporary directory that we can work in. Be sure you have curl installed, which you can achieve through visiting the curl download docs for your relevant operating system.

Compare chainctl usage with the Chainguard Console

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:07:52 +0200

Chainguard provides two powerful interfaces for managing container security resources: the web-based Console for visual exploration and the chainctl CLI for automation and scripting. Understanding when to use each tool maximizes your efficiency in managing Chainguard’s security-hardened containers and access controls.

Prerequisites

To access the Chainguard Console you need to create an account and sign in. The Console is accessible to everyone, including users who aren’t Chainguard customers.

Manage Your chainctl Configuration

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 05:56:52 -0700

Chainguard’s chainctl configuration management enables you to customize CLI behavior, set default organizations, configure output formats, and optimize your workflow for managing container security resources. Proper configuration ensures efficient interaction with Chainguard’s platform across different environments and use cases.

chainctl config CLI

chainctl has a local configuration you can manage. To get a list of all options available, you can run:

Find and Update Your chainctl Release Version

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 08:49:15 +0000

Chainguard regularly releases updates to chainctl with new security features, performance improvements, and expanded capabilities for container management. This guide explains how to check your current version and update to the latest release.

For a full reference of all commands with details and switches, see chainctl Reference.

View your chainctl version

To see which chainctl version you have installed, use:

How To Compare Chainguard Containers with chainctl

Wed, 30 Aug 2023 11:07:52 +0200

Chainguard’s chainctl images diff command provides detailed comparisons between container image versions, enabling you to track security improvements, package updates, and vulnerability changes across builds. This powerful feature helps you understand exactly what changes between image versions, whether comparing daily builds, analyzing CVE remediation, or evaluating custom image updates.

The chainctl diff functionality supports informed deployment decisions by revealing package-level differences, security posture changes, and build variations between any two Chainguard container images.

Create, View, and Delete chainctl Events

Tue, 06 May 2025 08:49:15 +0000

Chainguard’s chainctl events commands provide programmatic access to security event streams using the CloudEvents specification. These commands enable you to monitor container activities, security alerts, and supply chain events across your organization for enhanced observability and compliance.

Chainguard Academy has several deeper guides on Chainguard CloudEvents. You may find our guide on Subscribing to Chainguard CloudEvents to be particularly useful for understanding how to work with events from Chainguard while Chainguard Events provides a deeper dive into the content and make up of events.

Manage Identity and Access with chainctl

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 08:49:15 +0000

Chainguard’s identity and access management (IAM) system provides fine-grained control over container registries, security resources, and organizational permissions. The chainctl iam commands enable you to manage users, roles, identities, and access policies programmatically for enhanced security and compliance.

For the following, assume that returned information only includes that which your account has permissions to view. Also, actions such as create and delete are similarly limited.

This page is intended as an introductory overview of IAM with chainctl. For a full reference of all commands with details and switches, see chainctl Reference.

Manage Chainguard Container Images with chainctl

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 08:49:15 +0000

Chainguard’s chainctl images commands provide comprehensive tools for managing security-hardened container images in your organization’s registry. These commands enable you to discover available images, analyze version histories, examine security metadata, and compare different image versions to make informed deployment decisions.

For a full reference of all commands with details and switches, see chainctl Reference.

List Available Chainguard Container Images

When you want to know which Chainguard Containers are available to your account, use the following command: