# CLI reference
<a name="cli-reference"></a>

 AWS Blocks uses standard npm scripts for all development and deployment workflows. After scaffolding a project, all commands run from your project root.

For more information about CLI commands and options, see [AWS Blocks CLI documentation on GitHub](https://github.com/aws-devtools-labs/aws-blocks).

## Create a project
<a name="cli-create"></a>

```
npm create -blocks/blocks-app@latest <project-name> [-- --template <template>]
```

Scaffolds a new AWS Blocks project.


| Option | Description | 
| --- | --- | 
|  `--template default`  | Minimal starter with a single API endpoint (default) | 
|  `--template demo`  | Todo app with auth, KVStore, DistributedTable, and CRUD operations | 

## Local development
<a name="cli-dev"></a>

```
npm run dev
```

Starts the full-stack development server with hot reload. Blocks use local in-memory and filesystem storage. No AWS account required.
+ Frontend: `http://localhost:3000` 
+ Backend API: `http://localhost:3001` 

## Sandbox deployment
<a name="cli-sandbox"></a>

```
npm run sandbox
```

Deploys a fast, ephemeral backend to AWS using Lambda hot-swapping. Uses real AWS services for testing. Each developer gets an isolated sandbox.

```
npm run sandbox:destroy
```

Tears down all sandbox resources.

## Production deployment
<a name="cli-deploy"></a>

```
npm run deploy
```

Deploys the full application to AWS via CDK (CloudFormation). Use for staging and production environments.

```
npm run destroy
```

Tears down all deployed resources.

## Related resources
<a name="cli-further-reading"></a>

For more information about advanced CLI options, environment variables, and CI/CD configuration, see [AWS Blocks CLI reference on GitHub](https://github.com/aws-devtools-labs/aws-blocks).