PlanetScale CLI commands: branch
Use the PlanetScale CLI “branch” command to create, delete, diff, and manage branches from your terminal.
Getting Started
Make sure to first set up your PlanetScale developer environment. Once you've installed the pscale CLI, you can interact with PlanetScale and manage your databases straight from the command line.
The branch command
This command allows you to create, delete, diff, and manage branches.
Usage:
pscale branch <SUB-COMMAND> <FLAG>
Available sub-commands
| Sub-command | Sub-command flags | Description |
|---|---|---|
create <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> | --from <SOURCE_BRANCH>, --region <BRANCH_REGION>, --restore <BACKUP_NAME>, --seed-data, --wait | Create a new branch on the specified database |
delete <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> | --force | Delete the specified branch from the a database |
diff <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> | --web | Show the diff of the specified branch against the parent branch. |
keyspaces <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> | Show information for sharded keyspaces. | |
list <DATABASE_NAME> | --web | List all branches of a database |
promote <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> | Promote a database branch to production | |
refresh-schema <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> | Refresh the schema for a database branch | |
safe-migrations enable <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> | Enables safe migrations for a database branch | |
safe-migrations disable <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> | Disables safe migrations for a database branch | |
schema <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> | --web | Show the schema of a branch |
show <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> | --web | Show a specific backup of a branch |
switch <BRANCH_NAME> --database <DATABASE_NAME> | --database <DATABASE_NAME>*, --create, parent-branch <BRANCH_NAME> | Switch to the specified branch |
vschema <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME> | Show the vschema for a sharded keyspace. Empty on non-sharded keyspaces. |
* Flag is required
Sub-command flag descriptions
Some of the sub-commands have additional flags unique to the sub-command. This section covers what each of those does. See the above table for which context.
| Sub-command flag | Description | Applicable sub-commands |
|---|---|---|
--from <SOURCE_BRANCH> | Parent branch that you want to create a new branch off of | create |
--region <BRANCH_REGION> | Region where database should be created | create |
--restore <BACKUP_NAME> | Create a new branch from a specified backup | create |
--seed-data | Create a new branch and seed data using the Data Branching® feature | create |
--web | Perform the action in your web browser | create, diff, list, schema, show |
--wait | Wait until the branch is ready | create |
--database <DATABASE_NAME> | Specify the database name | switch |
--create | Create a new branch if it does not exist | switch |
--parent-branch <BRANCH_NAME> | If a new branch is being created, use this to specify a parent branch. Default is main. | switch |
Available flags
| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
-h, --help | View help for auth command |
--org <ORGANIZATION_NAME> | The organization for the current user |
Global flags
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
--api-token <TOKEN> | The API token to use for authenticating against the PlanetScale API. |
--api-url <URL> | The base URL for the PlanetScale API. Default is https://api.planetscale.com/. |
--config <CONFIG_FILE> | Config file. Default is $HOME/.config/planetscale/pscale.yml. |
--debug | Enable debug mode. |
-f, --format <FORMAT> | Show output in a specific format. Possible values: human (default), json, csv. |
--no-color | Disable color output. |
--service-token <TOKEN> | The service token for authenticating. |
--service-token-id <TOKEN_ID> | The service token ID for authenticating. |
Examples
The list sub-command with --web flag
Command:
pscale branch list <DATABASE_NAME> --web
Output:
Opens the Branches page, <https://app.planetscale.com/org/database/branches>, in browser.
The diff sub-command
Command:
pscale branch diff <DATABASE_NAME> <BRANCH_NAME>
Output:
-- users --
+CREATE TABLE `users` (
+ `id` bigint unsigned NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
+ `name` varchar(255) COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci NOT NULL,
+ PRIMARY KEY (`id`)
+) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
This will return the diff against the parent branch.
Need help?
Get help from the PlanetScale support team, or join our GitHub discussion board to see how others are using PlanetScale.