Command-line Interface · The Julia Language

# Command-line Interface

## Using arguments inside scripts

When running a script using `julia`, you can pass additional arguments to your script:

    $ julia script.jl arg1 arg2...

These additional command-line arguments are passed in the global constant `ARGS`. The name of the script itself is passed in as the global `PROGRAM_FILE`. Note that `ARGS` is also set when a Julia expression is given using the `-e` option on the command line (see the `julia` help output below) but `PROGRAM_FILE` will be empty. For example, to just print the arguments given to a script, you could do this:

    $ julia -e 'println(PROGRAM_FILE); for x in ARGS; println(x); end' foo bar

    foo
    bar

Or you could put that code into a script and run it:

    $ echo 'println(PROGRAM_FILE); for x in ARGS; println(x); end' > script.jl
    $ julia script.jl foo bar
    script.jl
    foo
    bar

The `--` delimiter can be used to separate command-line arguments intended for the script file from arguments intended for Julia:

    $ julia --color=yes -O -- script.jl arg1 arg2..

See also Scripting for more information on writing Julia scripts.

## Parallel mode

Julia can be started in parallel mode with either the `-p` or the `--machine-file` options. `-p n` will launch an additional `n` worker processes, while `--machine-file file` will launch a worker for each line in file `file`. The machines defined in `file` must be accessible via a password-less `ssh` login, with Julia installed at the same location as the current host. Each machine definition takes the form `[count*][user@]host[:port] [bind_addr[:port]]`. `user` defaults to current user, `port` to the standard ssh port. `count` is the number of workers to spawn on the node, and defaults to 1. The optional `bind-to bind_addr[:port]` specifies the IP address and port that other workers should use to connect to this worker.

## Startup file

If you have code that you want executed whenever Julia is run, you can put it in `~/.julia/config/startup.jl`:

    $ echo 'println("Greetings! 你好! 안녕하세요?")' > ~/.julia/config/startup.jl
    $ julia
    Greetings! 你好! 안녕하세요?

    ...

Note that although you should have a `~/.julia` directory once you've run Julia for the first time, you may need to create the `~/.julia/config` folder and the `~/.julia/config/startup.jl` file if you use it.

To have startup code run only in The Julia REPL, use `atreplinit` in `startup.jl`:

    atreplinit() do repl
        # ...
    end

## Command-line switches for Julia

There are various ways to run Julia code and provide options, similar to those available for the `perl` and `ruby` programs:

    julia [switches] -- [programfile] [args...]

The following is a complete list of command-line switches available when launching julia (a '*' marks the default value, if applicable; settings marked '($)' may trigger package precompilation):

Switch | Description
--- | ---
`-v`, `--version` | Display version information
`-h`, `--help` | Print command-line options (this message).
`--help-hidden` | Uncommon options not shown by `-h`
`--project[={<dir>|@.}]` | Set `<dir>` as the home project/environment. The default `@.` option will search through parent directories until a `Project.toml` or `JuliaProject.toml` file is found.
`-J`, `--sysimage <file>` | Start up with the given system image file
`-H`, `--home <dir>` | Set location of `julia` executable
`--startup-file={yes*|no}` | Load `JULIA_DEPOT_PATH/config/startup.jl`; if `JULIA_DEPOT_PATH` environment variable is unset, load `~/.julia/config/startup.jl`
`--handle-signals={yes*|no}` | Enable or disable Julia's default signal handlers
`--sysimage-native-code={yes*|no}` | Use native code from system image if available
`--compiled-modules={yes*|no}` | Enable or disable incremental precompilation of modules
`--pkgimages={yes*|no}` | Enable or disable usage of native code caching in the form of pkgimages
`-e`, `--eval <expr>` | Evaluate `<expr>`
`-E`, `--print <expr>` | Evaluate `<expr>` and display the result
`-L`, `--load <file>` | Load `<file>` immediately on all processors
`-t`, `--threads {N|auto`} | Enable N threads; `auto` tries to infer a useful default number of threads to use but the exact behavior might change in the future. Currently, `auto` uses the number of CPUs assigned to this julia process based on the OS-specific affinity assignment interface, if supported (Linux and Windows). If this is not supported (macOS) or process affinity is not configured, it uses the number of CPU threads.
`-p`, `--procs {N|auto`} | Integer value N launches N additional local worker processes; `auto` launches as many workers as the number of local CPU threads (logical cores)
`--machine-file <file>` | Run processes on hosts listed in `<file>`
`-i` | Interactive mode; REPL runs and `isinteractive()` is true
`-q`, `--quiet` | Quiet startup: no banner, suppress REPL warnings
`--banner={yes|no|auto*}` | Enable or disable startup banner
`--color={yes|no|auto*}` | Enable or disable color text
`--history-file={yes*|no}` | Load or save history
`--depwarn={yes|no*|error}` | Enable or disable syntax and method deprecation warnings (`error` turns warnings into errors)
`--warn-overwrite={yes|no*}` | Enable or disable method overwrite warnings
`--warn-scope={yes*|no}` | Enable or disable warning for ambiguous top-level scope
`-C`, `--cpu-target <target>` | Limit usage of CPU features up to `<target>`; set to `help` to see the available options
`-O`, `--optimize={0,1,2*,3}` | Set the optimization level (level is 3 if `-O` is used without a level) ($)
`--min-optlevel={0*,1,2,3}` | Set the lower bound on per-module optimization
`-g`, `--debug-info={0,1*,2}` | Set the level of debug info generation (level is 2 if `-g` is used without a level) ($)
`--inline={yes|no}` | Control whether inlining is permitted, including overriding `@inline` declarations
`--check-bounds={yes|no|auto*}` | Emit bounds checks always, never, or respect `@inbounds` declarations ($)
`--math-mode={ieee,fast}` | Disallow or enable unsafe floating point optimizations (overrides `@fastmath` declaration)
`--code-coverage[={none*|user|all}]` | Count executions of source lines (omitting setting is equivalent to `user`)
`--code-coverage=@<path>` | Count executions but only in files that fall under the given file path/directory. The `@` prefix is required to select this option. A `@` with no path will track the current directory.
`--code-coverage=tracefile.info` | Append coverage information to the LCOV tracefile (filename supports format tokens).
`--track-allocation[={none*|user|all}]` | Count bytes allocated by each source line (omitting setting is equivalent to "user")
`--track-allocation=@<path>` | Count bytes but only in files that fall under the given file path/directory. The `@` prefix is required to select this option. A `@` with no path will track the current directory.
`--bug-report=KIND` | Launch a bug report session. It can be used to start a REPL, run a script, or evaluate expressions. It first tries to use BugReporting.jl installed in current environment and falls back to the latest compatible BugReporting.jl if not. For more information, see `--bug-report=help`.
`--compile={yes*|no|all|min}` | Enable or disable JIT compiler, or request exhaustive or minimal compilation
`--output-o <name>` | Generate an object file (including system image data)
`--output-ji <name>` | Generate a system image data file (.ji)
`--strip-metadata` | Remove docstrings and source location info from system image
`--strip-ir` | Remove IR (intermediate representation) of compiled functions
`--output-unopt-bc <name>` | Generate unoptimized LLVM bitcode (.bc)
`--output-bc <name>` | Generate LLVM bitcode (.bc)
`--output-asm <name>` | Generate an assembly file (.s)
`--output-incremental={yes|no*}` | Generate an incremental output file (rather than complete)
`--trace-compile={stderr,name}` | Print precompile statements for methods compiled during execution or save to a path
`--image-codegen` | Force generate code in imaging mode

Julia 1.1

In Julia 1.0, the default `--project=@.` option did not search up from the root directory of a Git repository for the `Project.toml` file. From Julia 1.1 forward, it does.

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This document was generated with Documenter.jl version 0.27.23 on Tuesday 14 November 2023. Using Julia version 1.9.4.