CLI Reference

MatchBox CLI

Use matchbox --help with the installed version for the complete, version-specific option list. Common commands include:

CommandPurpose
matchboxStart the interactive REPL.
matchbox app.bxsRun a BoxLang script.
matchbox --build app.bxsCompile a .bxb bytecode file.
matchbox --build --strip-source app.bxsCompile bytecode without embedded source text.
matchbox --target native app.bxsBuild a native executable for the current host.
matchbox --target js app.bxsBuild the JavaScript/WebAssembly module output.
matchbox --target wasm app.bxsBuild raw WebAssembly output.
matchbox --versionPrint version and build information.
matchbox --helpPrint available commands and options.

Target support and option details can change between releases. See the guides for native, JavaScript and WebAssembly, WASI, and ESP32.

The server distribution has additional webroot and application-server options. Start with the web server guide and application server example, then confirm flags with the matching server binary's --help output.

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