CLI Overview

The nstypocolors CLI, exposed through the nstc command, lets you print clean, readable, and expressive colored output directly from your terminal.

It is designed to be:

• Minimal
• Fast
• Zero-config
• Script-friendly

The CLI complements the library API and works especially well for automation, tooling, and developer workflows.

What the CLI Is For

The CLI is ideal when you want:

• Better-looking logs without writing code
• Colored output in shell scripts
• Clear build or deploy messages
• Quick terminal experiments
• A consistent visual language across tools

Common use cases include:

• CI pipelines
• Local scripts
• npm lifecycle scripts
• Developer utilities

How It Works

The CLI is a thin wrapper around the core nstypocolors logging functions.

Internally, it:

1. Parses the message
2. Applies the selected color or gradient
3. Outputs styled text using ANSI escape codes

There are no configuration files and no runtime state.

Command Structure

nstc "<message>" <option>

• The message is always required
• The option is optional
• If no option is provided, a default gradient is applied

Example:

nstc "Build completed successfully"

Color vs Gradient

The CLI supports two styling approaches.

Solid Colors

• Predictable and explicit
• Best for warnings, errors, and short messages

Gradients

• More expressive
• Ideal for status messages and highlights
• Designed to stay readable, not noisy

Choose based on context—both are first-class options.

Philosophy

The CLI follows a few simple principles:

• No magic — what you see is exactly what you typed
• No persistence — every command is stateless
• No surprises — styles never change implicitly
• Readable first — aesthetics never sacrifice clarity

When Not to Use It

You may prefer the library API instead if:

• You need structured or conditional logging
• You’re building a long-running application
• You want programmatic control over output

In those cases, import and use the logging functions directly in TypeScript.