CLI Intro

When you install Appium globally via npm, an executable shell script named appium is placed in your global Node bin folder, often also symlinked to places like /usr/local/bin. If your PATH is set up to look for programs in appropriate directory, then you will be able to run appium from the command line of your terminal, like any other executable. The appium program has three main subcommands, each of which has its own set of documentation:

  1. The server subcommand starts an Appium server listening for new session requests, and takes a variety of parameters related to the operation of the server and also those consumed by active drivers or plugins.
  2. The Extension (driver and plugin) subcommands assist in managing Appium drivers and plugins.