CLI Overview

The Pentora command-line interface (CLI) provides direct access to all scanning capabilities, workspace management, and server control. The CLI is designed for technical operators performing ad-hoc scans, troubleshooting, and integration into automation workflows.

Philosophy

CLI vs UI Design

Pentora separates technical and non-technical user experiences:

CLI targets:

• Security operators and penetration testers
• DevOps engineers and SREs
• Automation and CI/CD pipelines
• Power users requiring fine-grained control

UI targets:

• Security managers and executives
• Compliance auditors
• Non-technical stakeholders
• Scheduled scan management

The CLI remains fully functional without the server component, while the UI requires the server for centralized operations.

Self-Sufficiency

The CLI never accesses server internals directly. When interacting with a remote Pentora server, the CLI uses the REST/gRPC API just like any external client.

Local Mode (no server):

pentora scan --targets 192.168.1.0/24
# Executes scan locally, writes to local workspace

Remote Mode (with server):

pentora scan --targets 192.168.1.0/24 --server https://pentora.company.com
# Submits scan job to server via API

Command Structure

pentora <command> [subcommand] [flags] [arguments]

Primary Commands

pentora scan

Execute security scans:

pentora scan --targets 192.168.1.0/24

Performs complete scan pipeline or selective phases. Most commonly used command.

See Scan Command Reference for details.

pentora workspace

Manage workspace and scan results:

pentora workspace list              # List all scans
pentora workspace show <scan-id>    # Show scan details
pentora workspace gc                # Garbage collection

See Workspace Commands for details.

pentora server

Control Pentora server daemon:

pentora server start                # Start server
pentora server stop                 # Stop server
pentora server status               # Check server status

See Server Commands for details.

pentora fingerprint

Manage fingerprint catalogs:

pentora fingerprint sync            # Update fingerprint database
pentora fingerprint list            # List available rules

See Fingerprint Commands for details.

pentora version

Display version information:

pentora version

Output:

Pentora version 1.0.0
Build: 20231006-a1b2c3d
Go version: go1.21.3
Platform: linux/amd64

pentora dag

Validate and inspect DAG definitions:

pentora dag validate scan-profile.yaml   # Validate DAG
pentora dag show scan-profile.yaml       # Visualize DAG

Quick Start

Basic Network Scan

pentora scan --targets 192.168.1.0/24

Scan with Vulnerability Detection

pentora scan --targets 192.168.1.100 --vuln

List Scan Results

pentora workspace list

Export Results

pentora workspace export <scan-id> --format json -o report.json

Learn More

📋 Common Workflows

Learn common scanning patterns and use cases

View Workflows

📊 Output Formats

Understand different output formats and verbosity levels

Learn More

⚙️ Configuration

Configure CLI using files, environment variables, and flags

Configure CLI

🔗 Integrations

Integrate with CI/CD, automation tools, and scripts

View Examples

Command Reference

Command	Description
scan	Execute security scans
workspace	Manage scan results and workspace
server	Control Pentora server
fingerprint	Manage fingerprint database