Overview

opcua-cli is the command-line companion to php-opcua/opcua-client. Eleven commands cover the everyday operator tasks against an OPC UA server: browse, read, write, subscribe, manage trust, generate PHP types from NodeSet2.xml.

It is the same OPC UA stack as the library, exposed as a terminal tool. No additional native dependencies — pure PHP, ships either as a Composer dependency, a PHAR, or a static binary.

In one example

$ opcua-cli browse opc.tcp://plc.local:4840

  Objects
  ├── Server
  ├── DeviceSet
  └── Boilers

One line, one round-trip, two readable columns. That is the whole shape — every command takes an endpoint URL, optional flags, and prints either a human-readable table / tree or JSON.

Eleven commands

The first six are runtime tools; the next three are trust-store management; the last two are the code-generation pipeline.

When to reach for it

Use opcua-cli when:

• You're on a PLC commissioning — connect to a fresh server, verify it's reachable, list its endpoints, accept its cert, read a tag.
• You're debugging from the field — SSH into a server, browse the address space, watch a value live.
• You're integrating — generate PHP types from the vendor's NodeSet2.xml so your application code is type-safe.
• You're scripting — every command supports --json for pipelines (opcua-cli endpoints … --json | jq …).

Skip it when:

• You need long-running sessions — use opcua-session-manager.
• You need to embed OPC UA in a service — use opcua-client directly.

What's in the box

vendor/bin/opcua-cli       launcher
src/
├── Application.php        argv → command dispatcher
├── ArgvParser.php         short/long option parsing
├── CommandRunner.php      options → ClientBuilder translator
├── Commands/              11 commands, one file each
├── Output/                Console + JSON output backends
├── Tui/                   ExploreApp (PhpTui-based TUI)
├── NodeSetParser.php      NodeSet2.xml → array
├── NodeSetXmlBuilder.php  array → NodeSet2.xml
├── CodeGenerator.php      PHP class rendering
└── StreamLogger.php       --debug log target

Zero magic. Every command is one PHP class implementing the CommandInterface contract (getName, getDescription, getUsage, requiresConnection, execute).

How the documentation is organised

• Getting started — install, first browse, mental model.
• Commands — one page per command, with examples and flags.
• Connecting — endpoint URLs, security, credentials, trust.
• Output — console vs JSON, debug logging.
• Code generation — generate / dump / consume the typed output.
• Building — package the CLI as PHAR or static binary.
• Reference — global options, exit codes, exceptions.
• Recipes — practical patterns (CI checks, trust rollout, monitoring, inventory).

Ecosystem