{ Abhilash Kumar Bhattaram : Follow on LinkedIn }
Legacy’s Grace, Modern’s Pace — Together They Win the Race
For decades, Oracle DBAs have thrived in the command line. We've whispered arcane incantations into sqlplus, summoned backups with RMAN, and tamed complex clusters with srvctl. We know our tools, we trust our scripts, and above all—we speak fluent terminal.
But in this new era of cloud, the command line hasn't disappeared. It's just evolved.
Enter the OCI CLI—Oracle’s official Command Line Interface for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure. To the uninitiated, it might seem like just another cloud tool. To us? It's sqlplus for infrastructure.
From Shell Scripts to Cloud Automation
Let’s face it: every good DBA has a secret stash of shell scripts tucked away somewhere—scripts that back up databases, rotate logs, clone environments, and perform tasks faster than any GUI ever could.
The OCI CLI simply extends this power into the cloud. It gives you direct, scriptable access to OCI resources—from Compute and Networking to Storage, IAM, and beyond. And the best part? It feels familiar. It feels like home.
Installation: Oracle-Style Simplicity
Installation is as straightforward as running:
bash -c "$(curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/oracle/oci-cli/master/scripts/install/install.sh)"
Once it’s set up, you configure it with:
oci setup config
The CLI then connects with your OCI tenancy using API keys—secure, isolated, and enterprise-ready. Just like configuring tnsnames.ora once upon a time, this becomes your passport to a whole new realm of automation.
Infrastructure as Code? Start at the Command Line.
There’s a lot of talk today about Terraform, Ansible, and infrastructure-as-code. And those are fantastic tools. But guess what underpins most of those deployments ? Its OCI CLI
In many ways, it’s the fastest path from idea to deployment. Testing a new VCN? Spinning up a dev environment? Need to move 50 GB of log files into an Object Storage bucket at 2 AM? The CLI gives you immediate control—no console, no mouse, just pure automation.
Real Power, Real Use Cases
Imagine this scenario: you're managing a cloud-based disaster recovery setup, and you need to replicate boot volumes nightly.
Easy:
oci compute boot-volume-backup create --boot-volume-id <ocid> --display-name "DR-Backup-$(date +%F)"
Or maybe your API is dumping JSON logs into a bucket and you need to purge files older than 7 days. One script with oci os object list and a loop, and you're done.
For those who love the art of scripting, OCI CLI is a playground.
Why It Matters
It’s not just about convenience. It’s about reliability, auditability, and repeatability—core values for any Oracle enterprise deployment.
In regulated environments, the ability to trace every cloud action via OCI Audit Logs is non-negotiable. When CLI commands are executed, they’re logged, timestamped, and attributed. This isn't a casual tool—it’s production-grade.
Security? The CLI integrates with OCI Vault, dynamic groups, and identity policies, ensuring your scripts follow principle-of-least-privilege without compromising agility.
The Cloud DBA Is Here
In many ways, the rise of OCI CLI reflects the evolution of our role. The traditional DBA is becoming a Cloud Architect, a DevOps collaborator, a DataOps enabler. And the CLI is our gateway to this transformation.
Much like srvctl gave us control over clustered databases, OCI CLI gives us control over the cloud stack—compute, storage, networking, identity. It's not about giving up the terminal—it's about leveling it up.
Final Word
Oracle has always been a command-line powerhouse. With OCI CLI, that legacy continues—now extended to the entire infrastructure layer.
So if you’re stepping into Oracle Cloud, don’t just rely on the console. Embrace the CLI. Script it. Automate it. Master it.
Because when it comes to commanding the cloud, the real power still lives in the terminal.
Top comments (0)