The CLI

dbtest exposes the harness operations that are useful outside a test run: start a container with a schema applied, and inspect the result.

Install

dotnet tool install --global DbTest.Cli

The CLI rolls forward, so it runs on whichever of .NET 8 or newer is installed. It needs Docker running, like the library.

Commands

dbtest engines                                         # list the registered engines
dbtest up --engine postgres --schema Schema/postgres   # start, apply, keep running until Ctrl+C
dbtest schema --engine mysql --schema Schema/mysql     # apply a schema and list what it created

dbtest engines

Lists the registered engines: mssql, postgres and mysql.

dbtest up

Starts a container, applies the schema, prints the connection string, and keeps the container running until you press Ctrl+C. A container that disappeared as soon as its connection string was printed would be of no use.

--engine is required. --schema is optional: without it no schema is applied.

Ctrl+C stops the command and removes the container. The exit code is 0.

dbtest schema

Loads the schema directory, prints the scripts that will be applied and any excluded files, then starts a container, applies the schema, lists the objects it created, and removes the container.

Both --engine and --schema are required.

Example output shape:

2 script(s) will be applied:
  001_tables.sql
  002_procedures.sql
2 object(s) created:
  Table   public.customers (3 column(s))
  ...

Options

Option	Meaning
--engine <name>	mssql, postgres or mysql.
--schema <dir>	Directory holding the schema files.
--image <image>	Override the container image.
--database <name>	Database name inside the container. Default: dbtest.
--username <name>	Login inside the container. Default: the engine’s own.
--password <pass>	Password inside the container. Default: the engine’s own.

-h and --help print the usage text.

Every option takes a value. Parsing is strict: an unknown option such as --shema, or an option missing its value, is an error instead of being silently ignored.

Note

The CLI applies a directory of SQL files. It does not deploy a .dacpac.

Exit codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success. This includes Ctrl+C on a running dbtest up, once its container is up.
1	A failure such as Docker not running, a broken schema or a bad image. Reported as one error: line, not a stack trace. dbtest with no arguments also exits 1: it prints the usage text to standard error, with no error: line.
2	Usage error: unknown command or option, a missing value or a missing required option. The usage text follows the message.
130	Cancelled with Ctrl+C before the command finished: while dbtest up is still starting the container or applying the schema, or while dbtest schema runs. The message is Cancelled..