pasteCTL CLI

A command-line interface for pasteCTL, allowing developers to create, retrieve, and manage code snippets directly from the terminal.

Overview

pasteCTL CLI is a terminal-based client for the pasteCTL platform. It provides a fast and efficient way to share code snippets without leaving your development environment. The CLI integrates with your system's default editor, supports automatic language detection from file extensions, and displays fetched pastes with syntax highlighting in your terminal.

Demo

Click the thumbnail above to watch the demo on YouTube.

Features

• Create Pastes — from files or directly in your editor
• Syntax Highlighted Output — fetched pastes are displayed with monokai-themed ANSI colors
• Automatic Language Detection — detects language from file extensions
• Custom Expiry Times — set paste expiration: 1h (default), 24h, 7d, or never
• Retrieve Pastes — formatted output with metadata or raw text for piping
• Update Pastes — edit existing pastes in your preferred editor
• Configuration Management — store API endpoint and frontend URL locally
• Cross-Platform — works on Linux, macOS, and Windows

Installation

Go Install

If you have Go installed:

go install github.com/Sumedhvats/pasteCTL@latest

Make sure your $GOPATH/bin is in your PATH.

Pre-built Binaries

Download the appropriate binary for your platform from the Releases page.

Linux

wget https://github.com/Sumedhvats/pasteCTL/releases/latest/download/pasteCTL_linux_amd64.tar.gz
tar -xvf pasteCTL_linux_amd64.tar.gz
sudo mv pasteCTL /usr/local/bin/
pasteCTL --version

macOS

wget https://github.com/Sumedhvats/pasteCTL/releases/latest/download/pasteCTL_darwin_amd64.tar.gz
tar -xvf pasteCTL_darwin_amd64.tar.gz
sudo mv pasteCTL /usr/local/bin/
pasteCTL --version

Windows

1. Download pasteCTL_windows_amd64.zip from the Releases page
2. Extract the archive
3. Move pasteCTL.exe to a directory in your PATH

pasteCTL.exe --version

Usage

Create a Paste

From your editor (opens $EDITOR, defaults to vim / notepad):

pasteCTL create

From a file (language is auto-detected from the extension):

pasteCTL create --file main.go

With custom options:

pasteCTL create --file script.py --language python --expire 24h

Flag	Short	Default	Description
--file	-f	—	Path to file
--language	-l	auto-detect	Override language detection
--expire	-e	1h	Expiry: 1h, 24h, 7d, or never

Retrieve a Paste

With syntax highlighting and metadata:

pasteCTL get <paste-id>

Example output:

--- Paste Details ---
ID:       abc123
Language: go
Created:  2025-10-03 10:21:05
--- Content ---
package main              ← (highlighted in terminal)

import "fmt"

func main() {
    fmt.Println("Hello, World!")
}

Raw content (for piping or saving to a file):

pasteCTL get abc123 --raw > downloaded.go

Without colors (plain text with metadata):

pasteCTL get abc123 --no-color

Flag	Default	Description
--raw	false	Output raw content only
--no-color	false	Disable syntax highlighting

Update a Paste

Edit an existing paste in your editor:

pasteCTL update <paste-id>

The CLI will:

1. Fetch the current paste content
2. Open it in your editor
3. Update the paste with your changes

Supported Languages

The CLI automatically detects the following languages from file extensions:

Extensions	Language
.js .jsx .ts .tsx .mjs .cjs	JavaScript
.py .pyw	Python
.java	Java
.cpp .cc .cxx .hpp .hxx .h	C++
.c	C
.go	Go
.sql	SQL
.txt .md .json	Plain Text

For other file types, use the --language flag: pasteCTL create -f query.txt -l sql

Configuration

pasteCTL CLI stores configuration in ~/.config/pasteCTL/config.yaml.

Setup

# Set the backend API URL
pasteCTL config set backend_url https://api.paste.sumedh.app

# Set the frontend URL (used for generating shareable links)
pasteCTL config set frontend_url https://paste.sumedh.app/paste

Defaults

The CLI comes with sensible defaults that work out of the box:

Key	Default Value
backend_url	https://api.paste.sumedh.app
frontend_url	https://paste.sumedh.app/paste

Editor Configuration

pasteCTL respects your system's $EDITOR environment variable. To set your preferred editor:

Linux / macOS — add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

export EDITOR=nano  # or vim, emacs, code --wait

Windows (PowerShell):

$env:EDITOR = "notepad"

Examples

Quick Code Sharing

# Create from file
pasteCTL create --file main.go --expire 24h

# Output:
# Creating paste...
# Paste created successfully!
# Link: https://paste.sumedh.app/paste/abc123

Download a Paste

pasteCTL get abc123 --raw > downloaded.go

Self-Hosted Instance

pasteCTL config set backend_url http://localhost:8080
pasteCTL config set frontend_url http://localhost:3000/paste
pasteCTL create --file script.sh

API Endpoints

The CLI communicates with the pasteCTL backend via REST API:

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/pastes	Create a paste
GET	/api/pastes/:id	Get paste with metadata
GET	/api/pastes/:id/raw	Get raw paste content
PUT	/api/pastes/:id	Update a paste

Project Structure

pasteCTL/
├── cmd/
│   ├── root.go           # Root command setup
│   ├── create.go         # Create paste command
│   ├── get.go            # Retrieve paste command
│   ├── update.go         # Update paste command
│   ├── config.go         # Configuration management
│   └── version.go        # Version command
├── internal/
│   ├── api/              # HTTP API client
│   ├── config/           # Viper config handling
│   ├── editor/           # System editor integration
│   └── highlight/        # Syntax highlighting (chroma)
├── main.go
└── go.mod

Dependencies

Dependency	Purpose
cobra	CLI framework
viper	Configuration management
chroma	Syntax highlighting

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/Sumedhvats/pasteCTL.git
cd pasteCTL
go build -o pasteCTL .

Install directly:

go install

Troubleshooting

Backend URL not set:

backend_url is not set. Please use 'pasteCTL config set backend_url <url>'

Fix: pasteCTL config set backend_url https://api.paste.sumedh.app

Editor not opening: Set the EDITOR environment variable: export EDITOR=vim

Permission denied (Linux/macOS):

chmod +x pasteCTL

Related Projects

• pasteCTL Web — Full-stack web application with Next.js frontend and Go backend
• paste.sumedh.app — Live instance

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, visit the GitHub Issues page.

Made with love by Sumedh