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Getting Started with the CLI

This guide provides a quick introduction to using the Strata Cloud Manager CLI.

Installation

Install the CLI using pip:

pip install pan-scm-cli

Or with poetry:

poetry add pan-scm-cli

Authentication

The SCM CLI uses dynaconf to manage authentication credentials. You have the following options for authentication:

⚠️ SECURITY WARNING

Storage of credentials in files poses security risks. Consider these best practices:

  • NEVER commit credential files to version control
  • Use environment variables for production environments
  • Protect local credential files with appropriate file permissions
  • Regularly rotate your credentials

For local development, follow these steps:

  1. Copy the example configuration file to create a local secrets file: 

    cp example-config.yaml .secrets.yaml

  2. Edit the .secrets.yaml file with your actual credentials: 

    default:
  scm_client_id: "your_client_id"
  scm_client_secret: "your_client_secret"
  scm_tsg_id: "your_tenant_service_group_id"

  3. Secure the file with restrictive permissions: 

    # On Linux/macOS
chmod 600 .secrets.yaml

  4. Run the CLI from the same directory where .secrets.yaml is located. Dynaconf will automatically load credentials from this file.

Note: The .secrets.yaml file is excluded from version control in .gitignore to prevent accidental exposure of credentials. For team environments, each developer should maintain their own local configuration and credentials.

Option 2: Environment Variables

For production use or scripting, set environment variables:

# For Linux/macOS
export SCM_CLIENT_ID="your-client-id"
export SCM_CLIENT_SECRET="your-client-secret"
export SCM_TSG_ID="your-tenant-service-group-id"

# For Windows PowerShell
$env:SCM_CLIENT_ID = "your-client-id"
$env:SCM_CLIENT_SECRET = "your-client-secret"
$env:SCM_TSG_ID = "your-tenant-service-group-id"

These environment variables will be automatically detected by dynaconf and used for authentication.

Basic Usage Examples

Here are some examples to help you get started with common CLI operations:

Listing Address Objects

# List all address objects in the Shared folder
scm-cli set objects address --list --folder Shared

Creating an Address Object

# Create a new address object
scm-cli set objects address --folder Shared --name example-server --ip-netmask 192.168.1.100/32 --description "Example server"

Updating an Address Object

# Update an existing address object
scm-cli set objects address --folder Shared --name example-server --ip-netmask 192.168.1.200/32 --description "Updated example server"

Deleting an Address Object

# Delete an address object
scm-cli delete objects address --folder Shared --name example-server

Bulk Operations with YAML

Create a file named addresses.yaml:

addresses:
  - name: web-server-1
    description: "Web server 1"
    ip_netmask: 192.168.1.100/32
    tags:
      - web
      - production

  - name: web-server-2
    description: "Web server 2"
    ip_netmask: 192.168.1.101/32
    tags:
      - web
      - production

Then load these address objects:

scm-cli load objects address --folder Shared --file addresses.yaml

Getting Help

The CLI includes comprehensive help information:

# Show general help
scm-cli --help

# Show help for a specific command
scm-cli set objects address --help

Next Steps