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PVR CLI

Overview​

The pvr command-line tool is your primary interface for managing Pantavisor repositories and devices. It enables repository management, application deployment, device interaction, and system configuration.

Installation​

Quick Install (Linux/macOS)​

The fastest and easiest way to install the Pantavisor CLI (PVR) is via the official install script. It automatically detects your OS and architecture:

# Install Pantavisor CLI (PVR)
curl -sL https://gitlab.com/pantacor/pvr/-/raw/master/install.sh | bash

Quick Install (Windows)​

For Windows users using PowerShell:

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://gitlab.com/pantacor/pvr/-/raw/master/install.ps1 -OutFile install.ps1; .\install.ps1

Advanced Install Script Usage​

You can customize the installation using environment variables:

# Install a specific version
PVR_VERSION=046 bash <(curl -sL https://gitlab.com/pantacor/pvr/-/raw/master/install.sh)

# Install from the develop channel (latest unstable features)
PVR_CHANNEL=develop bash <(curl -sL https://gitlab.com/pantacor/pvr/-/raw/master/install.sh)

# Install to a custom directory
PVR_INSTALL_DIR=/usr/local/bin bash <(curl -sL https://gitlab.com/pantacor/pvr/-/raw/master/install.sh)

Windows PowerShell equivalents:

# Specific version
$env:PVR_VERSION="046"; .\install.ps1

# Develop channel
$env:PVR_CHANNEL="develop"; .\install.ps1

# Custom directory
$env:PVR_INSTALL_DIR="C:\tools\pvr"; .\install.ps1

Pre-built Binaries​

Pre-built binaries are also available for various architectures on the GitLab package registry. You can download the binary suitable for your operating system and architecture, extract it, and place it in your system's PATH.

Build from Source​

If you prefer to build pvr from source, ensure you have Go 1.21+ installed:

git clone https://gitlab.com/pantacor/pvr.git
cd pvr
go build -o ~/bin/pvr ./cmd/pvr

Verify Installation​

pvr --help

Essential Commands​

Repository Management​

Initialize Repository​

# Create a new Pantavisor repository
pvr init

Clone Device​

# Clone an existing device configuration
pvr clone http://192.168.1.122:12368/cgi-bin my-checkout
pvr clone http://DEVICE_IP:12368/cgi-bin my-device

Stage and Commit Changes​

# Stage all changes
pvr add .

# Commit with message
pvr commit -m "Updated configuration"

# Stage and commit in one step
pvr add . && pvr commit -m "Added new application"

Application Management​

Add Applications​

# Add container from Docker Hub
pvr app add --from nginx:stable-alpine webserver
pvr app add --from nginx:latest web-server
pvr app add --from postgres:13 database

# Add application with specific configuration
pvr app add --from redis:alpine cache-server

List Applications​

# Show all applications in repository
pvr app ls

Update Applications​

# Update existing application
pvr app update nginx-app

# Update with new image version
pvr app update app-name --from new-image:tag

Remove Applications​

# Remove application from repository
pvr app rm app-name

Device Operations​

Network Discovery​

# Scan for Pantavisor devices on network
pvr device scan

Device Management​

# Create a new device
pvr device create mydevice1

# Get device information
pvr device get DEVICE_ID

# Retrieve device logs
pvr device logs

Deployment​

Post a revision to a device​

pvr post <endpoint> sends your committed revision to a device's pvr endpoint — either a device on the local network or a Pantahub-managed device. This is the command that actually pushes an update to a device.

# Local network (the same endpoint you cloned from)
pvr post http://DEVICE_IP:12368

# Pantahub-managed device
pvr post https://pvr.pantahub.com/USERNAME/DEVICE_NAME

Assemble a deploy directory with pvr deploy​

pvr deploy <deploy-dir> [source-repos]+ composes one or more source repos into a local deployment directory (such as trails/0). It builds the directory on disk; it does not push to a device — use pvr post for that.

# Assemble the current repo into trails/0
pvr deploy trails/0 .

# Assemble from a specific repo path
pvr deploy trails/0 /path/to/repo

# Compose from multiple sources (os from a repo, bsp from an export)
pvr deploy trails/0 /path/to/repo/.pvr#os /tmp/export.tgz#bsp

Signature Management​

List Signatures​

# Show signatures
pvr sig ls

# Show signatures with full JOSE serialization
pvr sig ls --with-sig

Add Signatures​

# Add signature to component
pvr sig add --part component-name
pvr sig add --part nginx

# Show signature with payload
pvr sig --with-payload ls --with-sig _sigs/awconnect.json

Configuration​

Global Configuration​

# Set global configuration options
pvr global-config KEY=VALUE

# Set development distribution
pvr global-config DistributionTag=develop

Repository Configuration​

Configuration files are stored in the .pvr/ directory within your repository.

Common Usage Patterns​

Complete Application Workflow​

# 1. Initialize or clone repository
pvr init
# OR
pvr clone http://DEVICE_IP:12368/cgi-bin my-project

# 2. Navigate to repository
cd my-project

# 3. Add application
pvr app add --from nginx:latest web-server

# 4. Stage and commit
pvr add .
pvr commit -m "Added nginx web server"

# 5. Post to the device
pvr post http://DEVICE_IP:12368

Device Configuration Workflow​

# 1. Scan for devices
pvr device scan

# 2. Clone device for editing
pvr clone http://192.168.1.100:12368/cgi-bin my-device

# 3. Make configuration changes
cd my-device
# Edit files or add applications

# 4. Commit changes
pvr add .
pvr commit -m "Updated device configuration"

# 5. Post back to the device
pvr post http://DEVICE_IP:12368

Tips and Best Practices​

Network Discovery​

  • Use pvr device scan to find Pantavisor devices on your network
  • Devices typically expose their management interface on port 12368

Version Control​

  • Always commit changes with descriptive messages
  • Use pvr add . to stage all changes before committing
  • Repository history is maintained like Git

Application Management​

  • Applications are pulled from Docker Hub by default
  • Use specific tags (e.g., nginx:1.21-alpine) instead of latest for production
  • Test applications locally before deploying to production devices

Deployment Strategy​

  • Test deployments on development devices first
  • Use signature management for production deployments
  • Monitor device logs after deployment

Official Documentation​

For complete command reference and advanced usage: