---
title: Sheets on the Command Line
sidebar_label: Command-Line Tools
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---

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With the availability of JS engines and the success of server-side platforms,
it is possible to build standalone command-line tools from JavaScript code.

[SheetJS](https://sheetjs.com) is a JavaScript library for reading and writing
data from spreadsheets.

This demo covers a number of strategies for building standalone spreadsheet
processors. The ultimate goal is to use SheetJS libraries to generate CSV output
from arbitrary spreadsheet files. The generated command-line tool will accept an
argument, parse the specified workbook, and print CSV rows to the terminal.

```bash title="Sample terminal session"
> xlsx-cli.exe pres.numbers
Name,Index
Bill Clinton,42
GeorgeW Bush,43
Barack Obama,44
Donald Trump,45
Joseph Biden,46
```

Demos for common standalone CLI tools are included in separate pages:

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#### Platform Support

The following frameworks have been tested on the following platforms:

<FrameworkData/>

:::note pass

Asterisks (✱) in the Windows for ARM column mark tests that generated x64
binaries. The CLI tools run under the x64 emulator integrated in Windows.

:::

:::tip pass

The [`xlsx-cli`](https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-cli/) NodeJS script is available
as a package on the SheetJS CDN. It is a straightforward command-line tool for
translating files between supported spreadsheet file formats.

:::

:::caution pass

For most common deployment scenarios, it is possible to install a server-side
platform such as [NodeJS](/docs/getting-started/installation/nodejs).

**It is strongly recommended to use a dedicated platform when possible.**

The standalone programs generated in this demo are useful when a dedicated
server-side scripting platform cannot be installed on the target computer.

:::

#### NodeJS

This demo has been organized by framework:

- [`boxednode`](/docs/demos/cli/boxednode)
- [`nexe`](/docs/demos/cli/nexe)
- [`pkg`](/docs/demos/cli/pkg)

#### V8

**[The exposition has been moved to the "V8" demo.](/docs/demos/engines/v8#snapshots)**

#### BunJS

**[The exposition has been moved to a separate page.](/docs/demos/cli/bunsea)**

#### Deno

**[The exposition has been moved to a separate page.](/docs/demos/cli/denosea)**

#### Dedicated Engines

The following demos for JS engines produce standalone programs:

- [V8](/docs/demos/engines/v8)
- [Duktape](/docs/demos/engines/duktape)
- [ChakraCore](/docs/demos/engines/chakra)
- [QuickJS](/docs/demos/engines/quickjs)
- [Goja](/docs/demos/engines/goja)
- [JavaScriptCore](/docs/demos/engines/jsc)