cli11
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Description:
Simple and intuitive command-line parser for C++11
Type: Formula  |  Latest Version: 2.6.1@0  |  Tracked Since: Dec 17, 2025
Links: Homepage  |  formulae.brew.sh
Category: Developer tools
Tags: c++ cli parser header-only library
Install: brew install cli11
About:
CLI11 is a header-only C++11 library designed for parsing command-line arguments with a clean, modern API. It provides automatic help and usage generation, supports complex subcommands, and handles a wide variety of argument types. Its main value is simplifying the boilerplate of command-line parsing while remaining lightweight and easy to integrate.
Key Features:
  • Header-only library requiring no external dependencies
  • Support for subcommands, flags, options, and positional arguments
  • Automatic generation of help and usage messages
  • Type-safe argument validation and conversion
  • Extensive configuration and customization options
Use Cases:
  • Adding robust command-line parsing to C++ applications
  • Building CLI tools with subcommand structures (like git or docker)
  • Rapid prototyping of C++ utilities without complex argument handling code
Alternatives:
  • Boost.Program_options – More heavyweight with Boost dependency; CLI11 is header-only and lighter
  • gflags – Google's flag library; CLI11 offers more modern C++ idioms and subcommand support
License: BSD-3-Clause
Bottles available for: all
Version History
Detected Version Rev Change Commit
Dec 22, 2024 6:49pm 0 VERSION_BUMP 5184756b